I Had My Bible and I Had My Gun

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Conrad Burns, running behind in Montana’s Senate race, is the beneficiary of an advertising campaign by the National Rifle Association — 7 billboards; 4,143 radio ads on 88 stations; 1,824 cable tv ads; and inserts in 11 newspapers.

Nationwide, the NRA is all over this election. In a video ad running on Newsmax, the NRA describes how victims of hurricane Katrina had their guns forcefully yanked out of their hands by bullying cops. One elderly woman who was trying to protect her dogs says she was slammed against the wall and put in a headlock by the invading police when they saw she was clutching a pistol in one hand. Then there’s the little old African-American minister woman who was plenty put out when the cops came to her house. “Why come and get my gun?” she says in the ad. “I am a good citizen. What are you worried about me for? I am a widow.I am 65 and I am here by myself.”

But she wasn’t scared: “I had my Bible and I had my gun.”

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In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

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