Ask-Tell Ideology Program -- A New Campaign

From: Vanderboegh, Michael
Sent: Monday, August 20, 2001 2:26 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Dueling Programs...

This is the story you should have read...

20 August 2001
The Patriot News Network
Pinson, AL--

"The Hagoods CrossRoads Medical Center Lays Out 'Ask-Tell' Ideology Program"

The Hagoods Crossroads Medical Center of Pinson, Alabama announced today that it is launching a national campaign that will encourage parents to ask other parents if they are infected with virulent ideologies before sending their children over to play.

The new campaign is called DUMB-ASS which stands for "Don't Underestimate Malignant Busybodies- Asking Saves Societies." According to press reports, the DUMB-ASS program was inspired by the similar "ASK" program currently being promoted by the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Maryland Attorney General's Office in an effort to get parents to ask other parents about gun ownership before sending their children over to play.

Said Mike Vanderboegh, Director of the HCRMC, "These socialist weenies are trying to recreate the Communist block commissar program and the Hitler Youth all rolled up into one. Who cares if the neighbor kid your child plays with has a father who owns a gun? As far as I'm concerned, if he doesn't he's just another non-citizen slacker who doesn't pull his own weight and expects some government flunky, or me, to come save him if he's in trouble. What worries me is whether or not the father of my kids� playmates subscribes to some virulent collectivist idea of society that's contrary to capitalism, Christianity and the constitutional republic. Bad ideas have killed far more innocents than guns in the hands of the citizenry."

Vanderboegh went further to suggest that all liberals who don't like guns put a sign on their doors to that effect, "so that decent Americans will know not to let their kids play with the progeny of believers of collectivist lies." Said Vanderboegh, "It will also let criminals know who to attack. Let one bunch of criminals get rid of another, that's my thinking."

Sarah Brady, Maryland Gov. Parris Glendenning, the Maryland Attorney General's Office and Johns Hopkins could not be reached for comment.

But this is the real story...

Johns Hopkins Lays Out 'Ask-Tell' Gun Program

By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Morning Editor
August 20, 2001

(CNSNews.com) - The Johns Hopkins Children's Center Monday is launching a national campaign that will encourage parents to ask other parents if they keep a gun in the house before sending their children over to play.

The new campaign is called ASK, which stands for "Asking Saves Kids."

According to press reports, the ASK campaign was developed by the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Maryland Attorney General's office.

The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health includes a Center for Gun Policy and Research, which describes itself as being dedicated to preventing gun-related deaths. The Center also tracks the number of children who are killed each year by guns.

The Johns Hopkins program parallels other efforts that also encourage people to inquire about firearms in private homes.

Earlier this year, a New York-based non-profit group called Pax launched an advertising campaign urging parents to ask if the home where their child is going to play has a gun.

A spokesman for Pax told CNSNews.com in May that the group doesn't get involved in the politics of gun control legislation per se, but does support government control of private firearm transactions and the making of "ballistic fingerprints" of guns, a process in which a cartridge is fired from a gun and a ballistic record made before the buyer takes possession of the weapon.

But the 2nd Amendment group Gun Owners of America considers Pax an organization that wants to erode gun rights and demonize gun owners.

"Pax is a politically motivated organization that would rob people of the most effective means of self-defense," claimed John Velleco, spokesman for the Gun Owners of America.

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