I don't think of participants as 99 per cent conservative, Ed. Americans generally share same values, conservatives and liberals. What skews perspective are those on the extreme edges. That's common to everything. The wilder ones at meetings are a delight to watch but come the vote reason usually prevails.

The peculiarity is drum-beating on gun rights, not that freedoms are diminishing at an astonishing rate in all other areas because of fears concerning public safety. Americans didn't say no way, no more when the Patriot Act allowed government to root into every human activity.

Everyone here, as you say, is for gun rights. We wouldn't be here otherwise. A call for greater vigilance and active participation to slow tightening of restrictions is common sense. A few members have chosen, however, to negate the citizenship and character of those who don't share their opinions.

mc earlier mused delightfully of a military-industrial complex---we need more humour, thanks---but I thought of how elegantly and strategically that those on the fringe have laboured mightily to divide us, a fifth column in service of the gun-grabbers.

Keeping our guns and fraternity together is more important than partisan politics.