- Introduction to the Paul Revere Network *
Paul Revere was the original "Freedom Rider".
Today, we ride the North American continental telecommunications
network. We do so in support of the fundamental freedoms to
which we, as Americans, were born.
The Paul Revere Network (PRN) is a coast-to-coast network of
committed grass-roots gun rights activists who rely upon computer
bulletin board systems for their primary mode of communication.
Leroy Pyle (past NRA Director and 27-year San Jose police veteran)
is Founder and Director of the PRN. Based in Chicago, IL, Pyle's
BBS (176:1/0) feeds all network message traffic to Regional Coord-
inators. Currently, there are approximately 150 nodes, coast to
coast, a ZC in Germany, and Regional Coordinators in Kansas City MO,
Minnesota MN, San Jose CA, Los Angeles CA, Fayetteville NC, and
Kingston NY.
The PRN offers an additional channel of information in the form
of The Paul Revere News. This irregularly-published hard-copy news-
letter serves as our official publication; any who are interested in
receiving a sample copy may post a request for it on any PRN board.
* PRN: 2nd Amendment Orientation PRN stands firm and four-square in support of the "NEW NRA" and Neal Knox' Second Amendment Action. With respect to "compromise" with the anti-gun factions, our policy is - and will remain - "No Negotiation with Terrorists!" * PRN: Purpose
The purpose of the PRN is to allow local- and regional-level 2nd
Amendment activists to initiate and coordinate political actions
designed to further the movement's goals. Our ability to
instantly share information which affects us all gives us a
tremendous edge over the opposition. Using our computers, we can
multiply our efforts a hundred-fold; we will one day be able to
mobilize thousands of letters and telephone calls in support of
or in opposition to particular legislation or media actions. We
can "get the word out", as needed, and very quickly!
In addition to providing the ability to communicate rapidly, Paul
Revere Network Nodes all maintain 2nd Amendment-oriented file
areas. Structured at the discretion of the individual PRN Node
Operator (NodeOp), these file areas contain massive amounts of
data grouped under headings such as "firearms/technical", "2nd
Amendment reference", "letters to the editor" (for sharing
writing styles, topics, and ideas), local/regional grass-roots
action information, newsletter articles, legislative updates, and
so forth.
The Paul Revere Network has produced a CD-ROM entitled, "The
GunRights Compendium", which is for sale via PRNet HQ, Chicago.
It is a fact that gunowners have lost ground over the past
several decades and that, further, the slope appears to be
steepening the farther we slide! States on both coasts now have
actual bans in place while in New York, registered rifles and
shotguns are scheduled for confiscation. Alert gunowners have
come to the fore and have, on their own, militated for a stronger
NRA, written letters, made appointments with their legislators,
made the phone calls, and so forth. Many of these alert
gunowners have joined forces with like-minded people local to
their area and begun to make concerted, unified local efforts to
halt the erosion of their gun freedoms.
We want these folks in our loop! The more we can tie grass-
roots, loosely organized activists together, the greater the
number of previously-uncommitted gunowners we can reach and
enlist in our cause. And there is no better a central
information-exchange medium than a local computer bulletin board
system!
*** PRN: How to join
You must have implemented a front-end mailer and a tosser. You may use
any mailer that accomodates normal FidoNet-format transmissions -
currently, various NodeOps are using D'Bridge, FrontDoor, and
BinkleyTerm.
Most of our nodes are listed in the Fido Nodelist. This allows them
to carry some of the popular echoes available in FidoNet, including
RTKBA and FIREARMS.
Step 1: A copy of the PRN nodelist is included in PRNKIT.ZIP for
your use. Please install it. Create four new conferences - "PR_NET",
"PRN_TECH", "PR_NODE_OP" and PRN_NEWS.
PR_NET, PRN_TECH and PRN_NEWS are general PRN user conferences which
are swapped openly across all the other PRN systems, while PR_NODE_OP
is the NodeOps' "private channel" and is flagged as "private" inside
your BBS software in such a manner as to restrict access to all but
other NodeOps. PRN_NEWS, is to be configured as READ-ONLY, this con-
ference contains items of special interest to gunowners copied from
the PR_NET. Without the chatter of 100+ msgs per day intermixed, the
info will not scroll past so quickly and will serve almost as a
bulletin or reference area for users.
PRN is the origin for NRA_COPS (Cops, the NRA & RKBA) for those inter-
ested in carrying a pro-gun cop echo, and CHAPTERS, for communications
between the various NRA Members Councils. PRN also hubs out LIBERTY,
the Libertarian Echo, and HUNT_ADV, The Hunters Advocate. Please
advise if interested in any of the above.
If the primary purpose of your BBS relates to 2nd Amendment issues,
then we prefer that you make the Paul Revere Network conference the
default main conference. While this is certainly not mandatory, it
provides uniformity across the net and enhances the ability of your
users to engage in and enjoy direct communication with the other
activists in the Net.
Most NodeOps have the PR_NET conference set up as the main
conference with separate, local special-purpose conferences
available to their users.
- * * * * * *
NOTE: The Paul Revere Network has enjoyed considerable success
these past few years with references in various publications by
such notables as Neal Knox, Alan Gottlieb, Larry Pratt and David
Kopel. For this reason, activists are alerted to the name, "The
Paul Revere Network". If you are interested in taking advantage
of this notoriety, please consider how an activist might find
your BBS when looking for the PRNet!
- * * * * * * (LP 2/95)
Step 2: Make an identifying origin line. If your BBS uses the
PR_NET as its primary, root conference, then make the origin line
read along the lines of:
"Paul Revere Network/Nevada (702) 555-1234"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What this does is indicate that your board is a primary, "front-
line" Paul Revere Network board.
If you have an established board and want to keep its name in the
origin line, that's fine, too! We merely ask that the origin line
reflect membership in PR_NET ala the following examples:
"Paul Revere Network/PA (Second Amendment) (814) 555-1234"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
or
"The Second Amendment (PR_NET/PA) (814) 555-1234"
^^^^^^^^^^^
Step 3: Scan your outgoing mail and poll your hub for mail pickup.
We understand that economics may limit the frequency of your calls.
While daily polling is optimum for most of us, we understand that
economics and light traffic on your board (especially if it is a
new board) might limit the need for frequent polling. We ask only
that you balance the requirement that the "word must get to the
grass roots" with your ability to provide the benefits of polling
PRN messages for your users. Remember: Without messages from its
various nodes, PRN will die.
You will need to contact your hub's Node_Op in order to establish
session-level password security.
As PRN grows and matures, more structure designed to enhance
overall function will be developed. We vow to never allow the
manifestations of the structure we impose to interfere with our
battle to preserve and further the Second Amendment.
We recognize the importance of local autonomy and value the input
of all NodeOps.
That's basically it! If you have further questions, call any of
the many Paul Revere BBS's listed in the FidoNet Nodelist or our
own PRNodeList, or the Paul Revere Network/HQ in Chicago at
(312) 482-9940 or direct NetMail there at 1:115/223.
The Paul Revere Network Brad Alpert
Leroy Pyle, Director Associate Director, PRN
1153 No. Dearborn, Suite #106 Regional Coordinator SoCntrl
Chicago, IL 60610 (816) 597-3353/Voice
(312) 482-9910 (voice) (816) 597-3950/DATA
(312) 482-9940/60 BBS May 15, 1992
Updated February 17, 1995 (LP)
- ——————-
MEMO TO NEW PR_NET SYSOPS:
Just a reminder to set up a PR_NODE_OP as a private conference
and PRN_NEWS as read-only.
Please run the enclosed file MAKEREQ.EXE and return the resulting file
<LAST NAME>.APP to me at 176:100/0 or 1:115/223 at your earliest con-
venience. Also indicate a password and the hub you prefer to poll
(you can poll directly from Chicago/HQ, or choose any hub from the
PRNodelist).
Thanx,
Leroy