Philip Bishop

LATEST

Gun Sellers Take Aim at "Obama Socialist Police State"

Ryne Chillicutt has owned Country First Guns 'N Bait in Condemnation, Texas for 38 years. Ryne's daddy, Luther Chillicutt, owned the store before him and Chillicutts go all the way back to the Civil War as proud bearer's of arms.

Luther Chillicutt passed away this summer. Ryne said he's glad his daddy died when he did so he didn't have to see "the Democrat plan to cause the Western economy to collapse" and so "steal the election from a great American hero."

"Would've broke his heart," said Ryne, spitting tobacco juice into a tin pail. "It's a crime all the lies they tolt and all the fear they're spreading. It's our duty now -- it's my duty now to my daddy's name -- to telt the truth and bring a little hope to the people."

Truth and hope are what Chillicutt says he's been spreading in radio and newspaper ads and to anyone who steps over the threshold of his store to buy a rod or a Remington.

A full-page ad from Country First Guns 'N Bait in a recent edition of the Condemnation Penny Shopper bears the following headline in urgent 48 point type: "Comrade Obama: Gun-Snatcher! Get Guns While You Can! Specials on AK-47s Through I-Day!" (I-Day is Inauguration Day on January 20.)

"Obama says he supports gun rights," said Chillicutt, "but don't you believe him. Did he lie about taking federal campaign financing? He did. And he's flip-flopped on other issues. He's already planning for the government to take over the banks and the auto industry. You think his socialism will stop there? He'll come after our guns. So the more guns we have, the harder he'll find it to take them all."

It is this more-the-merrier philosophy that is fueling current promotions at Country First Guns 'N Bait, including "Buy One, Sock Another One Away for 20% Off!" and "Don't Be Blue, Buy Two!"

Several promotions in the store focus on children. One poster says, "If You Had to Choose Between Buying Your Child Health Insurance or a Gun, The Choice is Easy, Right? Right: Get the Gun! A Healthy Kid Who's the Slave of a Socialist State is Sick!"

Another display promotes "Gunkinz, An Online World of Wonder and Weapons!" The Internet portal features a colorful world of fuzzy, furry creatures called Gops with bandoliers strapped over their chests using a wide range of weaponry to shoot and kill other fuzzy, furry creatures called Dems. A chat area in Gunkinz is extolled as a "great place for little tykes to talk to about guns, ammo and overthrowing socialist police states."

"I believe there should be a gun in every child's Christmas stocking," said Chillicutt. "We need to pass on American values and American rights to the next generation before the socialists take them away from us."

Chillicutt shoots a spray of tobacco spit into his pail and continues.

"People need to protect themselves from all this fear-mongering coming out of Obama-land with it's talk of the economy collapsing," he said. "What collapse? My business has never been better."

Chillicutt says gun sales at his store are up 30% since Obama announced his candidacy. He expects them to rise even further in the days and weeks leading up to I-Day.

RECENT

Briefly: China Hid How-To Product Contamination Websites From World During Olympic Games

USA Today reported recently that according to a U.S. Olympic Committee email, China’s government was so concerned about the possibility of athlete demonstrations in the Beijing Olympics that it created a list of nine U.S. athletes and one assistant coach it thought might cause trouble at the Games.

Now an email has come across my digital desk in which I’ve learned why the Chinese government was so restrictive in the Internet access it permitted foreign journalists during the Games. It felt that knowledge of certain troubling websites could disrupt the spectacular event. Full story.

Dogs Mark Tree in Maine as Their Holy Grail -- The Right One to Be Barking Up