Follow the money

[Rover]

Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is an investigative journalist and writer focusing on the radical left and Islamic terrorism.
Follow the money.
It’s a strange political fact, but nearly every major anti-gun group has been a front group. The NRA is maligned 24/7 and yet it’s completely obvious whom it represents. Despite the efforts to tie it to everyone from firearms manufacturers to the Russians (if you can’t tie any random Republican thing to the Russians these days, you won’t be working at the Washington Post or CNN for very long), it represents its five million members. Anti-gun groups tend to represent shadowy networks.
Take Everytown, the noisiest and most dishonest anti-gun group on the scene. The one consistent thing about anti-gun groups is that that they are usually the opposite of what their name says they are.
Everytown for Gun Safety was formed out of two other groups: Moms Demand Action and Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Both are actually front groups for Michael Bloomberg, the lefty billionaire and former boss of the Big Apple, who used New York City resources to host at least one of its websites.
So Everytown is really New York City.
March for Our Lives is on every cable channel, but who runs it? The photogenic teen fronts are out front. But it’s obvious to everyone that a bunch of teens don’t have the resources and skills to coordinate a nationwide movement. Instead it’s the experienced activists who are actually running things.
The March for Our Lives Fund is incorporated as a 501(c)(4). Donations to 501(c)(4) groups are not tax- deductible. And they don’t have to disclose donors. That’s why they’re a great dark money conduit.
But the March for Our Lives website suggests that donors who want to make a tax-deductible donation should write a check to the “March For Our Lives—Everytown Support Fund”. How will Bloomberg’s organization provide support for the supposed student group?
Why have two March for Our Lives Fund, one dark and one light? And why is one being routed through the godfather of the gun control lobby?
When it comes to March for Our Lives, the questions never end.
The March for Our Lives permit application was filed by Deena Katz, a co-executive director of the Women's March Los Angeles Foundation. This wasn’t just a little bit of professional activist assistance.
The application lists Katz as the “Person in Charge of Event”.
Katz is a former Dancing With the Stars and current Bill Maher producer. She’s also the former owner of Talent Central, a Los Angeles talent agency, The leaked application lists her as the president of the March for Our Lives Fund.
Media contacts for March for Our Lives are being handled by 42 West. The agency is a full service PR firm operating out of New York and Los Angeles that represents major celebrities. 42 West was supposedly recommended by George Clooney who was one of a number of major celebrity donors.
Where did all those millions of dollars go? Good question.
“They’re being directed by people with knowledge of how to responsibly spend this money and it’s going to be very transparent. Every penny is going to be accounted for," Jeff Kasky, the father of one of the students, claimed.
Who are those people? A leaked document reveals that the March for Our Lives Action Fund is actually overseen by six directors and is incorporated in Delaware.

So far we have Los Angeles, New York and Delaware, but not Florida.
Donations are being directed to, “March For Our Lives Fund, 16130 Ventura Blvd Ste 320, Encino, CA 91435.” That matches the listed office address on the application for the Wishnow Ross Warsavsky & Company. The tax firm appears to have no website.
The six directors learn toward Los Angeles.
There's Aileen Adams, the head of Do Good LA, who had served as the Deputy Mayor for the Office of Strategic Partnerships for Los Angeles. Adams was also UCLA's Vice Provost for Strategic Alliances.
Nor is she the only UCLA person on the list.
There's also George Kieffer, chair of UCLA's Board of Regents, who was named one of the most influential lawyers in California. He also held a variety of other political positions and headed the California State Protocol Foundation which funds expenses for Governor Jerry Brown.
Then there’s Nina Vinik who serves as the Program Director for the Gun Violence Prevention Program at the Joyce Foundation. The Joyce Foundation has been notable for its gun control efforts and it’s not surprising to find it here. The Joyce Foundation also set up the anti-gun Fund for a Safer Future.
One story claims that, "Several members of the Fund for a Safer Future are organizing internally to explore new ways of engagement in the wake of Parkland.” Another states that the Joyce Foundation, “funds research to help grantees understand how different audiences think about the issue. It's up to grantees to come up with tactics.” After Parkland, Nina wrote a militant editorial using some very familiar talking points, like, “Maybe it’s time to ask the Supreme Court about the rights of the Parkland parents to see their kids grow up.” The Joyce Foundation and Nina are based out of Chicago.
Over in Washington D.C., there's Vernetta Walker of BoardSource acting as the fund’s Secretary and Jeri Rhodes of the Friends Committee on National Legislation acting as its Treasurer.
And then out of Madison, Wisconsin, comes Melissa Scholz.
Florida is notably absent from the roll call. Instead the organization, one of a number of seeming incarnations of the March for Our Lives brand, draws on established activist talent from the usual places, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. There’s nothing particularly local about it.
March for Our Lives is funded by Hollywood celebs, it’s led by a Hollywood producer and its finances are routed through an obscure tax firm in the Valley. Its treasurer and secretary are Washington D.C. pros. And a top funder of gun control agendas is also one of its directors.
None of this has much to do with Parkland. The mass shooting by a mentally ill man who should have been committed and arrested long before he carried out his massacre was a political opportunity.
Now that opportunity is being exploited to the hilt by a professional class of political activists.
Gun control activists wring their hands over the NRA. They claim that a special interest lobby is illegitimately thwarting the “will of the people”. Yet it’s the anti-gun groups that are invariably false fronts. It’s very clear who runs the NRA. But the latest fake anti-NRA group is a nebulous shadow. Out front are the high school students and out back are the professional activists.
And who is really behind the whole thing? Hollywood celebs, Bloomberg, a network of organizations?
We know who supports the NRA. You can see NRA stickers on car windows even in the bluest cities in the country. But who really supports the anti-gun political network? You’ll need to spend hours sorting through paperwork, following the trail, comparing addresses and researching names, to even get a hint.
That’s what an illegitimate lobby thwarting the will of the people really looks like.
Instead of March for Our Lives, maybe it’s time to March for the Truth?

[SlartyBartFast]

Shall we also discuss the conspiracies and front groups on the right pushing Koch brother policies and agenda? How long do you get to work at Fox without supporting the latest BS child sex ring from the non-existent basement of a pizza place conspiracy?

Whoever is helping the teens from Florida doesn't negate the fact those teens wanted the help and are the ones shouting out their message.

Being part of the solution means listening to the messages. Not just claiming conspiracy, rounding up the wagons, and ensuring the conversation is even more polarised.

[Rover]

I don't suppose you are a parent. Most of them don't take advice from their teenagers.

Wonder why?

Useful idiots.

[SlartyBartFast]

And what kind of shitty parent were/are you?
Kids don't agree with you so they're idiots?
Millions of those "idiots" are all spitting distance from voting age. Treat them like idiots and you deserve the bite you're going to get when it comes time for them to exercise their voting power.

[Gregbenner]

Shall we also discuss the conspiracies and front groups on the right pushing Koch brother policies and agenda? How long do you get to work at Fox without supporting the latest BS child sex ring from the non-existent basement of a pizza place conspiracy?

Whoever is helping the teens from Florida doesn't negate the fact those teens wanted the help and are the ones shouting out their message.

Being part of the solution means listening to the messages. Not just claiming conspiracy, rounding up the wagons, and ensuring the conversation is even more polarised.

I think you are right. The far right is every bit as bad, every bit as full of crap, fake news, BS, etc. as the far left.

Both sides start out with all kinds of self serving "facts", which only their side believe, and then get to the conclusions they like. I read an article stating the "facts" that the news about the Florida teens being coached, etc was clearly fake news put out by the far right. Not suggesting it is any more factual than the other side.......

Personally, it does seem like serious gun crimes have increased markedly in the last 15 months.

It's all in who you want/choose to believe.

[marky-d]

From the few interviews I've seen with the Florida High Schoolers, they seem to be rather 'idealistic', but certainly not dumb.

I did feel it was a little ironic that they were making a big point that the shooter was too young and irresponsible to own a gun, yet they are all younger than he is and feel like they have the wisdom to set policy for the entire nation.

I saw another interview recently where a group of them were asked about how 'good' the recently-passed gun laws were in Florida. They gave them low marks, stating that none of them would have stopped the Florida shooting. Unfortunately their response to that observation is to assume the laws didn't go FAR ENOUGH, rather than identifying things that actually would have prevented it (if that's possible).

marky-d

[Mike M.]

This time, I have to agree with Rover. This reeks of a carefully planned pre-packaged scheme that was waiting on a shelf for a suitable opportunity for deployment.

[Gregbenner]

This time, I have to agree with Rover. This reeks of a carefully planned pre-packaged scheme that was waiting on a shelf for a suitable opportunity for deployment.

Are you accusing Rover of "reeking a carefully planned pre-packaged scheme that was waiting on a shelf for a suitable opportunity for deployment"?

Thanks Mike, my point precisely (LOL).

[Rover]

"And what kind of shitty parent were/are you?"

I'm the kind of shitty parent that would tell my kid they were being manipulated and used by assholes who have NO interest in their "safety", but only furtherance of THEIR political agenda.

[TomAmlie]

Shall we also discuss the conspiracies and front groups on the right pushing Koch brother policies and agenda?

Yeah, those miserable Koch brothers want to roll back government interference in areas of our lives which are unconstitutional and/or which cause more misery than they cure. Bastards. They should realize that government knows best!

[SlartyBartFast]

Yeah, those miserable Koch brothers want to roll back government interference in areas of our lives which are unconstitutional and/or which cause more misery than they cure. Bastards. They should realize that government knows best!

Yeah, sucking on their smokestacks is what's best for you. Pesky F'n government thinking you should have clean air and clean water.

[SlartyBartFast]

"And what kind of shitty parent were/are you?"

I'm the kind of shitty parent that would tell my kid they were being manipulated and used by assholes who have NO interest in their "safety", but only furtherance of THEIR political agenda.

And if your kids had any brains they'd tear you a new one saying that THEY wanted to go to school without worrying of being shot.

So dad, since you're so smart how do you stop it?

[6string]

Slartybartfast,

I've seen disagreements on this forum before, but I don't think I've ever seen one where a member so quickly ran out of constructive discourse and immediately resorted to a profanity laced personal attack on another forum member.
(I'm referring to your second reply.)
It is totally unacceptable and offensive.

You owe every member of this forum an apology, and you owe Rover a personal apology.

Where is the moderator?

[Gregbenner]

I'm new to this Foru, but since we are in the Shooter's Lounge, and I think opinions are welcome, I don't want nor need any apology.

YMMV

[SlartyBartFast]

I listen to my kids before I listen to Rover.
Rover seems to enjoy trolling the forum for reaction. He's in no need for my apology.
He owes parents who take their kids concerns seriously and the teens he has no respect for an apology before anyone owes him one.

[northpaw]

Rover seems to enjoy trolling the forum for reaction.

Kind of, yes, but..
Probably he can`t expect to be read seriously, always. Amuses himself by throwing in some "disturbances" to the forum .. to get reactions.
I wouldn`t worry to much about that, though.

[10M_Stan]

Just to throw my $0.02 into the mix on: "how to stop it"

Back when I was in high school (walking both ways through the snow uphill ... and was grateful for the opportunity), we didn't have an 'open access' high school. There were no fire alarms on the outside of the building. If someone wanted to get into the building, they had to go through the front door - which was the only access point and always monitored. In 2012, my son's high school was very similar to what I attended in terms of access and security. No one ever got shot, and parents paid attention to school security.

I think there are a number of reasons why high schools will not protect students in the US, and none of them are because of gun violence. It is unsettling to see persons with non-fully developed brains being encouraged to take the lead in changing national policies. But I recognize it's much more sensational and nebulous to point the finger at an inanimate object to blame - or describe how some students were the victims of 'bullying' as a cause.

When I went to high school, issues needed to be settled, but they weren't done in the school - mostly because the school didn't provide a good environment for 'settling scores'. I am of the opinion that some of our high schools and their policies require more scrutiny by adults about security and student behavior.

[marky-d]

I agree to some extent, but I don't think 'one point of entry/exit' is necessarily that big a factor.

The reality is that millions of kids go to school every day both in 'open' and in 'restricted entry' schools, and they don't get shot. There's probably a statistically insignificant difference between the chances of getting shot at one versus the other; it just doesn't happen very often.

Based on the numbers I've seen (and yes, they vary all over the place depending on who you ask and what specific measure that's being used), it seems like there has only been a small spike in mass shootings in recent years, but mainly because the previous couple decades were so low. I think the more substantial difference is that EVERYONE hears about EVERY ONE that happens because of the speed and ease with which news spreads (traditional, social, and otherwise).

I believe that has two consequences:
1. There is a perception of risk, and a corresponding fear (rational or not). Does anyone have meaningful numbers about the chance of being involved in a mass school shooting versus, say, getting hit by lightning? I'm curious, but not enough to look for it myself... :) I can acknowledge the fear is real, even if it is not rational. If it is irrational (i.e. the risk is extremely low), I can try to address it through education rather than by applying Band-Aids that may negatively affect millions of others and not alleviate the fear (e.g. the Band-Aids are applied, yet the incidents continue to occur).

I think that may be part of Rover's point (maybe it was the other thread?) -- yes, students may be scared, but we should take a moment to really understand whether that fear is rational or not, and deal with it appropriately. My son doesn't like the dark, but that doesn't mean I need to pass legislation to require everyone to leave all their lights on.

2. The more of these that happen (or people hear about), the more unstable people (or even those 'on the edge') see it as an opportunity to 'make their point' or 'punish someone'. I have not read it, but I understand a recent university study claimed to find a link between the amount of media coverage an incident received and the likelihood of a similar incident occurring in a shot period of time.

marky-d

[Rover]

Excellent post, marky-d!

You confirmed both of my points in a readable fashion.

To some of the others: As my fondly remembered Marine D.I. frequently remarked, "Snap out of your cheap shit!"

[stuart]

Rover, no one fondly remembers a drill instructor, never never never!