Newton’s third law of motion: every action elicits an equal and opposite reaction. That’s kinda the principle at work behind a new group called the The Basic Freedoms Defense Fund. Their purpose is to show Colorado’s legislators that their actions (abrogating their constituents’ right to keep and bear arms) have consequences. And they intend to do that by recalling some of the most prominent civilian disarmers in the state legislature. First up: Senate President John Morse . . .
You remember John. He’s the servant of the people who advised his fellow Dems to ignore the anti-disarmament clamor they were hearing from their constituents and adopt the Nike approach to ramming through gun control – Just Do It! He’s also the author of a FOPA-be-damned bill that would hold manufacturers, retailers and gun owners liable for crimes committed with their guns.
“The reality is, these folks don’t have a Second Amendment right to buy these guns. I’m not going there in this bill. I’m granting them the right, if you will, as long as they take 100 percent of the responsibility, both to sell it, to buy it, to possess it, to shoot it, the whole kit and kaboodle.”
Now, thanks to BFDF, we may get to see how the senator’s delicate psyche stands up to a group that doesn’t just oppose one of his bills, but wants to actually fire his ass and send him home to Colorado Springs.
Nick Andrasik, the BFDF’s PR guru, told me the new org has about 500 members so far. They’ve received a few larger contributions from un-named gun industry contributors, but most of their members are individuals sending in $20 or $50 at a time. As Andrasik told me, every $20 contribution helps them send a message to those who voted to restrict Coloradans’ gun rights.
And it won’t take too much to get a Morse recall measure on the ballot. He only won his Colorado Springs seat by a gerrymandered 300 votes and BFDF needs a mere 7200 signatures to give his constituents another crack at him.
Oh, and as far as you other members of the Colorado house and senate are concerned, you should be concerned. Next up on the BFDF hit list is Evie “The Stats Aren’t On Your Side” Hudak from Westminster. Here’s their press release:
Colorado Springs, CO, April 3, 2013–Colorado grassroots group begins recall of State Senate President for attacks against Constitution and Bill of Rights. The group has the Colorado Secretary of States’ approval to begin gathering signatures for the recall of Colorado State Senate President John Morse (D.) for his stand and leadership against the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution and his attack on the constitutional rights of Colorado citizens.
The Basic Freedom Defense Fund (BFDF) was recently formed to educate the public concerning their Constitutional rights and to hold state politicians accountable for voting against the express wishes and Constitutional rights of their constituency.
BFDF’s spokesperson, Nick Andrasik –“Senate President Morse has made it very clear – through both his words and his actions – that he put greater value on the thoughts of interest groups in Washington D.C. and New York City than those of his own Colorado constituency.
“In a recent interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, Morse stated that he advised fellow Senators to ignore the thousands of emails* sent in opposition and that he (Morse) was ‘proud of my caucus… and the way they’ve gotten this done.’ This behavior is more that of a tyrant, not an elected official. The contempt and arrogance displayed in the face of an enormous outcry of objection from tens of thousands of Colorado citizens shows how little Mr. Morse cares for the will of the people of Colorado and solidifies our position that he should no longer be in office.”
Several public meetings have been held in Colorado Springs, with hundreds of concerned and outraged Coloradans turning out to protest what they feel are extremely dangerous attacks on the Constitution and innocent citizens’ rights by Colorado politicians supported by outsiders from Washington and New York City.
BFDF intends to educate and support disenfranchised Coloradans in an organized effort to remove elitist legislators from public office through a more informed constituency in future elections and through the recall process initially.
More information about BFDF as well as links for corporate and individual financial support and volunteering are available at the BFDF website, www.bfdf.org.