Check out the [url=www.washtimes.com/national/20030509-92627140.htm]Washington Times[/url]...

"The House in the past has taken a dim view of the assault-weapons ban..." said Stuart Roy, spokesman for House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Texas Republican.
"...[b]It has zero chance[/b]," Mr. Roy said, adding that the Senate might try to fold the ban's reauthorization into a bill that the House supports, but that such a strategy is bound to fail.
    "It's technically possible to do that, but just about on the verge of being impossible," Mr. Roy said.

Now instead of wasting our time arguing about hypothetical futures where we are all worse off (i.e. Bush signing it), we can use the energy to secure a better one for all of us by keeping the pressure on in the House.

I need to get some letter writing done on Saturday (I want to put time into it, hand written, so I'm not using any of my 15 minute study breaks for it. Last exam today.).

My House Rep is a Democrat, and probably a crook, but he votes pro-gun. (I didn't vote for him. The guy running against him was also pro-gun, and not a crook.)

The Republicans are missing a great opportunity to counter the AWB moves with a strategy that uses the economy to push guns aside.  They need to say something like, "What do assault weapons have to do with putting Americans to work?  What do assault weapons have to do with cleaning out corporate criminals?  We Republicans are working on what's important to YOU!"

If I'm a Republican candidate for Congress I'm telling voters in my district that jobs and economic security have a higher priority with me than whether a handful of people want a gun that looks like what our brave and courageous soldiers carry.

Damn. I had forgotten about that. I feel much better now!

"The repeal of the assault weapon ban is a top priority." - Bob Dole, March 1995

"Just keep it. Keep the assault weapon ban."- Bob Dole, July 15, 1996

Make sure everyone and their brother and sister sign the AWB sunset online petition.  

[url]www.petitiononline.com/AWB/[/url]

Only 3130 signatures so far.

Bilster

1. Tom Delay is not Bob Dole by a longshot.

2. Bob Dole was running for President in 1996 and needed to appear "moderate" to appeal to a broad range of voters to get reelected.

3. Tom Delay only has to get reelected in his single pro-gun Texas district.

4. Nobody said the fight was over, just that this was a good sign... and it is.

We still need to keep up the pressure as the House will be taking tremendous heat from the media as this goes on. We need to make sure they know that they have support and the votes to back it up.

To you, every silver lining has a cloud, doesn't it?

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No, I just don't wear rose colored glasses and horse blinders.