Abercrombie & Fitch

History link

As early as 1913, A&F had adopted the slogan, "The Greatest Sporting Goods Store in the World".^[9]

That was THEN:

"Founded in 1892 in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, by David T. Abercrombie and Ezra Fitch, Abercrombie & Fitch was an elite outfitter of sporting and excursion goods, particularly noted for its expensive shotguns, fishing rods, fishing boats, and tents. In 1976, Abercrombie & Fitch filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, finally closing its flagship store at Madison Avenue and East 45th Street in 1977.^[5]     

^{[We used to spend many pleasant lunch hours in that store marvelling at the excursion, safari, expedition, and exploration gear and wonderful merchandise that they sold.  They regularly outfitted Teddy Roosevelt.  They had a shooting range in the basement and a pool on the roof.   In 1938, 40% of sales at the great flagship Madison Avenue store was guns.  There was a gorgeous collapsible 4-man wooden boat with canvas cover that could be back-packed anywhere that a man could walk or hike.  Twelve floors, we loved that place.]}

Shortly thereafter the name was revived in 1978, Oshman's Sporting Goods, a Houston-based chain owned by Jake Oshman,^[6] bought the defunct firm's name and mailing list for $1.5 million^[7] ($5.2 million in 2013 dollars).^[8]Oshman's relaunched A&F as a mail-order retailer specializing in hunting wear and novelty items. It also opened shops in Beverly Hills, Dallas, and (by the mid-1980s) New York City. Finally, in 1988, Oshman's sold the company name and operations to The Limited, a clothing-chain operator based in Columbus, Ohio.^[9] "

And this is NOW:

"Product criticism[edit]

In 2002, A&F sold a shirt that featured the slogan "Wong Brothers Laundry Service – Two Wongs Can Make It White" with smiling figures in conical Asian hats, a depiction of early Chinese immigrants. The company discontinued the designs and apologized after a boycott started by an Asian American student group at Stanford University.^[82] That same year, abercrombie kids removed a line of thong underwear sold for girls in pre-teen children's sizes after parents mounted nationwide storefront protests. The underwear included phrases like "Eye Candy" and "Wink Wink" printed on the front.^[83]

More T-shirt controversies occurred in 2004. The first incident involved a shirt featuring the phrase, "It's All Relative in West Virginia," a jab at alleged incestuous relationships in rural America. West Virginia Governor Bob Wise spoke out against the company for depicting "an unfounded, negative stereotype of West Virginia", but the shirts were not removed.^[84] Later, another T-shirt that said "L is for Loser" next to a picture of a male gymnast on the rings gathered publicity. The company stopped selling the shirt in October 2004 after USA Gymnastics president Bob Colarossi announced a boycott of A&F for mocking the sport.^[85]

In 2005, the Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania launched a "Girlcott" of the store to protest the sale of T-shirts displaying sexist messages such as "Who needs brains when you have these?", "Available for parties," and "I had a nightmare I was a brunette." The campaign received national coverage on The Today Show, and the company pulled the shirts from stores on November 5, 2005.^[86] Five days after this media coverage, A&F pulled two of the shirts off of its shelves, released an apology to girls for producing the T-shirts, and agreed to have corporate executives meet with the "Girlcott" girls at the company's headquarters.^[87]

Bob Jones University, a non-denominational Protestant university located in Greenville, South Carolina, and its affiliated pre-collegiate schools, along with other Christian schools have prohibited A&F and Hollister clothing from being "worn, carried, or displayed" on its campuses because of "an unusual degree of antagonism to the name of Christ and an unusual display of wickedness" in the company's promotions.^[88]

After A&F raised its price points in 2004, its products have been described as overpriced.^[81] After the company opened its flagship store in London, England and Paris, France, the brand was criticized in the United Kingdom and France because the merchandise that was offered to the customers cost double (or a direct $/£ - $/€ swap) compared to prices found in the U.S.^[89]

A T-shirt controversy arose again over A&F's Back-to-School 2009 collection of "humor tees".^[90] One shirt proclaims "Show the twins" above a picture of a young woman with her blouse open to two men. Two other shirts state "Female streaking encouraged" and "Female Students Wanted for Sexual Research".^[90] The American Family Association disapproved of the influence of the "sex-as-recreation" lifestyle shirts, and asked the brand to remove its "sexualized shirts" from display.^[90]"

^{You've come a long way, baby.}

More of the Same from the NYTimes

Now, over 100 years of tradition:

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Unfortunately, this kind of behavior isn’t new to Andrew Rosenthal, the man who runs the editorial page for the New York Times. Rosenthal has a long history of deliberately misstating facts in order to make his enemies — people who aren’t hardcore liberals — look bad. Rosenthal was the individual who falsely reported in 1992 that President George H. W. Bush had never before seen an everyday supermarket scanner. Rosenthal’s lie was so blatant that even his fellow reporters thought it was a “cheap shot.”

Then there’s the deceptive headline Rosenthal’s team added to a Mitt Romney op-ed about Detroit’s financial troubles: “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt.” Romney never said that or anything close to it, but properly reporting facts has never really been Rosenthal’s forte. He is not a reporter; he is a liberal activist with a soapbox and a megaphone.

Sadly, today’s faceplant by Rosenthal and the New York Times editorial board should really come as no surprise. They don’t care about facts. They don’t care about accuracy. And they certainly don’t care if their lies about guns and the NRA have no basis in reality. The New York Times has an agenda, and that agenda has nothing to do with reporting the truth."

Mr. Rosenthal is the son of Abe W. Rosenthal, former reporter, city editor, managing editor, executive editor, and chief architect of the modern Times.    He famously fabricated a story as rooky city editor that made his name and his career.  

"One article assigned by Mr. Rosenthal, focusing on New Yorkers' fear of involvement in crime, recounted the murder of Kitty Genovese, a Queens woman whose screams were ignored by 38 neighbors while her killer stalked and attacked her repeatedly on a street for 35 minutes. The article shocked New York, and Mr. Rosenthal later wrote a short book on the episode, "Thirty-Eight Witnesses."   http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/11/nyregion/11rosenthal.html?pagewanted=6&fta=y>

Focusing on thoughtless, cruel, selfish urban sensibilities to not "get involved" in fellow citizens lives and victimization, the article became the basis for psychology textbooks teaching psychology students that this "urban apathy" is a real thing and a feature of our decadent society.

The REAL story missed by Abe the elder, an overzealous young reporter on the make was that New York's foolish and evil Sullivan Law alone brought about Kitty Genovese's stabbing murder in front of her apartment because even as a gay bar manager, transporting cash, even as a lesbian subject to all sorts of hate and threats, coming home alone daily at the wee hours of 3 AM, she was not able to obtain a handgun permit from the City of New York.  THAT's the story!  

The same could be said for John Lennon and countless other innocent, law abiding New York City residents murdered defenselessly.

Of course, further aggravating is that the NYTimes was a major driving force behind enactment of the Sullivan Law in 1911, jumping on a bandwagon launched by an assistant medical examiner after a Gramercy Park murder with a handgun.  Similarly, the REAL story was the corruption and criminality of state assemblyman Sullivan.

=========================================

Books MARCH 10, 2014 ISSUE

A Call for Help

What the Kitty Genovese story really means.

BY NICHOLAS LEMANN

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/03/10/a-call-for-help

Colt Python

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Why is the Colt Python So Popular?

Around Rock Island Auction Company, collector firearms are a way of life.  Whether it's guns from the Old West, Class III machine guns, or the firearms used in any number of wars and conflicts, they tend to enjoy a perpetual popularity.  Their place in history is significant if not downright important, and people will always be fascinated by that.  It's rare then that a genre of firearms or a particular model would enjoy a sudden upswing in popularity.  New historic events, by their very nature, don't happen frequently.  So when a firearm or class of firearms experiences a rapid rise in popularity, collectors take notice.

This Colt Python is blue with a 4" barrel and was manufactured in 1968.  It is Lot #1
in our February 2015 Regional Firearms Auction.

Of course, saying that the Colt Python is experiencing a "rapid upswing" is a bit of an understatement.  It's been more of a rocket ship for these trusty wheelguns.  We covered some of their growth back in October 2013 in an article entitled, "Stocks, Bonds, or Barrels?"  In that story was the table below, which showed the steady increase of the gun in recent years.

Those figures were obtained from sale averages achieved by Rock Island Auction Company and they are a direct representation of what the market will support (because it did).  Finding the upward trend is not difficult.  What's more astonishing is what happened in 2014.  Our December 2014 Premiere Firearms Auction contained a good selection of Colt snake guns and our auction hall absolutely came alive when it was time for them to cross the auction block.  We wrote about it in a post-auction article which described the events as,

"The end of Saturday was quite a surprise to everyone in attendance. As Colt “Snake Guns” began to cross the block, the auction hall began to buzz. Every phone line was filled and online bidders began to make their presence felt as numerous collectors scrambled to own one of the popular revolvers. Bids couldn’t be taken quickly enough as the values soared and jaws dropped while the numbers reached previously unheard of heights. A feeding frenzy had begun. An R. L. Wilson special order Colt Python in lot 1789, with a high estimate of $4,500, would see a sale price of $11,500. Another Python, this time a scarce, inscribed, three-inch barrel Combat Python with its original box in lot 1792, would go even higher and sell for $12,650. These numbers were not rare! Numerous Pythons, Anacondas, Cobras, and Diamondbacks would exceed the $5,000 mark and many surpassed the $10,000 mark. It could indicate an extremely interesting trend for those who seek or collect these revolvers."


If we included 2014 on the table shown above, it would have an average sale price of $3,805.88, and that even includes an adjustment for a cased set of "Snake Eyes" Pythons to be counted as two separate guns.  So what gives?  Why has the Python, a revolver that's been around since 1955, all of a sudden seeing some pretty explosive growth in the last three years?  Let's take a look shall we?

Quality

The issue of high quality has not been an issue for the Colt Python.  If anything, there is the rumor that later quality Pythons fell away a bit from their initial high quality.  That said, there certainly wasn't any revamping of the Python that would've increased its quality and therefore popularity among collectors.  In fact, when it was introduced in 1955 it was done as a premium revolver, designed to compete with the finest double actions available.  It succeeded. A number of its design aspects such as its balance, weight, smooth trigger, and small tolerances gave the gun a refined feel, high accuracy, and reliability that few have matched.  Colt Historian R.L. Wilson has a well-cited quote, calling the Python the "Rolls-Royce of Colt revolvers" and the well-known British author and firearms expert Ian V. Hogg called it the "best revolver in the world."  High praise from reliable sources indeed, but the superior quality is hardly a recent development and cannot account for the surge in prices and popularity.

This Python, manufactured in 1956, sold in our December 2014 Premiere Firearms Auction for $11,500.

Looks

To put it simply, the Colt Python just looks like a big, powerful, classic revolver.  It's fat, simple grip, beefy snout, and swing out out cylinder make it baddest man in the room that never has to tell anyone for them to know.  There's no over-sized, unmanageable caliber.  No ostentatious advertising campaigns.  Just a simple, well-made revolver that's not a design fad.  Well, OK.  Maybe there used to be some pretty gaudy ads, but it's safe to say that those were before their meteoric rise.

Yikes.  You probably shouldn't try to take this Burmese python's Python.

Practicality

It's difficult to argue against the practicality of a well-made gun.  After all, if a firearm isn't well made and in turn doesn't perform reliably, how truly practical can it be?  Not only is the Colt Python built to do what it does very well, but it has been proven to be a practical tool in the hands of many police officers.  The Python was a fine option for law enforcement officers before the shift to semi-automatics began to grip the land.  In any case, the time the Python spent in service gave it a "field test" that many firearms do not receive.  If it had performed poorly in the field, that would not escape its history.

Also attesting to the practicality of the gun is its choice of caliber.  In its standard configuration of .357 Magnum, the gun packs plenty of power for nearly any law enforcement group, some fun range time, or even defending one's castle.  The caliber has been around since 1934, is a standard cartridge for most stores to carry, has excellent power, and shows no sign of going anywhere.

Politics

Granted, a portion of the Python's rise in price and popularity is the same rise enjoyed by nearly every other type of firearm.  Talk of legislation against firearms drove sales like none other.  People want to make sure they have the guns they want in their possession should the worst occur.  Part of the Python's price may have risen due to this, but if this were the sole cause we would similar rises across the majority of firearms and not this particular model.  It was easy to see a rise in price of "black rifles" and AR platform semi-automatic rifles because those were in the most danger of having legislation passed against them.  Modern sport rifles were unquestionably targeted the hardest (despite handguns being the weapon of choice for criminals, but that's another story).  Meanwhile this solid wheelgun received almost NO attention from the media or anti-gun groups because it's not a semi-automatic, its price doesn't make it attractive to criminals and it is therefore unlikely to be used in crimes (high profile or otherwise), and it only carries six rounds, a temporarily acceptable number for anti-gunners.  The Colt Python would not have been on anyone's radar for anything other than being a handgun, so while it may have enjoyed a small bump from potential legislation, it's nothing that would push it anywhere close to its current prices.  Besides, modern sport rifles have already seen their bubble burst.  If Pythons were riding that same bubble, they would have fallen right along side them.

Media Appearances

Maybe here is where we start to get to the meat of things.  First of all, let me say that I'm well aware that the use of Colt Pythons in TV and movies extends back decades.  While popular trivia may let us know that the Colt Python was the sidearm of choice for Hutch on 1970s TV show "Starsky & Hutch," it is not well known that its use can be traced back as far as 1969 according to the Internet Movie Firearms Database. The gun's classic, tough looks allow to be an "every pistol" in a number of TV shows and movies - always looking the part for some lawman in the 60s, 70s, and even 80s.  That said, why wasn't the Python more popular than this before now if it was featured so frequently?

The Colt Python as seen on AMC's "The Walking Dead"

        1.  Movies  Several factors could be at play, any of which would require more research to confirm or refute.  The first is that more people go to the movies today than ever before.  Modern box office numbers are untouchable even when counting for inflation.  More people watching means more people see these guns being used and possibly falling in love with this big, sturdy-looking revolver.  This is likely the weakest of the hypotheses.

        2.  Streaming TV could also be a factor.  For example, the Colt Python is featured prominently in the current television series "The Walking Dead."  Wielded by lead character Sheriff Rick Grimes, the gun is being seen by record numbers of people who tune in to see this wildly popular show.  The show initially airs on AMC, a premium cable network.  However, previous seasons of the show are also available on streaming services such as Netflix or Amazon Instant video for a comparatively modest price, as low as $7.99 for a single month.  Enjoying the current popularity wave of zombie culture, the success of Walking Dead, and widespread availability of both means the Python is being seen almost weekly by record numbers of people.  You can't buy that kind of advertising.

Here is how the Python appears in the video game
Call of Duty: Black Ops

        3.  Video games. I know, I know... video games get blamed for everything from bad grades, to obesity, to any number of crimes, both the benign and the violent.  However, the popularity of video games is not something to be overlooked.  Most notable of video games sparking an interest in firearms is the Call of Duty series.  Stretching back all the way to 2003, the COD series of games has featured real life weapons in nearly every single title.  Since its inception COD has over $10 BILLION in sales, each one teaching a player the appearance and gross characteristics of say, an M1 Garand, an MP5, a G36C, a BAR, a P90, a G11, a Type 99, and even what different shoulder launchers look like.  Many are quick to poo-poo the knowledge of COD players, which if based solely on gameplay would be admittedly thin, but would be hard pressed to find a more effective  tool for teaching rudimentary knowledge (appearance, action type, caliber) and spurring enthusiasm.

The Colt Python has been featured in video games where it is mostly listed as a ".357 Magnum" or "revolver," but the appearance in unmistakable.  The video game Call of Duty: Black Ops, the seventh of the series, featured the Python by name (without mentioning Colt).  It sold a total 5.6 million units in the U.S & U.K. in the first 24 hours.  That's $360 million in sales in 1 day, and $650 million in 5 days worldwide!  Even the acclaimed American Sniper movie released last week "only" landed a record $105 million opening-week box office.  Granted, video games are more expensive than movie tickets, but the numbers are still staggering.  Plus, while someone might only see a movie once in the theater, players are literally dumping days of time into these video games, playing them over and over again.  That's a lot of eyeballs learning that the Python, typically programmed in games to be more powerful than its semi-automatic counterparts, is for lack of better term, one mean mother.

This Python, manufactured in 1968, will also be appearing in our February 2015 Regional Firearms Auction.
It is Lot 73.

So with its popular appearances, and more media than ever being available to more people than ever, does that all translate into more sales?  Do those sales help diminish the supply and raise the price?  After all, how many kids playing these video games can legally buy a Python, let alone afford one?  That is true, and a large portion of those playing the video games will be under the legal age to purchase a handgun,  However, there are still millions playing that can buy a handgun.  Many of the children who grew up playing video games are now adults or young adults that play video games and those adults have adult sized  pocketbooks.

However, what all these mediums and popularity accomplish is to introduce a powerful, glamorized, and beautiful gun to an extremely large group of novices.  Even a small number of purchases by this newly enthusiastic group would have a large effect on the hundreds of thousands of Colt Pythons available.  This in turn, has a snowball effect.  Collectors see the supply of Pythons getting slimmer.  It's harder to find a Python for anyone that wants one.  Better snap one up before they're gone, right?  Now collectors are buying Pythons too, further depleting the available supply and also contributing to increased prices.  Casual gun buyers also find out how desirable they are and look for good deals on Pythons, further driving demand and price and it just keeps going.  Pretty soon, folks that can't get Pythons turn to Anacondas, Cobras, Vipers, Diamondbacks, and other Colt "snake guns."  Can't get a snake gun or afford one?  There are some attractive, fat-gripped Smith & Wesson revolvers that just might do the trick!  The popularity and demand for the Python is truly astounding, not only does it affect its own price and availability, but also guns similar to it.

What Does It All Mean?

But who cares right?  Why should we care about the price of a single model of revolver enjoying a bit of a renaissance?  Well, for folks who want one, it can be somewhat important, but for collectors and folks using firearms as their retirement fund, the ramifications can be even more important.  Even if you have no desire to own one, you may stumble across one at an excellent price and stand the opportunity to make some profit, but you have to know the opportunity exists in the first place.  That would potentially be a pretty quick turnaround for some profit, but the other two groups mentioned have some larger questions in mind.  For example:

• Is this another bubble like we just saw happen to the AR platform rifles?  If so, casual purchasers as well as collectors and investors could probably stand to wait for the price to come down if they still want one.    
• Is this the ground floor?  How many years can Pythons experience consistent growth?  If your experience tells you they're not slowing down anytime soon, this would be a great time to invest in multiple Pythons.  
• Will they plateau?  Instead of falling as in a bubble or rising over decades like Colt percussion revolvers or antique Winchester lever actions, could the guns simply be adjusting to a new market value where they will eventually stabilize?

There are all sorts of possibilities of what could happen to Pythons, snake guns, and the revolver market in general.  No one can say for certain what the end result will be, but two things are certain.  It's going to be a heck of a ride to find out, and I still want one in my collection.


-Written by Joel Kolander

This Python Hunter sold in our December 2014 Premiere Firearms Auction
for an impressive $4,600.

Did You Know?

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Did You Know?

“Between speaking fees, investments and income from presidential appointments, Frederick Douglass’ was able to mass $300,000 in savings–an equivalent of more than $10 million dollars today. We shouldn’t ENVY those earning $250,000 per year. We should EMULATE them. That’s how jobs are created.” ~ KCarl Smith, ConservativeMESSENGER

• African Americans originally came to America unwillingly, having been stolen and sold by Muslim slave-catchers in Africa to Dutch traders journeying to America in 1619.

• The Three-Fifths Clause dealt only with representation and not the worth of any individual.

• In 1857, a Democratically controlled Supreme Court delivered the Dred Scott decision, declaring that blacks were not persons or citizens but instead were property and therefore had no rights.

• The 13th Amendment to abolish slavery was voted for by 100% of the Republicans in congress and by 23% of the Democrats in congress.

• Not one Democrat either in the House or the Senate voted for the 14th amendment declaring that former slaves were full citizens of the state in which they lived and were therefore entitled to all the rights and privileges of any other citizen in that state.

• Not a single one of the 56 Democrats in Congress voted for the 15th amendment that granted explicit voting rights to black Americans.

• In 1866 Democrats formed the Ku Klux Klan to pave the way for Democrats to regain control in the elections.

• George Wallace was a Democrat.

• Bull Connor was a Democrat.

• In the 19th century, Democrats prevented Black Americans from going to public school.

• In the 20th and 21st century Democrats prevented Black Americans trapped in failing schools from choosing a better school. In fact Democrats voted against the bill by 99%.

• Jim Crow laws, poll taxes, grandfather clauses, Literacy tests, white only primaries, and physical violence all came from the Democratic Party.

• Between 1882 and 1964, 4,743 individuals were lynched. 3,446 blacks and 1,297 whites. Republicans often led the efforts to pass federal anti-lynching laws and Democrats successfully blocked those bills.

• Though both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were signed into law under Democrat President, Lyndon Johnson, it was the Republicans in Congress who made it possible in both cases – not to overlook the fact that the heart of both bills came from the work of Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

• In the 108th Congress, when Republicans proposed a permanent extension of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, it was opposed by the Congressional Black Caucus (composed only of Democrats).

• Following the Civil War, Frederick Douglass received Presidential appointments from Republican Presidents Ulysses Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, and James A. Garfield.  Democratic President Grover Cleveland removed Frederick Douglas from office but Republican President Benjamin Harrison reappointed him.

• Very few today know that in 1808 Congress abolished the slave trade. Although slavery still had not been abolished in all the states, things definitely were moving in the right direction.

• By 1820, most of the Founding Fathers were dead and Thomas Jefferson’ party (the Democratic Party) had become the majority party in Congress.

• In 1789, Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance that prohibited slavery in a federal territory.  In 1820, the Democratic Congress passed the Missouri Compromise and reversed that earlier policy, permitting slavery in almost half of the federal territories.

• In 1850, Democrats in Congress passed the “Fugitive Slave Law”.  That law required Northerners to return escaped slaves back into slavery or else pay huge fines.

• Because the “Fugitive Slave Law” allowed Free Blacks to be carried into slavery, this law was disastrous for blacks in the North; and as a consequence of the atrocious provisions of this Democratic law, some 20,000 blacks in the North left the United States and fled to Canada.

• The “Underground Railroad” reached the height of its activity during this period, helping thousands of slaves escape from slavery in the South all the way out of the United States and into Canada – simply to escape the reach of the Democrats’ Fugitive Slave Law.

• In 1854, the Democratically controlled Congress passed another law strengthening slavery:  the Kansas-Nebraska Act.  Even though Democrats in Congress had already expanded the federal territories in which slavery was permitted through their passage of the Missouri Compromise, they had retained a ban on slavery in the Kansas-Nebraska territory.  But through the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Democrats repealed those earlier restrictions, thus allowing slavery to be introduced into parts of the new territory where it previously had been forbidden.

• Following the passage of these pro-slavery laws in Congress, in May of 1854, a number of the anti-slavery Democrats in Congress – along with some anti-slavery members from other political parties, including the Whigs, Free Soilers, and Emancipationists, formed a new political party to fight slavery and secure equal civil rights for black Americans.  The name of that party?  They called it the Republican Party because they wanted to return to the principles of freedom and equality first set forth in the governing documents of the Republic before pro-slavery members of Congress  had perverted those original principles.

• One of the founders of the Republican was U.S. Senator Charles Sumner.  In 1856, Sumner gave a two day long speech in the U.S. Senate against slavery. Following that speech, Democratic Representative Preston Brooks from South Carolina came from the House, across the Rotunda of the Capitol, and over to the Senate where he literally clubbed down Sumner on the floor of the Senate, knocked him unconscious, and beat him almost to death.  According to the sources of that day, many Democrats thought that Sumner’s clubbing was deserved, and it even amused them.  What happened to Democrat Preston Brooks following his vicious attack on Sumner?  He was proclaimed a southern hero and easily re-elected to Congress.

• In 1856, the Republican Party entered its first Presidential election, running Republican John C. Fremont against Democrat James Buchanan.  In that election, the Republican Party issued its first-ever Party platform.  It was a short document with only nine planks in the platform, but significantly, six of the nine planks set forth bold declarations of equality and civil rights for African Americans based on the principles of the Declaration of Independence.

• In 1856, the Democratic platform took a position strongly defending slavery and warned: “All efforts of the abolitionists… are calculated to lead to the most alarming and dangerous consequences and all such efforts have an inevitable tendency to diminish the happiness of the people”.

• It is worth noting that for over a century and a half, Democrats often have taken a position that some human life is disposable – as they did in the Dred  Scott decision.  In that instance, a black individual was not a life, it was property; and an individual could do with his property as he wished.  Today, Democrats have largely taken that same position on unborn human life – that an unborn human is disposable property to do with as one wishes.

• African Americans were the victims of this disposable property ideology a century and a half ago, and still are today.  Consider:  although 12 percent of the current population is African American, almost 35 percent of all abortions are performed on African Americans.  In fact, over the last decade, for every 100 African American live births, there were 53 abortions of African American babies.  Democrats have encouraged this; and although black Americans are solidly pro-life with almost two-thirds opposing abortion on demand, a number of recent votes in Congress reveals that Democrats hold exactly the opposite view, with some 80 percent of congressional Democrats being almost rabidly pro-abortion and consistently voting against protections for innocent unborn human life.

http://frederickdouglassrepublican.com/donate/we-need-you/

THE SYMBOL for fighting terrorists.

I just left a meeting with a Senior Congressman on Capitol Hill. The information I received from that meeting astounded me.  The first thing I've done is sit down and write you this email ... the information is that important. The Congressman and I were speaking about matters of national security.  The conversation naturally turned to the Islamic State (also referred to as ISIS or ISIL) and the threat it poses.  As we were talking, I explained the tragic use of the Arabic "N" on Christian houses ... and the Congressman had no idea what I was speaking about.  Once I was done explaining this, he told me he was positive few Americans are aware of this as well.  Today alone, Islamic State jihadists will kill 100 or more Christians in Iraq and Syria.  They are attempting to commit genocide against Christians.  Now, you know me.  I rarely discuss religion.  But this isn't about religion as you'll soon read. The Islamic State has an efficient method to their extermination practices.  They send "scout" troops into villages who identify and mark Christian homes with the Arabic letter "N" – which is shorthand for “Nasrani,” or Nazarene: a Christian.  The commando brigade follows shortly, and offers anyone who remains in these homes the choice of convert, submit or die.  If the jihadists opt for the latter, the usual methods include crucifixion or beheading – even of children! The symbol I’m speaking about looks like this:   When I asked the Congressman why he thought he hadn't heard about this practice, he said something to me that was startling in its simplicity.  "They're beheading journalists.  As a result no journalist will go into this area to report, for fear of meeting the same fate."  As much as I typically blame a left-leaning media for the lack of important information ... I realized he was right.  The Islamic State has ensured they can conduct their Christian genocide in secret. The reason:  Islamic State jihadists are headed here.  They do not want Americans to know what is in store for us. The point the Congressman left me with was this: If the media is too scared to report on, or lacks information to inform the public about these atrocities, it's up to CSP to get the message out.  He was adamant that the organizations who care most about America must inform Americans about this horror.  He wants to work with me to make sure that this symbol becomes THE SYMBOL for fighting terrorists. I've been wearing a pin (see below) with this symbol on it since we received them only days ago, to show solidarity with Christians and to indicate that I will not let America fall into the hands of terrorists. I know you're aware of the reports of Islamic State training grounds on the Mexican border.  I know you're probably aware of the reports of Islamic State sleeper cells that exist across this country.  I believe these reports are credible and the threat is real and imminent.  You and I are the exception.  The average American doesn't know and isn't prepared to fight. Please help me change that.  Wear this pin with me and use it as a way to start a conversation. Give this pin to others. Help me make this symbol a household name, and ensure Americans know the enemy we fight. This Congressman plans to wear one, and help me distribute the pin to other Members of Congress.  Given my full schedule, this is no small task.  But it's essential. For a small, tax deductible donation we will send you one or more pins.  Please use this link to connect to the donation page and see the options available.  It was expensive to get them made on short notice -- but frankly, we just couldn't wait.  Please donate to get one for you and a handful for friends.  Help us inform America of the terror that awaits if we don't take action.     With best regards and heartfelt thanks for your love of our country and your help in securing it. Frank Gaffney President and CEO Center for Security Policy   P.S.: Forward this email to a friend.

The Roar of the Greasepaint and the Ironic Smell of Crime Detection...

HOW TO CALL THE POLICE WHEN YOU'RE OLD AND DON'T MOVE FAST ANYMORE..
George Phillips of Marsh Green, Wigan was going up to bed when his
wife told him that he'd left the light on in the garden shed, which
she could see from the bedroom window.

George opened the back door to go turn off the light but saw that
there were people in the shed stealing things.

He phoned the police, who asked 'Is someone in your house?' and he
said 'no'. Then they said that all patrols were busy, and that he
should simply lock his door and an officer would be along when
available. George said, 'Okay,' hung up, counted to 30, and phoned
the police again.

'Hello, I just called you a few seconds ago because there were
people stealing things from my shed. Well, you don't have to worry
about them now because I've just shot them.' Then he hung up.

Within five minutes three police cars, an Armed Response Unit, and
an ambulance showed up at the Phillips' residence and caught the crooks
red-handed.

One of the Policemen said to George: 'I thought you said that you'd
shot them!'
George said, 'I thought you said there was nobody available!'

I LOVE IT - Don't mess with old people!!