April 19 may be the most fraught date in American history – for good or evil, instruction or paranoia, right or wrong. And its’ stacked-up layers of symbolism are going to be popping out from the news, spinmeisters and commentary all day long, and beyond.
The pants-wetting class is knotted up about a couple of marches planned for today; one, a group of armed Second Amendment activists, plans to hold a demonstration at a park in Virginia – the closest point to America’s political and traditional murder capitol, Washington DC, at which a law-abiding citizen can legally carry a gun. And another group, the “Second Amendment March” or SAM, plans a march (unarmed, unfortunately) on the Capitol.
And that’s got the gun-grabbing left’s paranoia and mania for specious symbolism cranking overtime:
[“Second Amendment March” founder Skip Coryell] claims he chose April 19 “because it is the 235th anniversary of Lexington-Concord.” However, the date also carries a rather unfortunate significance: the day militia sympathizers Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols blew up the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
Let’s stop right there.
“Militia sympathizers”? That’s chipped from the same block as Andy Birkey’s swerve into collective guilt by association last week, when he (and, one presumes, the editors at the Soros-funded Center for “Independent” Media, which former Mindy staffers themselves noted actually call the shots and want the site to be a flak organ for centrally-driven propaganda) used an irate, profanity-riddle phone message from someone who claimed to be a Tea Partier to try to impugn the entire Tea Party. McVeigh and Nichols were criminals; if they “sympathized” with the Oakland Raiders, “Iron Chef” and “Twilight”, it wouldn’t mean that football fans, foodies and dozey teenagers had some dark inner secret.
“The Militia” in the US is everyone. “A well-regulated militia being necessary for the preservation of liberty, the right of the people to keep and bear arms…” is what the Constitution says, in that little bit right after the part about freedom of speech that seems to be the only part most liberals ever read. And the Supreme Court said “The People” means all of us in the Heller decision, two years ago.
The “militia” that the pants-wetting class is exercised about is not “the militia”. It is a tiny collection of people with unfashionably acerbic views on society that the media and the pants-wetting class have set up as a boogeyman to scare society into place.
But let’s not stop with the significant anniversaries. There are two more:
April 19 also marks the end of the weeks-long siege of the Branch Davidian compound outside Waco, TX. Dan Casey of the Roanake Times reported that “[s]ome activists in the gun-rights movement have tried to talk Coryell out of organizing” the march, fearing that the “political timing is bad” or that it “might lead people to believe the gun movement is a paper tiger with a few loud voices.”
It’s also the date of the Warsaw Uprising – which should be the story that people keep in mind when they think of “militias”. The Jews of Poland had been herded into huge, miserable, starving ghettos while the Nazis built their extermination camps. By April 19, 1942 many of them were already dead, of starvation or disease or murdered by their guards.
And a small band of Jewish patriots – “extremists”, as someone like Andy Birkey or ThinkProgress might call them today – decided it would be better to die with dignity and have a chance, however thin, at liberty than to quietly be sucked into Hitler’s death machine. With a few stolen pistols and molotov cocktails, they rose, threw the Germans out of the Ghetto, and for a few weeks became a speed bump to Hitler’s “Final Solution to the Jewish Problem”.
The media and left (ptr) focus on the April 19 of Oklahoma City (where a couple of cartoon characters that belonged in a movie about fringe lunatics managed to kill 168 Americans) and Waco (where a group with very unfashionable religious views ran afoul of their own leader’s delusions, a deeply-stupid government raid, and some very bad luck with chemicals) because it fits their narrative; the big mass of people between the Hudson and the Sierra Madre need to be controlled, lest they hurt themselves.
But the April 19 of Lexington and Concord is a symbol of the power of We The People – which disturbs that other narrative. And the April 19 of Warsaw shows why it should be the duty (in the patriotic sense, if not also statutory) for every law-abiding American to own and be proficient with firearms – so that the next batch of Nazis can’t show anyone how very much more powerful than the pen the sword really is.
Of course Coryell’s fears are completely baseless. Obama has no intention of taking any anyone’s gun rights. In fact, during his campaign for president, Obama said, “I believe in the Second Amendment, and if you are a law-abiding gun owner, you have nothing to fear from an Obama administration.”
And why would Obama say that, after a career spent in gun-grabbing governments and working for gun-control-advocating non-profits?
Because of Americans who march to show Congress and the states that we are here, we’re better citizens than most, and we’re not going away.
Citizens like me. Not Timothy McVeigh.
I wish I could be in DC.
Mitch, have you been clinging to your guns and religion?
April 19th – Israel’s Independence day as well. Quite a date, uh?
OK, I’ll bite.
McVeigh was a fan of militia movements. I read an interview over the weekend, on the 15th anniversary of the act of domestic terrorism that blew up the Murrah building in Oklahoma, with the brother of Terry Nichols. Nichols had made statements in support of the views of his brother relating to a violent overthow of our government by militias and militia sympathizing ‘patriots’.
The recent attempt to use the Oklahoma state legislature to institute a state militia was intended to protect Oklahoma citizens against the federal government – the legitimate government of the United States – until they had to back down from that intention. Our Constitution makes the President, as commander in chief the head of our military AND our militias.
Now if you can show me a majority of militia movments that want to support Obama as their commander in chief, I will be the first to applaud.
Can you show me even ONE militia movement that acknowledges Obama as the constitutionally designated commander in chief?
However, in this climate of anti-federal government – like Bachmann calling it ‘gangster’ (and not in a good way) or some of the other anti-federal government rhetoric – like, oh say the nut job pastor who is anti-abortion and calling for islamic-like martyrs to have blood running in our streets, that idea of Obama as the militia commander in chief is NOT what many of us think of when we hear the term militia.
I like guns; I agree that those who wish to do so should become proficient with firearms – the more gun safety the better. I do think it should be voluntary and not required of anyone who does NOT wish to do so.
I’d be happy to join with anyone opposing a Nazi invasion; but we seem to be a bit short on those – tea party signs of Obama as Hitler, notwithstanding. Or the neo-nazi white supremacists demonstrating over the weekend; I’m less than thrilled with that group too, but certainly respect their right to be offensively wrong, publicly, so long as they demonstrate peacefully and legally. Seems to me I recall Ruby Ridge and those same militant white supremacists wanting to overthrow our national government, and intending instead to annex to themselves the five pacific northwest states. That, and the Michigan militia, or the oath keepers who want to selectively obey orders, or the Birther-supporting machine gun shoots where Orly Taitz held her little ‘grand jury tribunals’ are what make some of us a bit skeptical that these are ALL good guys who simply happen to have guns with them.
I object strenuously, no ‘pants wetting’ involved thank you, to groups of people who are talking about armed resistance to our government in the name of patriotism. That use – abuse – of the word patriotism adds insult to the injury of sedition, and is anything but loyal or patriotic.
While driving to get lunch this afternoon, I heard “Fat” Eddy Shulz screaming at the top of his lungs at a guy that called in to knock ObamaCare. His ending line was, and I quote verbatim “And if you idiots don’t like it, you can go pick up your guns”.
Did someone say something about a climate of hatred and violence?
Waiting for the breathless post from Sorosphere
sockpuppetreporter Andy “sand is food” Birkey……“OK, I’ll bite.”
Yup, that’s the word on the street, alrighty.
Wow! I did not think it was possible for DogNabbit to sink even further after condoning violence for wearing an offensive t-shirt, but here we are.
I like guns; I agree that those who wish to do so should become proficient with firearms – the more gun safety the better. I do think it should be voluntary and not required of anyone who does NOT wish to do so.
There is a requirement for people to own guns? Who knew?!
tea party signs of Obama as Hitler, notwithstanding.
Do you really wanna go there, DogBiscuit? One word – “Bushitler”. Now go slink away and wimper in your kennel.
Our Constitution makes the President, as commander in chief the head of our military AND our militias.
Have ever read the Consitution? It is only a couple of pages long. Oh, I am sorry – it is was written by the original “teabaggers” so not worthy of your time. Back to Das Kapital with you , then…
Back to Das Kapital with you , then…
Not unless there’s an illustrated edition.
Remember back in the two thousand oughts, we had small town librarians shredding library records each night as they thought the Bush gov’t was going to storm the libraries and sieze said records (Beloit Wisc comes to mind as one town doing that). Or all those liberals who though Bush was listening in on their phone calls. The teaparty movement has a very long way to go if it is ever going to reach anti-Bush paranoia levels.
Its also Israeli Independence Day…
I’d be happy to join with anyone opposing a Nazi invasion; but we seem to be a bit short on those – tea party signs of Obama as Hitler, notwithstanding. Or the neo-nazi white supremacists demonstrating over the weekend; I’m less than thrilled with that group too, but certainly respect their right to be offensively wrong, publicly, so long as they demonstrate peacefully and legally. Seems to me I recall Ruby Ridge and those same militant white supremacists wanting to overthrow our national government, and intending instead to annex to themselves the five pacific northwest states. That, and the Michigan militia, or the oath keepers who want to selectively obey orders, or the Birther-supporting machine gun shoots where Orly Taitz held her little ‘grand jury tribunals’ are what make some of us a bit skeptical that these are ALL good guys who simply happen to have guns with them.
Boy, that’s a crapload of guilt-by-association, DG. Tell you what — if you’re going to assign all these shaved apes to us, you get Karlton Armstrong, the Unabomber, Jeff Fort and Maj. Hasan. Enjoy.
DG,
McVeigh was a fan of militia movements.
Adolph Hitler was a dog lover.
“But wait, Mitch, that’s not only guilty association, but it’s so sloppy as to be meaningless!”.
Well, that’s my point.
I mean, sorry, but no. McVeigh supported certain groups (labelled “militias” by a lazy media) that advocated armed overthrow. He no more supported “the militia” in the Constitutional sense than he supported
Nichols had made statements in support of the views of his brother relating to a violent overthow of our government by militias and militia sympathizing ‘patriots’.
Right.
So what?
Charles Manson raved about the Beatles. How guilty is Paul McCartney for Manson’s crimes?
The recent attempt to use the Oklahoma state legislature to institute a state militia was intended to protect Oklahoma citizens against the federal government – the legitimate government of the United States – until they had to back down from that intention.
And it’s a shame they did, in a sense.
Our Constitution makes the President, as commander in chief the head of our military AND our militias.
NO! No no no no! No, a billion times no!
The President is NOT “commander in chief” of the Militia!
No, not now, not ever, not in the Constitution!
Can you show me even ONE militia movement that acknowledges Obama as the constitutionally designated commander in chief?
Yes. The American people. Who are – according to the Second Amendment, as further defined in Heller Vs. DC, and as will be incorporated to the states in McDonalds Vs. Chicago this summer – the Militia referred to in the Constitution. They elected him, and but for a tiny lunatic fringe, they’ll be perfectly happy to be rid of his incompetent self in 2012.
You’re talking “groups” of guys in camoflage? Who cares. They’re not “the militia”. They no more reprsent the “Militia” than our old friend Ray represented “the DFL” or than Hitler represented dog enthusiasts.
However, in this climate of anti-federal government – like Bachmann calling it ‘gangster’ (and not in a good way)
Remember when dissent was patriotic?
Obama as the militia commander in chief is NOT what many of us think of when we hear the term militia.
But as demonstrated above, what you think of when you hear the term militia is a perversion of the term that Bill Clinton popularized when he used it to create an internal boogeyman, at the low point of his presidency
15 years ago.
DG, I wish you realized how you’re being manipulatd when you play along with this cynical farce.
I do think it should be voluntary and not required of anyone who does NOT wish to do so.
Well, no – the requirement, like “wash your hands after going to the bathroom” or “help old ladies across the street”, is purely ethical and prudential, not statutory. Although we’d be a better country if it were a matter of law.
tea party signs of Obama as Hitler, notwithstanding.
What JPA said above; Bushitler, anyone?
By the way, there was not a single one of those at the Saint Paul Tea Party. Indeed, since there were no fringers at the Tea Party, you hardly saw any coverage, I’m guessing. Am I right?
Or the neo-nazi white supremacists demonstrating over the weekend;
That was unrelated to the Tea Party.
Seems to me I recall Ruby Ridge and those same militant white supremacists wanting to overthrow our national government, and intending instead to annex to themselves the five pacific northwest states.
Ruby Ridge had nothing to do with that. Randy Weaver – who at the time was a radical survivalist with some wacky ideas – bought an illegal shotgun. The FBI came to his cabin, and a standoff ensued in which the FBI shot Weaver’s wife and teenage son. Not sure what Weaver believed about the government, but the last I checked having wacky ideas didn’t earn one a death sentence in this country; if it did, Noam Chomsky and Dennis Kucinich must be down to their final appeals.
That, and the Michigan militia, or the oath keepers who want to selectively obey orders, or the Birther-supporting machine gun shoots where Orly Taitz held her little ‘grand jury tribunals’ are what make some of us a bit skeptical that these are ALL good guys who simply happen to have guns with them.
The “Michigan Militia” was all moo and no cow at the PEAK of their “power” in the nineties; they are a shadow of that today.
The Oath Keepers are a constitutionalist group that are legitimately alarmed about the overreach of law enforcement. So lemme guess – the left is calling THEM “seditionary”, too?
I object strenuously, no ‘pants wetting’ involved thank you, to groups of people who are talking about armed resistance to our government in the name of patriotism. That use – abuse – of the word patriotism adds insult to the injury of sedition, and is anything but loyal or patriotic.
And exactly as Bill Clinton did fifteen years ago, the Obama Adminsitration is creating a boogeyman where no real threat of any kind existed. “Militia groups”, which never amounted to any size even at their peak between 1975 and 1995, are a tiny fraction of even those numbers today.
But they ARE a useful boogeyman to use to freeze, frame, marginalize and defame the masses of legitimate protesters who are legitimately upset at the Administraiton.
And you’re playing along with it.
Not unless there’s an illustrated edition.
There is one — it’s part of the Nation Press “L’il Commies” series, which include illustrated versions of Das Kapital, the Communist Manifesto, the complete works of Lillian Hellman and the ever-popular “Dick and Jane Go to the Countryside and Kick Kulak Butt.”
Swiftee – have YOU read the US Constitution? Ever? Recently?
I make a habit of reading it periodically.
I refer you to Article II, Section 2, first sentence
“The President shall be the Commander in Chief of the Army and the Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States”.
Want to make a guess how many of the militia affiliated protesters will be carrying protest signs that do not acknowledge Obama or the jurisdiction of our legitmate national government?
That makes it reasonable for genuinely patriotic citizens, the ones who DO support the US Constitution, to be skeptical and critical of the intent of these groups while they peacefully and legally protest.
I heard something interesting this morning on your competitor station. Chris Baker interviewed McVeigh’s primary defense attorney (who, giving full disclosure as was proper, was a good friend of Baker’s). He said that at that time, McVeigh was the youngest enlisted person to ever attain the rank of Sgt. He was also the first soldier on the list of people sent to the sandbox for Desert Shield, and he also scored the first recorded kill of Desert Storm. He tried to get into the Rangers, was too young and inexperienced, and couldn’t pass muster. Getting kicked out of the Rangers essentially ended his army career. This is what started his negative opinion of the government, that was fully formed thanks to Waco. He was also there, watching from the sidelines, and claimed to have seen that the Federal forces indeed fired incendiary devices into the compound and started the fire (which took the Govt 10 years to admit to). Had he waited another year or two to go the Rangers, we might still have a Murrah building, and chances are he’d be a decorated officer instead of a death penalty statistic. People wondered why he picked that building, apparently there was some leadership connection in that building to the team that invaded the Waco compound. The lawyer also said McVeigh didn’t know there was a day care center in the building and likely wouldn’t have done it if he had known that.
Not that I’m trying to justify or defend what he did….this is just what the lawyer said.
The Militia Act of 1794 defined “the Militia” as “the Organized Militia” – the part we’d call the National Guard today – and the “Unorganized Militia”, or everyone else.
The “Militia of the several states” refers to state troops in federal service. In American wars up through the Spanish American War, the States would gather militia units and, essentially, turn them over to Federal control.
The President does not “command” me when I and my handgun confront a robber in my house.
That makes it reasonable for genuinely patriotic citizens, the ones who DO support the US Constitution, to be skeptical and critical of the intent of these groups while they peacefully and legally protest.
Would that you all were so skeptical of the chanting points you’ve been given. The Tea Party is overwhelmingly civil and constitutionalist – indeed, vastly moreso than most liberals (who are all hot for Article II section 2 and the First Amendment, but a lot fuzzier on the Second and Tenth Amendments).
And Doggie, I would just like to point out the the Obama with a Hitler moustache pictures at tea parties are being held by Lyndon LaRouche supporters. They have been denounced. They have had the pink “infiltrator” signs pointed at them.
They are NOT conservatives. They belong in the same pen as the people from the Westboro Baptist church.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Church
Mitch, when you use a handgun to confront a burglar in your house, you are not acting in service to the United States (the rest of that first sentence, Article II sec 2).
I have not, in anything I’ve written, suggested these people shouldn’t protest to their heart’s content, so long as they do so legally and peacefully. I have never ever suggested we should not individually own guns – you know full well I enjoy shooting sports and gun ownership.
I do think it is reasonable to question and criticize groups whose stated purpose for their existence is the armed overthrow of the national government, instead of removing people from office through voting, or generating legal change through representative government legislation.
People who WANT to see blood running in our streets concern me, or who use their right to carry guns to intimidate, either overtly or indirectly also concern me. I don’t like the intimidation of my fellow law abiding citizens who are not carrying guns by those who are.
I find threatening and wrong signs like “I’m unarmed – this time”, the Browning sign, and the video interview I linked in Across the Great Divide III on Penigma, from the 2nd Amendment and health care reform protest in Alamogordo NM in January (third interview in):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqjVWifq4Kc&feature=player_embedded#
Deegee, when Michael Moore told you that Victory gin makes you smarter, you should have taken a second look at him before you tipped back the mason jar.
That’s IT! I want to drop Michael Moore on Swiftee!!!
Feel threatened yet?
You enjoy a swig of the hard stuff Swiftee – it can only improve your personality.
Mitch, my friend, I’ll feel safe as houses around you, always, with or without any kind of gun, always. Some of those – like the third guy in the video link, who I do not know personally, in view of his statements – not so much.
I would like to see more acceptance by those who are not familiar or comfrotable with guns, but I have to wonder if the people marching are accomplishing that objective, or if they even want to accomplish that.
The statements, the actions, of some of these individuals, especially those who do not espouse peaceful political objectives, are a concern.
I would point out to you that I do not advocate denying anyone the right to protest, or suggest that they should not carry their guns, or suggest that any of us should not have legal gun ownership.
I simply point out that some of them open themselves up to legitimate concern and criticism. I don’t think anyone, not the protesters, not you or myself, should be above that for what we do, what we write, or what we say.
Kermit – from what height?
Were you thinking of a youtube video of the event, perhaps?
Or sell tickets, a sort of fund raiser………..
DG,
When you say “some of them” are legitimately concerning – well, yeah. But they have not changed (except for growing less numerous) in 15 years. They were with us throughout the Bush years. They are not especially remarkable in any case.
The difference is that Obama, like Clinton in 1995 (both of them facing very bad political news) needs a boogeyman – so he’s dusted off some oldies but goodies.
DG, I’d like you to read this, and this, and this bit here, and if you read none of them read this one first.
And then think about how you, and the thin film of intelligent and well-meaning leftyblogs out there are being exploited, and to what end. And then figure out if you wanna shoot for better than that.
“Or the neo-nazi white supremacists demonstrating over the weekend;”
Stormfront marched in Crawford Texas (against President Bush) the same weekend DFL congressional candidate Colleen Rowley did. Therefore, the DFL must be racist Nazi’s.
“First they ignore you; then they mock you; then they fight you; then you win.”– Gandhi
I think we’re about at stage three.
Funny how DogPileO is all nicey nice now that she had been dressed down so handsomely on all matters of fact. There, there, little doggie… Better have another swill of the Victory gin to drown your sorrows.
Nichols had made statements in support of the views of his brother relating to a violent overthow of our government by militias and militia sympathizing ‘patriots’.
Views? Maybe. Actions? Maybe. But support of actions, does NOT mean the ideology supports such actions.
Napolitano called for “the continued need for vigilance against… ideologies… , so that we can recognize their signs in our communities and stand together to defeat them.”
Please, I hope people can discern the difference between one person’s actions and a group of peoples’ ideology even if JanNap of Deegee can’t.
P.S. Mitch, just letting you know that deegee made the case for ObamaNationCare using your unfortunate garage mishap on A-Boy’s blog.
http://stark-raving-sane-dont-go-in.blogspot.com/2010/04/napolitanos-call-to-war-against.html
Kermit – from what height?
Well, Swiftee’s not all that tall, but I don’t know the average load limit of the average helicopter. I think it would have to be fairly low.
KR, I’m sure Mitch can read AB’s blog for himself if he wants to do so, LOL.
Mitch, in case you don’t get to it, I pointed out the need for a person buying insurance to have service for their use of that insurance, such as claims – an adjuster, and possible court jurisdiction accessible to the purchaser of insurance, if they need to take legal action against the insurer. All of which came up in discussion about buying insurance across state lines, versus insurance regulated in the buyer’s own state.
Just plain crabby – do you ever stop whining?
I think it would have to be fairly low.
Dude, there would have to be some healthy altitude involved just to get his gut clear of the ground.
Kerm – I’d like to point out that on SitD as well as privately to Mitch I condemned anyone who interfered with or tried to disrupt, sabotage, or discredit any of the tea party events.
I offered words of encouragement and support to Mitch for the events, in which I assumed he was participating, regardless of whether or not I agree or disagree with any specific points, because I do think dissent and political speech are important.
I used the words to describe anyone who would try to do those things to a tea party event as reprehensible, despicable, and unAmerican. Is that condemnation enough for you?
Velocity, Tom. It’s critical when computing impact.
With all that girth, MM will reach terminal velocity in no time. It will still take a Chinook, though, just to get him off the ground.
You know the Right. Fanatical law-and-order types who hate the government and regulations.
The extremes aren’t markedly different in their acceptance of violence to change the government.
Bill C- I disagree with what McVeigh’s lawyer is representing.
In his own words, in interviews, he made it very clear that he absolutely intended to harm unarmed men WOMEN and CHILDREN. That is not my image of an exemplary soldier, or even a decent human being.
Mitch, I will indeed check out the links you’ve made, and your other points – may I suggest in turn that you check out what turns up with a google search of militias, beginning with Minnesota?
I thank you for the compliment embedded in “how you, and the thin film of intelligent and well-meaning leftyblogs out there are being exploited, and to what end.” I’m glad you continue to find me (and presumably Pen) intelligent and well meaning at least, LOL.
You certainly are being exploited, DG, and you take it just like a good little sheeple should.