NRA lied: No armed guards at Obama girls’ school

[deminks]

http://americablog.com/2013/01/nra-lied-armed-guards-obama-schoo.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Americablog+%28AMERICAblog+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

There’s a reason they’re call gun “NUTS.” The NRA just lies. These guys should consider teaming up with the religious right, considering the audacity of lies they tell.

You might recall that we reported earlier this week that the NRA had launched an ad/Web site targeting President Obama’s children. The ad claimed – falsely, we now know – that the school the Obama girls attend, Sidwell friends, has “11 armed guards.”

In fact, the school has no armed guards of any kind.

Now, you’d think that when the NRA saw that the source for lie was “Breitbart,” a far right blog known for its sensationalism rather than it’s love of veracity, they’d have double checked. Well, if they did, they double checked with Fox News, because it’s a lie.

(end snip)

The article quotes the Washington Post fact checker.

4 Pinocchios for a slashing NRA ad on security at Sidwell Friends School

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/4-pinocchios-for-a-slashing-nra-ad-on-security-at-sidwell-friends-school/2013/01/16/95b2127a-6032-11e2-9940-6fc488f3fecd_blog.html

[Cali_Democrat]

1. The NRA wouldn't lie

The NRA and their fanatical gun nut supporters are always 100% honest

[rhett o rick]

4. Talk, lie.....lie, talk. Same difference to them. nm

[hrmjustin]

2. The NRA is evil so they will lie about anything to keep the power they have.

[alcibiades_mystery]

3. So, in addition to being obnoxious, arrogant, and offensive, the gun nut NRA is also *wrong*

Color me not surprised.

The sad part is that ALL the gun nut assholes are like this: they lie and deceive at the drop of a hat. They prevent agencies from enforcing law, then insist that enforcement of current law is sufficient. They prevent agencies and academics from conducting research, then insist that you can only speak if you have the very research they have prevented from occurring through bribery, graft, and threats. They turn the substance of conversations toward abstractions, anything at all but what we as a society can do to address the public health threat they pose. They're all fucking liars, and people should remember that when they insist on their "reasonable" and "constructive" conversations.

[krawhitham]

5. I assumed they were talking about armed Secret Service

[deminks]

9. Nope, the NRA was talking about private armed guards

from the WAPO article:

While some news organizations reported that the ad was referencing the Secret Service protection provided to the Obama family — as required by federal law — the longer ad makes it clear that the NRA is specifically referring to the security force at Sidwell Friends.

[krawhitham]

13. The ad never said private armed guards

It did say

"When his kids are protected by armed guards at their school"

I never once assumed they meant private armed guards at Sidwell Friends.


The ad did not say the school was protected by armed guards it said HIS KIDS were protected by armed guards

[CitizenPatriot]

43. The longer ad did

as noted in WaPo, "the longer ad makes it clear that the NRA is specifically referring to the security force at Sidwell Friends."

[former9thward]

6. The Secret Service who are guarding his children are not armed?

Who Knew?

[Fumesucker]

7. They don't work for the school and their job is not to protect the other students n/t

[former9thward]

12. Who cares who they work for?

They are there. As far as the other students go do you really think anyone is going to get close to that school while Obama's children are there?

[pasto76]

23. uh, yeah. they might. The PSD is for the girls. Its not a full on detail with perimeter. I kinda kno

sidwell friends is in the same scholastic leagues as the boarding school i attended. I saw chelsea from a distance once.

personal security details - having been on them in Iraq - are like a bubble around the VIP. lots of things happen around that bubble, and you just dont care. And as noted above, if anything started going crazy in that school, the Obama girls get whisked off to safety. That leaves a lot of other children behind.

[former9thward]

24. Believe your fantasy.

Not counting the SS the school has security people there armed or not. The idea you are trying to promote that the SS are just huddled around the girls' desks and are ignoring everything else is just ridiculous. Why don't you test your theory and go try and walk into the school. Hint - write out your will first.

[CreekDog]

66. defending this?

of course you are.

[former9thward]

70. Oh my official stalker.

Hope you are having a nice day!

[Capt. Obvious]

73. Lame dodge

[former9thward]

75. Another one joins the team!

Welcome!

[another_liberal]

26. Do you think . . .

Do you really think the President's children should not be, ". . . whisked off to safety," unless everyone else can be taken along?

Do you not realize what those girls' safety means for the whole country? You need to check yourself.

[RedCappedBandit]

57. Really don't think that was the posters point.

[another_liberal]

58. Yes . . .

Yes, because that is what he posted. In his own words:

". . . if anything started going crazy in that school, the Obama girls get whisked off to safety. That leaves a lot of other children behind."

Hmmmm?

[RedCappedBandit]

59. Point being, they don't work for the school. nt

[another_liberal]

60. OK . . .

OK. But how does that change anything about whether or not we should be providing the best possible protection for the children of our Presidents? I don't get where you are trying to go with this?

[RedCappedBandit]

61. It doesn't

Hence my original response.

[ProSense]

8. Before you try to stand up for the NRA's honor,

understand the point.

Still, the ad features an image of NBC newsman David Gregory, whose children also attend Sidwell Friends School, which is a selective Quaker private school. And the longer version of the ad quotes a conservative Web site as saying: “Armed Guards — Good enough for the David Gregory’s kids’ school, not for the rest of us. …(The) school Obama’s daughters attend has 11 armed guards.”

[alcibiades_mystery]

14. Don't bother

Gun nuts lie even when they are obviously caught in a lie. They're unethical beyond anything you can contemplate.

[former9thward]

25. Anti-rights nuts lie too.

Where is the lie?

[MightyMopar]

51. Standing up for the NRA? Just asking?

[former9thward]

52. I respect the rights in the Constitution, warts and all.

[CreekDog]

67. what are the "warts" in the constitution?

you aren't defending gun rights like you think the 2nd amendment is the wart.

based on your post, it would seem more like you find other amendments, like the 14th to be the problem.

[former9thward]

71. I defend all rights granted in the Constitution.

You seem to be a pick and choose fellow.

[CreekDog]

72. you said "warts". what are they?

[former9thward]

74. Not to be elitist but what educational level have you achieved?

"warts and all" is an expression used in the English language. It comes from Oliver Cromwell when he instructed the artist painting him to show the "warts and all". The poster I was replying to (not you of course) had an issue with the 2nd amendment. So that poster feels the 2nd A is a "wart". I defend all the rights granted in the Constitution no matter if people think they are warts or not. Now do you get it? Probably not.

[oldbanjo]

42. If you believe that you will believe anything,

my girlfriend is a book keeper at a school in SC and they have two armed cops.

[ecstatic]

10. I'm uncomfortable with both the ad and this followup story

We shouldn't be mentioning his daughters' security at all in this context (due to the type of people we're dealing with).

[malaise]

11. +1,000

I can't bear this

[Paladin]

15. Agree With You Completely.

But when I alerted on someone who was speculating about the Sidwell School's security recently, the jury told me to piss off. Go figure.....

[FailureToCommunicate]

30. I agree with you. Unfortunately

the DU jury disagreed. One asked what planet I was from. My response to that juror would be I was on Earth and age 11 when President Kennedy had his head blow apart next to his wife. I was a little older -but still on this planet- when I learned about President Lincoln getting his head shot through while sitting next to his wife. Since then the list of politicians and notable leaders gunned down by cowardly assassins has grown to horrible bloody length. I might ask what unicorn-prancing paradise does the juror live in?

[progressoid]

16. Quakers are obviously un-American.

[derby378]

47. Yeah, aren't we just?

A faith that stresses egalitarianism, simplicity, social justice, and a peculiar aversion to war. We must be freakin' nuts.

[zbdent]

17. and here the storyline is that, with the media's failure to question a football player ...

that it's A MAJOR CRIME OF PLANETARY PROPORTIONS that someone doesn't research a story ...

but since it perpetuates a RW myth ... there will be NO backlash ...

[Nye Bevan]

18. I would be angry if Obama's daughters are *not* protected by armed Secret Service agents.

But I don't think schools should contain armed guards as a matter of course.

[DonRedwood]

22. Me too--only in extreme cases where a threat is in existence.

But I don't have a problem with police making lots and lots of extra drive bys to check things out. That would cut down on speeding in the school areas too so just think how nice and safe it could be.

And the police could be teaching that guns are not OK at school. I like to have a policeman come and visit every year.

[defacto7]

19. Quakers are pacifists.

I doubt they would want weapons around. Maybe that helps solidify the notion of unarmed guards.

[OldDem2012]

20. Nixon was a Quaker....

Famous Quakers

Based on his conduct of the war in Vietnam as well as his secret bombing campaigns in Laos and Cambodia, it doesn't appear he let his religious background affect his military/political decisions

[Hekate]

28. What has Dick Nixon to do with Sidwell Friend's School?

[OldDem2012]

34. Not all Quaker's are pacifists as the poster to whom I responded had posited....

....maybe you didn't understand his or her post?

[defacto7]

33. Good point, but

not everyone adheres to the tenets of their supposedly chosen religion. He was not considered religious. But I would imagine that a Quaker school would be up on the latest Quakerisms.

[OldDem2012]

35. Nixon was indeed a practicing Quaker and hosted religious services in East Room of White House....

....while he was President.

But, his family's brand of the Quaker faith was not the same as what people traditionally consider to be "Quaker". In other words, they were not from a pacifist branch. Nixon stated that he spent months of soul-searching in 1942 to decide whether to become a conscientious objector or join the military. He joined the Navy, completed Officer Candidate School, and was assigned a number of administrative roles in the Pacific Theater before resigning his commission in 1946.

[defacto7]

41. Ah.. so there are different branches of Quaker.

I knew there were different systems between different congregations. I know there are congregations that support atheists and agnostics, so I would suppose there could be varieties that are not pacifist. As for the OP, I would wonder what branch of Quaker the school represents and what their particular belief is on weapons?

Thanks for the history lesson on Nixon. Interesting. I never spent much time on his personal specifics.

[NewJeffCT]

21. I hope at least some in the media nail them for this

the NRA spent the whole week standing by their ad.

[Hekate]

27. Several posters here maintained that falsehood

Hey guys! I told ya so!

[pediatricmedic]

29. I am a skeptic on this

This is a school for the rich and powerful, I would really be surprised if their wasn't an armed security presence besides the SS.

They may not have 11 armed guards in full tactical gear and rifles, but I would imagine some plain cloths and concealed pistols.

[CitizenPatriot]

44. Wa Po pointed out that most private schools don't have armed security

I went to a private school for the very rich (own your own jet types) and there was no armed security at our school.

[Pachamama]

48. Wrong - Alum here....

....on scholarship and financial aid.....middle class average washington dc md area family.....not rich and powerful family....

Went to the wonderful summer camp on the chesapeake too that was associated with them too....was more like the summer camp out of the Bill Murray movie "Meatballs" in terms of facilities....my favorite part was Sunday mornings in the "Dell" after "Honey" made breakfast for the campers....Dell was part of the Quaker tradition of gathering....people would sit in a beautiful wooded area and reflect. Some might stand up and share thoughts, read a poem or even sing a song and play guitar. It was wonderful....Quaker teachings at the camp and school....

Dont make judgements and assumptions about Sidwell Friends, the students or alums....did some wealthy kids attend? Sure. But not all were and in fact the majority were just middle class kids whose parents worked really hard to make sure there kids could have the best education they could. We didnt have any "armed guards" and if while I was there a Presidents daughter or son had attended, they would have been like all other kids and not treated special. But it would never have bothered anyone, nor should it bother anyone that they would have a secret service detail provided to them....

[mountain grammy]

31. I really want this to go away. Too much focus on the girls and the school.

It's sickening and scary and I think most people agree with me.

[underthematrix]

32. This is a very very inappropriate discussion thread. THIS THREAD SHOULD BE CLOSED IMMEDIATELY!

[OldDem2012]

36. Please explain why you want the thread to be closed. nt.

[B2G]

50. Because if we close the thread,

the whole story will vanish from the interwebs.

[RetroLounge]

37. The gun humpers at the NRA lied?

I'm shocked!

RL

[Leslie Valley]

38. This might be the source of the confusion.

https://www.sidwell.edu/directories/index.aspx?FirstName=&LastName=&DepartmentTypeID=78&DivisionID=&sortBy=LastName&LinkID=&DirectoryModuleID=341&pageaction=VPFaculty

[Zoeisright]

39. All the Nervous Rabid Assholes DO is lie.

[Rex]

40. The NRA is like the GOP, all they can do is lie

and try and cash in as fast as possible.

[Unrepentant Fenian]

45. Great post, thanks for bringing this NRA lie to light !!!!

[leanforward]

46. This discussion is a security risk for everyone at the school.

The NRA can't be trusted by virtue of what they did in that video. My concern is there is a "disconnected" person(s) out there who will try to test the limits. The SS will do what they do for the security and protection of the their principals.

The NRA does not know when to shut up.

[marble falls]

49. How do you feel about publishing a map or list of people who own legal permits for firearms?

[Paladin]

53. You're Comparing Armed Adult Gun Owners To Unarmed School Kids? (nt)

[pnwmom]

54. Unarmed children also live in many of those homes.

Unless the parent who knows how to use the guns (often there's just one) is there 24 hours a day, those children could be as defenseless as any children anywhere.

[marble falls]

56. Not at all. How do you stand on releasing adresses of people who followed the law and legaly own ...

firearms? Homes where unarmed children live.

[Paladin]

62. As If Gun Militants Give A Shit About Childrens' Lives. (nt)

[marble falls]

63. We aren't talking about that. How do you feel about releasing those addresses of legaly permitted ..

gun owners? How about releasing the addresses of people who sign petitions? Or people who own Cadillacs?

[Paladin]

64. If I'd Been In Charge Of The Newspaper, I Wouldn't Have Released The Names.....

....out of apprehension that some bat-shit crazy gun obsessive would show up and start shooting, taking out as many employees as possible.

[marble falls]

65. And of course not about any sort of repercussions towards those whose addresses were published????

[Paladin]

69. Can I Get A Word In Edgewise?

Sure, there was a chance that some resident might get harmed by a newspaper-reading, gun-wielding burglar. I just think the chances are ten times more likely that a crazed, revenge-seeking gun obsessive, carrying an assault rifle and a few spare magazines, might stroll into that newspaper office and see how many people he could kill, before doing the usual thing and putting a bullet through what excuse he had in his head for a brain. And I stand by my prior post: If there is one trait which characterizes the gun militancy movement, it is a total disregard for the lives of the victims of gun-related violence, children included. Playing that "Don't you care about the poor kids?" card at this point doesn't carry much weight with me. I've seen way too many DU threads on the latest gun slaughters, where the only thing our resident Gun Enthusiasts care about is the make and caliber of the firearm(s) used; any expression of concern or sympathy for the victims and their families has been dismissed as hysterical emotionalism.

[samsingh]

55. the bigger surprise would be when the nra told the truth

how can any progressive or non-right wing fanatic support the nra anymore?

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

68. Ok, TODAY there might be no armed guards at the school

because the girls are doing inaugural things instead.

But when they're in school, so is their contingent of armed guards. I don't know how many are in the contingent. Two? Eleven? I would expect the Secret Service to keep that kind of information, well, Secret.