Yup. Thanks. One of my older bookmarks. Looked forward to every column when they first came out in dead tree media. Here's another class III time sink--
Thanks, David, for joining the fray on the intelligent side of this very ragged fence. I was also linked here from Knuckledraggin (been his subscriber for years- thanks, Kenny) . Here is an old quote from Robert Heinlein- "an armed society is a polite society". Most misunderstand the real meaning, but it ultimately comes down to the leveling of the playing field between those with advantages over others. Every single 2a supporter will tell you why our forefathers wrote this into the Bill of Rights, and it was NOT to protect us from criminals- it was to allow the citizens to protect themselves from an unruly government. All you need to do is to look back in history and see the very first action taken against citizens by tyrants and despots- they remove the ability of the citizen/victims to defend themselves.
The rest of the comment: An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life. Robert A. Heinlein
And anther good one from Robert:
When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know, the end result is tyranny and oppression no matter how holy the motives. Robert A. Heinlein
and this one, which is one of my favorites:
I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do. I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do. ~ Robert A. Heinlein
Thanks for your insights, David. I got linked here from Knuckledraggin (ogdaa.blogspot.com). There are many more quotes you could have used, I'm certain. One of my favorites:
David, thank you for linking here from Sasha's Substack. This essay is both informative and thoughtful, and I appreciate the quotes from Orwell and Gandhi.
Here is a factoid I recently came across, which made me think even more deeply about 2A:
To put it very simply (I know it was more complicated), during the early decades of the 20th century, the crime rate was extremely high, and the real danger came from the use of automatic weapons in our streets. Eventually those weapons were prohibited.
But the reason for the high crime rate was Prohibition. People simply wanted the right to drink in peace, and so criminals, and eventually crime syndicates, arose to supply it. That led to competition among the syndicates and hence to violent crime in the streets.
Today we have violent crime that frequently centers around drugs, which are also prohibited but highly desired. This has led to people blaming guns, but again not looking beyond that to the real question, which is: WHY has a citizenry which is largely peaceful and non-violent now cursed with daily gang warfare? School shootings are NOT the major source of gun violence. As we saw nearly 100 years ago, it is prohibition of a desired substance, that leads to competition among would-be suppliers. And the loudest voices are from those who want to blame the guns, not the true source of the violence. Not only that, they demonize those of us who defend 2A.
If we do not resolve this sensibly, we WILL lose our right to bear arms
A couple of thoughts. Very simply, the powerful will usually be against the second amendment because it undercuts their power, the rest is window dressing. I think you are right about prohibition, but there's more. During prohibition large numbers of federal agents were hired for the war against organized crime. With the repeal of prohibition they were no longer needed, so rather than let them go they were put into the ATF, which then needed to justify it's existence. Government does not want to shrink. Remember, the issue is never the issue, (ATF, alcohol tobacco and firearms, who's bringing the chips?)
I think the war on the right has to do with totalitarian takeover. You can't have 600 million firearms in a society and expect them not to be used against you if you push people past the point Thomas Jefferson wrote about in the Declaration. Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that MANKIND ARE MORE DIPOSED TO SUFFER, WHILE EVILS ARE SUFFERABLE... I just want to be left alone! https://www.courageouslion.us/p/i-just-want-to-be-left-alone
I'm familiar. That was a spontaneous unorganized militia that became organized quickly against the corruption in Athens. They actually made a movie about it. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3389248/
"Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks" Thomas Jefferson, pg. 97 "The Second Amendment Primer"
I’ve read “The Second Amendment Primer”. Great book.
"Individually, we do not bear arms because we are afraid. We bear arms
as a declaration of capacity. An armed man can cope - either in the city
or in the wilderness - and because he is armed, he is not afraid.
The hoplophobe fears and, yes, hates us, because we are not afraid. We
are overwhelmingly "other" than he, and in a way that emphasizes his
afflictions."
Jeff Cooper
And are envious and jealous
Jeff Cooper's Commentaries
https://www.molonlabe.net/Commentaries/
Yup. Thanks. One of my older bookmarks. Looked forward to every column when they first came out in dead tree media. Here's another class III time sink--
http://www.frfrogspad.com/
Enjoy.
No.....I think this is more the reason Let's Play "Let's Pretend"...
the game children play https://www.courageouslion.us/p/lets-play-lets-pretend
Thanks, David, for joining the fray on the intelligent side of this very ragged fence. I was also linked here from Knuckledraggin (been his subscriber for years- thanks, Kenny) . Here is an old quote from Robert Heinlein- "an armed society is a polite society". Most misunderstand the real meaning, but it ultimately comes down to the leveling of the playing field between those with advantages over others. Every single 2a supporter will tell you why our forefathers wrote this into the Bill of Rights, and it was NOT to protect us from criminals- it was to allow the citizens to protect themselves from an unruly government. All you need to do is to look back in history and see the very first action taken against citizens by tyrants and despots- they remove the ability of the citizen/victims to defend themselves.
Chuck in Arlington Texas
The rest of the comment: An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life. Robert A. Heinlein
And anther good one from Robert:
When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know, the end result is tyranny and oppression no matter how holy the motives. Robert A. Heinlein
and this one, which is one of my favorites:
I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do. I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do. ~ Robert A. Heinlein
Thanks for your insights, David. I got linked here from Knuckledraggin (ogdaa.blogspot.com). There are many more quotes you could have used, I'm certain. One of my favorites:
Si vis pacem, para bellum.
If you want peace, prepare for war, I believe
That would be correct.
Ask and ye shall receive
https://drp314.substack.com/p/second-amendment-quotes
my substack site
https://substack.com/@david3142
Roger that
One of my favorites: JUS MEUM TUEBOR!
Two posts that I've made, you will find quite informative.
The first:
Those Forgotten and Ignored 13 Words
Why We Need our State 2nd Amendment Militias back in Force and Effect
https://www.courageouslion.us/p/those-forgotten-and-ignored-13-words
and
There Is A Reason "They" Don't Listen to Us Anymore
https://www.courageouslion.us/p/there-is-a-reason-they-dont-listen
Oh, and about those school shootings? The SSRI Connection to Suicides, Spontaneous Murder and Mass Shootings
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2022/07/mark-reynolds/the-ssri-connection-to-suicides-spontaneous-murder-and-mass-shootings/
“So, is it just a matter of if you are for the powerful or for the people?”
This⬆️ says it all.
David, thank you for linking here from Sasha's Substack. This essay is both informative and thoughtful, and I appreciate the quotes from Orwell and Gandhi.
Here is a factoid I recently came across, which made me think even more deeply about 2A:
To put it very simply (I know it was more complicated), during the early decades of the 20th century, the crime rate was extremely high, and the real danger came from the use of automatic weapons in our streets. Eventually those weapons were prohibited.
But the reason for the high crime rate was Prohibition. People simply wanted the right to drink in peace, and so criminals, and eventually crime syndicates, arose to supply it. That led to competition among the syndicates and hence to violent crime in the streets.
Today we have violent crime that frequently centers around drugs, which are also prohibited but highly desired. This has led to people blaming guns, but again not looking beyond that to the real question, which is: WHY has a citizenry which is largely peaceful and non-violent now cursed with daily gang warfare? School shootings are NOT the major source of gun violence. As we saw nearly 100 years ago, it is prohibition of a desired substance, that leads to competition among would-be suppliers. And the loudest voices are from those who want to blame the guns, not the true source of the violence. Not only that, they demonize those of us who defend 2A.
If we do not resolve this sensibly, we WILL lose our right to bear arms
I think guns are used for general blame shifting
A couple of thoughts. Very simply, the powerful will usually be against the second amendment because it undercuts their power, the rest is window dressing. I think you are right about prohibition, but there's more. During prohibition large numbers of federal agents were hired for the war against organized crime. With the repeal of prohibition they were no longer needed, so rather than let them go they were put into the ATF, which then needed to justify it's existence. Government does not want to shrink. Remember, the issue is never the issue, (ATF, alcohol tobacco and firearms, who's bringing the chips?)
Sasha's great, isn't she?
Sasha is a breath of fresh air, and as gutsy as they come.
I think the war on the right has to do with totalitarian takeover. You can't have 600 million firearms in a society and expect them not to be used against you if you push people past the point Thomas Jefferson wrote about in the Declaration. Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that MANKIND ARE MORE DIPOSED TO SUFFER, WHILE EVILS ARE SUFFERABLE... I just want to be left alone! https://www.courageouslion.us/p/i-just-want-to-be-left-alone
In case you are not familiar with it, look up the battle of Athens, Tennessee.
I'm familiar. That was a spontaneous unorganized militia that became organized quickly against the corruption in Athens. They actually made a movie about it. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3389248/
All about power, who has it and who doesn’t. I’m glad you replied, interesting thoughts.
An unalienable right can never be lost. It can only be infringed upon.