From George Gramlich, Editor of the Sangre de Cristo Sentinel, via email:
David
I don’t know if you remember but Mike’s last Smuggler’s episode was him going up to NY or Conn with a bunch of 30 rounders and give them out at a rally. Well, he got too sick to do that and he called me up (or email, I can’t remember) and asked me if I had any options.
This was before July 4 so I said mail them to me and we will give them out at our 2nd Amendment section before the parade (with a little speech about where they came from. Everybody remembered when he marched with us a few years before). That give away was Mike’s last official action.To make the mags special, I asked him to write something on each one and he did.
Each mag read, first line, “MBV III” with the 2nd line saying, “Smuggler Prod. Co.”. In white magic marker.
I grabbed three that day. I have one at the office and one in my man cave but just found the third one yesterday. I had forgotten about it.
I want it to go to somebody who would value it.
Though you might want it. If so, please send your USPS address and I will ship it out shortly.
The wife just came in with the mail. Guess what I got:
Thanks, George! You’re the best!
Now that is a historic keepsafe from a wonderful time past full of sweet memories destabilizing the despicable!
What a very, very nice gift from another American Patriot.
After reading the backstory of where this mag came from, I can think of no one else who is more deserving of owning that symbol of resistance to tyranny than you, Codrea.
As a totally random and unrelated comment, I remember Bravo Company USA running a sale at the time on D&H 30 round mags fot under $100 when sold in ten pack sets. If I recall correctly, the website also allowed for direct shipping to states like Alabama, for instance. I am sure it would have been faster and easier for whoever contributed the box of mags to Mike instead of shipping their own mags.
That is, if that’s how it was actually done. The SPLC and media tell me those second amendment types are crazy, so it’s hard to assign rational thinking to those types.
I miss the Dutchman. The one guy who absolutely, positively did not give a fuck and was not afraid to say so.
There were giants, in those days.
That whole smuggling concept was brilliant! Mike and Codrea called their bluff. The media and state governments quietly backed down when directly confronted, just like a typical neighborhood bully does when someone punches them in the face.
Mike had the idea and did the work. I was just a cheerleader.
Many, many people found out about Mike’s blog and smuggling efforts thanks to you, myself included. That’s why you were such an effective team.
I remember the very first trickles of information on F&F as Mike and David began to unravel it. At that naif stage in my life I could hardly believe MY GUMMIT could or would be that corrupt. But as the real data began to escape through the hole in the wall Mike and David opened and continued to enlarge, a reality shift began to take place.
I also remember when the pair of them showed up a Washington State’s “Marble Zoo” up on the hill in Olympia when the first really knots-i-fied gun ban bill was being trotted out. That was by several multiples the largest public gathering I had ever seen. both Mike and David took the mic for a spell. Can’t remember for sure but I seem to remember the count was well into five figures, above 20,000.
I also clearly recall my being a little intimidated about joining a large group of “gun nuts”, havng been exposed to some, how shall I say it, “strange” types. I left with a very different impression of POTG.. never been in a large crowd with such friendly, open, peaceful folks. Nor had I ever imagined there were anywhere near that many who had and used guns as just a normal part of life.. sort of like some people are “in to” bicycles, or boats, or camping… same with guns. Normal part of life.
Must have been someone else incredibly good looking on stage with Mike– I’ve never been to Washington State.