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Monday, April 16, 2018

BOYCOTT "UNFRIENDLY SKIES": DELTA CEO CLAIMS BASHING NRA MEMBERS IS GOOD BUSINESS~REVOKES DELTA DISCOUNT FOR NRA MEMBERS FOLLOWING PARKLAND SCHOOL SHOOTING

Delta Airlines
BOYCOTT NOW! DELTA CLAIMS NRA IS POLITICALLY DIVISIVE
UNFRIENDLY SKIES: DELTA CEO CLAIMS BASHING NRA MEMBERS IS GOOD BUSINESS
BY NRAHQ
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

Fairfax, VA – -(Ammoland.com)- In the wake of the Parkland, Florida, murders, there has been an unusual amount of anti-gun and anti-NRA commentary by private corporations with plenty of problems of their own.
In February, Delta announced it was ending a discount program for passengers who used the airline to travel to the NRA’s 2018 Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas. The move had nothing to do with any problems Delta itself experienced with the NRA or its members, but supposedly came in response to what the airline called “the current national debate over gun control amid recent school shootings.” Bizarrely, Delta characterized its decision to link innocent NRA members with school shootings and to punish them by reneging on a contract as a reflection of its “neutral status” and an attempt to “refrain from entering this debate.”

You can make your views known to Delta CEO Ed Bastian by emailing him at edward.bastian@delta.com, or calling Delta’s corporate headquarters at (404) 715-2600.

The Washington Post, however, characterized Delta’s move differently, situating it squarely within the #BoycottNRA movement. The airline, in other words, had merely jumped on a self-glorifying corporate bandwagon that has done nothing to harm the NRA but has done much to remind gun-owning Americans just what is at stake in the gun control debate.
Ironically, Delta’s move hurt its own shareholders far worse than it did NRA members. While only 13 NRA members took advantage of the now revoked Delta Discount, the airline’s attempt to implicate the NRA in school shootings led the Georgia legislature to eliminate tax breaks that were expected to be worth some $50 million to the Atlanta-based company.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian, however, remained defiant. “Our decision was not made for economic gain and our values are not for sale,” he said in a statement on the legislative reversal, as if Delta’s “values” and his job first and foremost involve pursuing a political agenda against gun owners and NRA members.
Bastian then went on to brag during a television appearance on CNBC that his company “gained a lot of fans” for its discriminatory treatment of NRA members and for not “selling out to political interests.”

We have some news for Mr. Bastian: Our Second Amendment rights aren’t up for negotiation, either.

As the NRA has already made abundantly clear: “The loss of a discount will neither scare nor distract one single NRA member from our mission to stand and defend the individual freedoms that have always made America the greatest nation in the world.”
Freedom-loving Americans, meanwhile, have responded to these elitists attacks the way they always have, by renewing their support for the NRA, the most uncompromising champion of America’s constitutional freedoms.
It’s clear from recent customer reviews of Delta that the airline’s time and efforts would be more profitably spent on addressing its own operational issues, rather trying to deflect attention to NRA members.
If you agree, feel free to contact Delta CEO Ed Bastian and tell him all about it. Mr. Bastian’s email is edward.bastian@delta.com. You can also ask to speak to him by calling Delta’s corporate headquarters at (404) 715-2600. Should you prefer to write a letter to Mr. Bastian, Delta’s corporate address is Delta Air Lines Inc., P.O. Box 20706, Atlanta, GA 30320.
Other options for making your views known are available in this USA Today article aimed at helping aggrieved Delta passengers get redress from Mr. Bastian, who apparently tends to hide behind legions of staffers to avoid direct contact with his company’s customers.
About: Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org
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Delta Airlines Suffer Huge Losses Following NRA Boycott

Delta Airlines has lost a $40 million tax break following their unceremonious boycott of the National Rifle Association (NRA). Following the announcement that they would no longer be offering NRA members group discounts, a $40 million tax break that they would have received in Georgia is likely to be withdrawn by state lawmakers. Thegatewaypundit.com reports: Delta’s move doesn’t go over so well with the pro gun sentiments in the state, and a former state senator says “If Delta is so flush that they don’t need NRA members hard-earned travel dollars, it can certainly do without the $40 million tax break they are asking Georgia taxpayers for.” Greg Bluestein for Politically Georgia writes: Delta’s decision to sever marketing ties with the National Rifle Association on Saturday sparked outrage from Georgia conservatives who urged state lawmakers to defy the Atlanta-based airline’s push for a multimillion dollar fuel tax break. Several conservative groups seized on the airline’s decision to end a discount for NRA members to rally members against the measure. And former state Sen. Rick Jeffares, a candidate for lieutenant governor, urged his Republican colleagues to reject it. “If Delta is so flush that they don’t need NRA members hard-earned travel dollars,” said Jeffares, “it can certainly do without the $40 million tax break they are asking Georgia taxpayers for.” The airline’s decision came as several blue-chip companies broke ties with the gun rights group amid debate over firearms restrictions in the wake of the mass shooting at a Florida high school this month. It’s difficult timing for Delta in its home state, where the airline is on a mission to restore a lucrative sales tax exemption on jet fuel that was first adopted in the mid-2000s when the company was in financial distress. Critics called it a special-interest tax giveaway after the company recovered to post record-breaking profits. It was done away with in 2015 when Delta officials got on the wrong side of lawmakerslooking for extra cash for infrastructure improvements. The tax break came roaring back this year after the airline hired David Werner, Gov. Nathan Deal’s former executive counsel, as its top state lobbyist. This year, it has been pitched to lawmakers as an “airline tax break” rather than one that would exclusively help Delta. The jet fuel provision would save airlines and cargo firms more than $50 million, but the biggest beneficiary would be Delta. And state Sen. Michael Williams, a Republican candidate for governor who has long opposed the Delta tax break, called it proof that lawmakers “do the bidding of lobbyists.” “Delta isn’t even worried about insulting a huge portion of voters who belong to the NRA,” said Williams, who on Friday tried to strip the jet fuel provision from the broader tax-cut bill. “They have their backroom deal in place & know the politicians can’t survive without their donations.” Delta quickly took to the defensive. Werner tweeted that the company’s announcement “was not a political statement” and that the airline “merely confirmed its neutral status on a politically and emotionally charged debate by removing its name from the debate.” Atlanta’s NBC 11 adds: Within about 2 hours of Delta reaching out to the NRA, former Georgia Senator Rick Jeffares tweeted “if Delta is so flush that they don’t need NRA members’ hard-earned dollars, they can certainly do without the $40 million tax break they are asking Georgia taxpayers for.” He’s talking about the proposed jet fuel tax break that would save Delta $40 million if it passes. 11Alive spoke to a representative for Jeffares who sent us a statement on his behalf. “I have supported this tax break for Delta in the past but not this time,” it read. “If Delta can afford to write off the travel business of all those folks, they clearly don’t need a special tax break from Georgians.” In Delta’s full statement, the company said they are trying to stay neutral during the national debate over gun control. They want to focus on business, but the company continues to support the second amendment. Cobb County Republican Party Chairman Jason Shepherd isn’t buying it.
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 Delta LIED About What They Did Discount 

Program And It Just Backfired Bigger Than Ever!

Delta LIED About What They Did With NRA Discount Program And It Just Backfired Bigger Than Ever! Delta Airlines officially announced their decision to cut ties with the National Rifle Association (NRA). This occurred shortly after the Parkland Florida high school shooting that left 17 dead mainly because the Broward County Sheriff’s department is full of cowards and the FBI was too busy allegedly working for the Clintons and Obama. In a bid to remain neutral, Delta announced that it would end the NRA’s contract for members to receive discounted rates through their group travel program. Via The Hill: “In a memo to employees, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said that the company’s decision was not made for “economic gain” and that by cutting ties with the gun rights group, Delta wanted to “remove” itself from the gun debate. A copy of the memo was obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “While Delta’s intent was to remain neutral, some elected officials in Georgia tied our decision to a pending jet fuel tax exemption, threatening to eliminate it unless we reversed course,” he wrote. “Our decision was not made for economic gain and our values are not for sale. We are in the process of a review to end group discounts for any group of a politically divisive nature.” Delta joined several other companies in ending benefits and discounts for NRA members in recent weeks, following a deadly shooting last month at a South Florida high school that reignited the national debate over gun control.