textfiles/bbs/intro.prn

         *** 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