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It's a familiar phrase on samplers, kitchenware and the like: "When life gives you lemonsmake lemonade." The artwork that accompanies it often includes stylized "country" women with bonnets or aprons. So it's sort of fitting that with American gunowners being handed the biggest load of lemons in modern history with the 2008 elections, that it will be up to women gunowners-whatever they are wearing-to help make the lemonade. And, women gunowners, like their fellows of the opposite sex, would do well to remember that they had a hand in the citrus harvest. Most political analysts, even the amateurs like myself, could have-and probably did-predict a Democrat would win the White House as far back as mid-2006. George W. Bush had made himself the single most unpopular president in modern history all by himself. When circumstance, chance, a hostile Congress and other matters out of his hands piled on, it was pretty clear, pretty early, that whoever the Democratic standard bearer was, stood a very good chance of taking the Oath of Office on Jan. 20, 2009. That Barack Obama emerged as the winner of the longest presidential race in history, however, was a surprise. Not many people were dealing in Obama futures in 2006, 2007 or even the first four months of 2008. Instead, most of the people who pay attention to these things way too early, were expecting the Return of the House of Clinton. President-elect Obama benefited from a lot of "things" in this election past, things that were not of his making, like timing, and things that were, like tapping into a national distaste for all things Clinton and Bush. He, and his running mate, the senior senator from Delaware, Joe Biden, were also the beneficiaries of gunowners' votes. That both of them are anti-gun is fact. There's no disputing
it. No way around it. Sen. Obama, with a shorter legislative history, was no less anti-gun; perhaps less effective, but no less committed to the anti-gun mantra which boils down to: "We don't trust other Americans with guns." Early in this year's election cycle, Obama was caught on tape at a private fund-raising function saying that "bitter" rural Americans "cling" to "guns and religion." Pundits worried that Obama would not be able to recover from such a "gaffe" in states which still had primaries, like West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania, all of which, in the mainstream media view, contained Democratic voters who might take offense at such a notion. (As an aside, for which there just isn't space to go into, it's interesting to note that such an unpleasant characterizing of such a large group of people is thought of as only a "gaffe" by the media.) In a couple of those states, it mattered enough, in others, people allowed themselves the true luxury Americans have, the luxury to ignore things that, in smaller-sized countries, with more monolithic cultures, would not be so easily sloughed off. At the same time, the Democrats, who for at least the last three federal election cycle have been playing possum on guns-that is hiding in the road for all to see, but hoping against hope that they won't be-continued the charade. Sen. Biden managed to don figurative buckskins and testify that he wouldn't allow his good friend, and the next president of the United States, Barack Obama, to take his Beretta shotgun. (Little was said, by Biden, however, about my Beretta, or your Browning, or the next woman's Glock.) The Obama-Biden ticket was aided by carefully orchestrated and well-funded efforts, particularly in those pesky states housing bitter gunowners, by a campaign to tell one and all that the ticket was not after anyone's guns. Union voters, who at least since the Reagan era, have not necessarily followed their leadership, were the target of advertising which said Obama would take care of gunowners and union members. A lot of people, disgusted with an out-of-touch Washington establishment, disheartened by an unpopular war and panicked by an economic maelstrom, bought the argument. Maybe you were one of those voters. Regardless of whether you were or weren't, the reckoning will
come soon enough. Because of the economy, and factors which we
do not yet know, but are sure to arise, it's unlikely Pres. Obama
and Vice Pres. Biden and their Democrat-controlled House and
Senate will get to guns immediately. It might even be a year
from now, or longer. As every good cook knows, the time to start a new recipe is not when there are suddenly extra mouths to feed. The time for a fancy dessert is not 20 minutes after you arrived home from a long day at work. You have to thaw the turkey for a couple of days before you even get out the roasting pan. So, for American gunowners the time to start making lemonade-in the form of forging alliances with existing legislators, promoting new ones in off-year elections and making sure everyone in the media and in your neighborhood knows the gun issue is important to you-is now. **** This issue marks Women & Guns 20th Anniversary. Even though I was on board since the second issue and have been its editor for the past 17 years, it seems to have gone by very, very quickly! There have been days when I never thought we'd get this far. But there have been many more days when it seemed quite natural that we'd just keep rolling along. While I have been the voice of the magazine for a good long while, there have been a host of other folks who have kept it running and whose voices-often in the background-have been as much a part of its longevity and success as mine. My dad, Joseph Tartaro, who is president of the Second Amendment
Foundation (SAF), was a guiding hand to Sonny Jones when she
first started the magazine, in part after being inspired at her
first Gun Rights Policy Conference. Over the years he has done
everything short of putting the ink on the paper to get W&G
out the door and into your mailbox. Julianne Versnel Gottlieb, W&G's publisher has done more backstage than you could possibly imagine, including coming to town one January, and despite being bitten by my dog, Ezra, setting up yet another new computer system. If you have a problem-wait until it's really bad, and then call Julie. She'll fix it. A bunch of people who are not around day-to-day any more will forever be in my good graces for generous help and friendship: John Barnett, Gila Hayes, Stacey Knox, Susan Laws, Sherry Collins, David and Sue Caplan. Day to day, week to week, month to month, there's no one more helpful than Beverly Rowles, keeper of schedules, finder of things, and calmer of nerves. Also on the same grueling schedule is our webmaster, Keeva Segal. No one could be more generous with time, sympathy and laughter. Our contributing editors, past and present, really do contribute. Not just what you see on the page, but a wealth of ideas and even challenges that keep the magazine fresh. I refer you to the masthead for their names. I'd like to single our Sheila Link, who has been here since about Day Three, and never missed a deadline-although she has come close a time or two. Karen MacNutt has missed a deadline now and again, but has been, first for Sonny, and then for me, a counselor extraordinaire. Lyn Bates has been with us long enough to explain what this "Internet thing" is to me, and to be a steady, creative behind-the-scenes force at Women & Guns. Our advertisers help pay the freight, yes, but they also help affirm the whole idea of Women & Guns as well. They deserve your thanks as well as mine-and your continued support. And of course, readers, many of whom have been with us since the beginning, are key to the magazine's success. Feedback from you has driven the direction of the publication, not mission statements or bottom lines. For those interested, stop by the website (womenandguns.com) and join the on-line community that discusses just about everything under the sun. Thanks too, to my family and friends-even the ones not that interested in guns. Thanks to my mom, another calm, steadying presence, who limits herself to the very occasional eye-roll. In honor of our 20th anniversary, and in contradiction to every "rule" I've made myself, I'll end this extended column with one more use for lemons: My Mother's Nice Lemon
Dessert Preheat oven to 325 degrees In another bowl, mix dry ingredients, set aside. Beat egg yolks with milk and add to dry ingredients. Add lemon rind and juice, mix until smooth. In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into batter and pour into oven-proof 1-quart dish. Set dish in a larger pan of hot water (that reaches about half-way up side of batter dish). Bake for about 50 minutes until batter is set and there is no liquid on sides of dessert. Serve warm by spooning the warm dessert, which has a pudding-like
consistency, into dishes. Serve with whipped cream if you like,
or if Rollie is visiting.
Photo © Copyright 1998 Nancy Floyd, used with permission. |
By
Peggy Tartaro,
