Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/26/83; site ihuxw.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!eagle!hou5h!hou5a!hou5d!hogpc!houxm!ihnp4!ihuxw!thor
From: thor@ihuxw.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: National Rifle Association
Message-ID: <482@ihuxw.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 15-Sep-83 13:26:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihuxw.482
Posted: Thu Sep 15 13:26:05 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 16-Sep-83 05:10:03 EDT
References: <140@ccieng5.UUCP>
Organization: BTL Naperville, Il.
Lines: 23

In the recent NRA article
the author was peeved about all the bad press the NRA recieves
about being a small organization which essentially controls numerous 
congressman et. al. through lobbying. 
He then states that it is not so small
an organization- 3 million members (+ or - .5 megapersons) and it
has a right to lobby, etc. Yes, they do have a right to lobby and
yes, their views should be heard. But in terms of the American 
public they are still a small organization- 3 million members
out of 227 million Americans total. They do seem to exert
much political power given their size. Therefore,
the charges of abundant political power versus size do appear to
hold. Anyone else have membership figures for other popular
political org's such as the John Birch Society, any of the
Environmentalist Groups, etc.? I think it would be interesting
to see if sheer size makes a difference, or can 20 people with
loads of cash exert as much political influence.
My, a remarkably calm response, given net.flame. Nothing like
the NRA to get the political waters stirred.

			Mark Kohls
			ihuxw!thor