NRA Offers Free Memberships to Soldiers (Step Up, Costco)

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The NRA has decided to offer all active-duty troops a complimentary year’s membership. The $35 per is not exactly monumental, but the NRA could gain thousands of lifelong members out of this dandy bit of PR. And while the fact that the latest issue of American Rifleman may be at a soldier’s doorstep his first day home from combat isn’t ideal, I think the NRA is on to something fundamental.

Now, of course, soldiers should be paid enough that they can pay for their own memberships, but when it comes to thanks-giving troops should get free memberships everywhere, to gyms, museums, rotary clubs, Costco. They should get to the head of the line at movie theaters, the DMV, for Southwest flights; we should be yielding to our troops at every turn (not to mention ensuring they get proper medical care, and jobs). Instead, we likely treat them like any other strangers; we honk at them for cutting us off, hustle in front of them at the grocery store, and generally ignore the sacrifices, and adjustments, these men and women are making.

Of course, unless you live in a company town, you likely don’t know who is soldier and who civilian. And since there’s no draft, there is a convenient majority who doesn’t know anyone who is serving or has served. So what if we treated everyone we meet as if they might have put themselves in harm’s way to protect our right to cheap gas and bulk goods?

I know, it’s not gonna happen. But the NRA, in its twisted way, has the sentiment right. Say thanks with substance (the go-out-and-shop, post-9/11 GWB-inspired variety of patriotism), because when it comes to returning home, our troops deserve all the perks our lifestyle affords. Not that such perks will make coming home much easier, but they just might make us feel better.

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THE FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

At least we hope they will, because that’s our approach to raising the $350,000 in online donations we need right now—during our high-stakes December fundraising push.

It’s the most important month of the year for our fundraising, with upward of 15 percent of our annual online total coming in during the final week—and there’s a lot to say about why Mother Jones’ journalism, and thus hitting that big number, matters tremendously right now.

But you told us fundraising is annoying—with the gimmicks, overwrought tone, manipulative language, and sheer volume of urgent URGENT URGENT!!! content we’re all bombarded with. It sure can be.

So we’re going to try making this as un-annoying as possible. In “Let the Facts Speak for Themselves” we give it our best shot, answering three questions that most any fundraising should try to speak to: Why us, why now, why does it matter?

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If you can afford to part with a few bucks, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones with a much-needed year-end donation. And please do it now, while you’re thinking about it—with fewer people paying attention to the news like you are, we need everyone with us to get there.

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