# I am 100% certain that the NRA is trolling by making Oliver North their President **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 7, 2018, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779 "2018-05-07T19:27:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/1 "2018-05-07T19:27:33Z")
[Oliver North to become President of the National Rifle Association.](https://www.sfgate.com/news/education/article/Oliver-North-set-to-become-the-next-NRA-president-12894301.php) There is absolutely no way in hell that this is not a deliberate troll job to generate annoyance/outrage on the left. Say what you will about Charlton Heston, there was more to him than “NRA/conservative figurehead.” He was a beloved actor, he was part of the Civil Rights movement, and as far as I know he didn’t have any shady shit in his background. Oliver North, on the other hand…he is just a lightning rod for controversy! And that’s obviously what the NRA wants. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/2 "2018-05-07T19:29:04Z")
He’s a fucking traitor. You can say it. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/3 "2018-05-07T20:11:27Z")
[:eek:](https://apnews.com/947516d5a7eb4c52b9b7ba88f5fbefbd/Iran-Contra-figure-Oliver-North-named-president-of-the-NRA) > [@](#): > > North, 74, will be the biggest celebrity to lead the 5-million-member gun lobby since Hollywood leading man Charlton Heston, who famously declared in 2000 that his guns would have to be taken “from my cold, dead hands.” > > “Oliver North is a legendary warrior for American freedom, a gifted communicator and skilled leader,” NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre said. > > Momentum for gun control has been building since the mass shooting in Las Vegas last fall that killed 58 people and the Feb. 14 rampage at a Parkland, Florida, high school that left 17 dead. > > North was picked by the NRA’s board of directors, which elects a president every two years, and is expected to assume office within the next several weeks. He succeeds Pete Brownell, who decided not to seek a second term. > > LaPierre remains as vice president and chief executive, running the powerful lobbying group’s day-to-day operations. > > North will lead the board, and NRA observers say they anticipate he will take on a more public role in the style of Heston, a fiery presence who used his acting background to energize members. What’s next? Is Kanye West gonna announce that he invented cold fusion? What the fuck kind of country am I living in? ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/4 "2018-05-07T20:12:59Z")
Makes about as much sense as Charlton Heston IMHO. At least he knows something about arms sales. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/5 "2018-05-07T20:16:08Z")
I don’t follow the NRA all that closely. But FWIW, the impression I get is that the actual power and leadership are in the hands of LaPierre, and whoever is “president” is a figurehead. Something like the British royalty. So they prefer a celebrity, for PR purposes. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/6 "2018-05-07T20:16:54Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [:eek:](https://apnews.com/947516d5a7eb4c52b9b7ba88f5fbefbd/Iran-Contra-figure-Oliver-North-named-president-of-the-NRA)What’s next? Is Kanye West gonna announce that he invented cold fusion? > > What the fuck kind of country am I living in? “Kanye West to head Congressional Black Caucus: Claims being black is a choice.” Would have been funnier. Just sayin’… ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/7 "2018-05-07T20:20:04Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > … There is absolutely no way in hell that this is not a deliberate troll job to generate annoyance/outrage on the left. … If you were to post this in a place where the general expectation was that one provide verifiable evidence to support their claims, and someone were to ask you for said evidence, how would you respond? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/8 "2018-05-07T20:23:32Z")
Depends. Does that alleged person have a consistent record for sensible and reasoned argument? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/9 "2018-05-07T20:25:17Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Makes about as much sense as Charlton Heston IMHO. > > At least he knows something about arms sales. Ok, that was funny. 🙂 He’s been hosting _War Stories_ on Fox for years, so it kind of makes sense. Right wing guy with good name recognition and military background. Not seeing the joke value. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/10 "2018-05-07T20:26:35Z")
I for one don’t know much of anything about this Oliver North person, but I would say that you can’t use horribleness as a justification for believing that the NRA wouldn’t honestly believe that a person represented them. I don’t believe that _satan himself_ would be too awful a person for the NRA to say “Hey, that guy looks like he’ll represent our interests! We like him!” So no, I don’t leap to trolling as an explanation. I’m perfectly willing to believe that the NRA is really that bad. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/11 "2018-05-07T20:26:36Z")
Thought for sure this was going to be Ted Nugent’s year. Maybe next time, Nuge! ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/12 "2018-05-07T20:30:08Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > If you were to post this in a place where the general expectation was that one provide verifiable evidence to support their claims, and someone were to ask you for said evidence, how would you respond? What an idiotic post. Truly, truly stupid. It’s bad enough the context was deliberately erased from the sentence isolated for quotation, but to think that no one else would notice is what elevates this post above other dumb posts. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/13 "2018-05-07T20:32:35Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > If you were to post this in a place where the general expectation was that one provide verifiable evidence to support their claims, and someone were to ask you for said evidence, how would you respond? Okay, what would you say are North’s qualifications? As far as I know, North has never led a lobbying group before. He’s a veteran but there are thousands of other veterans who could have been chosen. He has some background in politics. But his political record is greatly tainted by the fact that he committed crimes and took bribes while holding that position. He’s an author but there are plenty of other authors with better writing credentials. He’s a minor celebrity but there are other celebrities (Heston for example) who have more credibility. If they’re just looking for somebody famous, why not chose an actor, athlete, or singer who doesn’t have a criminal past? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/14 "2018-05-07T20:36:59Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > “Kanye West to head Congressional Black Caucus: Claims being black is a choice.” “Rachel Dolezal claims vindication” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/15 "2018-05-07T20:42:52Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Right wing guy with good name recognition and military background. Not seeing the joke value. As I said in another thread, I feel it would have made more sense to go with a celebrity who doesn’t have North’s baggage. Pick somebody like Kurt Russell or Tom Selleck or Nolan Ryan. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/16 "2018-05-07T20:44:14Z")
_So many_ of my memories [are instantly available](https://youtube.com/watch?v=xqcZ2xwvGp0) on the internet! ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/17 "2018-05-07T20:46:31Z")
Lets see - well known name, popular on TV as a commentator, successful author, military veteran, and his convictions were all vacated. His time in the spotlight during he hearings made him a hero to many, and those that hate him probably don’t like the right to keep an bear arms anyway - so no great loss there. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/18 "2018-05-07T20:47:20Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > As I said in another thread, I feel it would have made more sense to go with a celebrity who doesn’t have North’s baggage. Pick somebody like Kurt Russell or Tom Selleck or Nolan Ryan. Ted Nugent, man! He’s the intellectual leader of the gun rights movement. After all his years of quality service on the board, he’s earned a turn at the top. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/19 "2018-05-07T20:48:07Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > As I said in another thread, I feel it would have made more sense to go with a celebrity who doesn’t have North’s baggage. Pick somebody like Kurt Russell or Tom Selleck or Nolan Ryan. It’s virtue signaling: The NRA is signaling to the right wing that it doesn’t care what Liberals think about Iran-Contra or the rule of law and so will do the virtuous thing by putting a traitor in a very public position. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779/20 "2018-05-07T20:48:42Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Ok, that was funny. 🙂 > > He’s been hosting _War Stories_ on Fox for years, so it kind of makes sense. Right wing guy with good name recognition and military background. Not seeing the joke value. Ummm, because he did “some seriously illegal shit” (Iran-Contra affair) maybe? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-100-certain-that-the-nra-is-trolling-by-making-oliver-north-their-president/813779.md?page=2)