Some questions for Chris Dudley, defender of our freedom

Oregon's GOP gubernatorial candidate has new friends, although they're being kept at a safe distance.

There's a flash ad out there on the web now -- I saw it today in a geo-targeted banner on whitepages.com, although with the money involved it must surely be other places too -- trumpeting CD for . . . well, see for yourself (you'll need to set your browser's cookie-enabling at its most generous and probably refresh a few times, and of course, your computer needs to believe it's in Oregon):

Government is chipping away at our rights

Debt
Out of Control Spending
Government Intervention

Now they’re chipping away at our freedom

[Animation: The words "2nd Amendment," apparently carved from stone, begin to crumble and slide]

You can stop them!

Vote Freedom First! Vote Chris Dudley for Oregon Governor

And the final image (click to enlarge) includes The Fine Print:

THE NRA POLITICAL VICTORY FUND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT OF THIS ADVERTISING. PAID FOR BY THE NRA POLITICAL VICTORY FUND (WWW.NARAPVF.ORG) AND NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE.

Okay, fine -- given the way that heavy political money is being spent anonymously in this state, I suppose something like an openly-signed NRA third-party ad seems comparatively innocuous. At least you know which way the bullets are coming from, so to speak.

Dudley's campaign website doesn't appear to be searchable, and I’m afraid I wasn't willing to perform a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse on that URL to find a mention of his Second Amendment position. Although he's trailed his skirts for the NRA during this cycle, I seriously doubt if he'll think about the right to bear arms again in the next four years, win or lose. He's got bigger fiscal fish to fry.

But still, here's something that someone should ask the wealth management advisor and former Blazer center (as Wikipedia fortuitously describes him, known primarily for his defensive skill as a rebounder and shot blocker, something to think about in the context of the next four years):

1. Does he agree with the NRA that our 2nd Amendment freedoms are in danger?

2. How? By whom? (Blaming "Government” doesn't quite nail it down, I’m afraid.)

3. If he's elected governor of Oregon, what would he do about that?

Now, if only he'd appear in a public venue where he could face questions.