I’m going to guess the relentlessly intellectually-entitled Ms. Sarandon thought she was tweeting about Republicans:
It was probably 4-5 years after I read Saul Alinski’s Rules for Radicals that I noticed one of his rules – essentially, “accuse your opponent of doing what you’re doiing” – basically is the actor’s side of Berg’s 7th Law.
UPDATE: Whoops. I’m informed that Ms. Sarandon may have become, if (certainly) not a Republican, at least a skeptic of the Democrat Party, and that my lede may be wrong, and she may actually be referring to the Democrats.
It may indeed be a season of miracles.
It is the Season Of Miracles™ – it is Election time!
While I was in Finland last week I paid a visit to the Museum of the Finnish Civil War in Tampere. (You knew there had been a Finnish civil war in 1918, right?) Following the history and exhibits, one can’t help but feeling what Ms. Sarandon might call a “chill wind”.
The war was relatively short, but intense. 37,000 people died in the conflict, but only 10,000 were casualties in battle; the rest died in prison camps or were killed by militias on both sides. While the Whites (establishment) and Reds (communists and unionists) were generally divided by North and South, there were enclaves of partisans on both sides; the respective militias would go house to house, rooting out “sympathizers” and executing them in the streets – egged on by both sides publicizing the atrocities committed by the other. One of the most chilling exhibits is where you come around a corner and see nine rifles suspended in the air, pointing right at you, over a cobblestone floor covered with blood.
This, folks, is civil war. It’s not a series of pitched battles and Geneva Convention rules. It’s nasty, hateful, and a bloody beast that is hard to control once the chains are slipped. Anyone thinking a civil war is a good idea needs to think hard about this.
For the Finns, the war concluded with the end of WWI when the German army, which supported the Whites, and the Russian army, which supported the Reds, went home to deal with their own problems. For those who remained it was like coming downstairs after a wild party and realizing that you were the one who is going to have to clean it up. The Finns did a pretty good job of it; the society did become more egalitarian after the war, and prosperous. The museum was very even-handed in its story.
The Whites executed all the leaders of the Reds they could get their hands on, and imprisoned many of the Red Guard members for a few years. Russians, however, were shot on sight.
Been saying it for years, NW. It’s all fun and games until you’re standing in a hole, filled waist deep with freezing water, and bullets are flying over your head.
I am certainly not looking forward to it, but in the absence of a peaceful separation, I think it’s inevitable. We simply cannot go on like this much longer.
Forget the foxhole. It’s all fun and games until you and your family are dragged from your beds in the middle of the night because someone accused you of being a sympathizer – whether you are or not.
Well, speaking for myself, NW, it’s not going to go down quite that easy. I don’t live in a suburban neighborhood. The dirt road to my house is 1/4 mile long through my property and no one will get within 600 yards of the house without me knowing it, day or night.
I have no delusions about surviving a civil war, but my hands will be stained with gunpowder and I’ll fall in a pile of empty brass.
I may be wrong, but I doubt the Finnish civilian population in 1918 was as well armed as the US civilian population is right now.
They were – mostly with rifles provided by the Russians (Finland had been a Grand Duchy of Russia before it’s independence). The Germans, too, were happy to provide weapons to the Whites. The idea of being unarmed when caught between these two belligerent neighbors was unthinkable.
Today, every male Finn is required to receive military training and perform national service from one to three years (depending on MOR); women are encouraged to volunteer and make the military a career.
While we were in the eastern half of the country we discussed going to the Russian border, then about three hours away, just to say we’d done it. We didn’t think we could get back for dinner though, for whatever reason. Driving back to Tampere we saw four armored military transports, zooming eastbound along the highway. “Uh-oh,” we thought. My daughter, who lives in Finland now, says though that this is the time of year when the new inductees are typically doing their training, and this convoy may have been a part of that.
Hand guns are very frowned upon in Europe (as if you didn’t already know), but long guns are actually quite common. Usually shotguns.
However, Switzerland encourages draftees to take their service weapons (typically long guns) home – perhaps Finland too? I think I read that Sweden had a surprising number of long guns per “person”.
My daughter’s husband received his training in reconnaissance. I asked, and he doesn’t have his military rifle in his home – but knows how to get one quickly.
You knew there had been a Finnish civil war in 1918, right?
As a matter of fact, I did. Coulda sworn I wrote something about it, but it turns out it’s half-finished in the “Drafts” section.
However, Switzerland encourages draftees to take their service weapons (typically long guns) home
Switzerland and Israel are pretty unique in that regard.
In Switzerland, people can actually buy surplus service rifles (modified to semiautomatic only) after completing their reserve service.
As a matter of fact, I did. Coulda sworn I wrote something about it, but it turns out it’s half-finished in the “Drafts” section.
I did some studying on the subject before going over there, but the museum visit was profound. Finland’s cataclysmic history often took place in the background of greater world events, but I was curious as to why the aftermath of the Finnish Civil War has appeared to have been better than, say, the Spanish Civil War, or the Bohemian Reformation, Prague Spring, and the Velvet Revolution in the Czech Republic (or the U.S. Civil War, for that matter). I’ve been pondering this a lot since my visit, hoping to contribute my thoughts in post of my own. It’s hard for a transient, amateur historian to form a credible impression after brief exposure to people who have been living with this for 100 years, but it’s worth pursuing.
JDM, as it was once explained to me, Swedish reserves keep their HK93’s at home, but are forbidden from keeping ammo with them.
10/10 even that gets axed as more and more African “immigrants” pour in and start the repopulation.
NW, you might find this of interest, “Civil War in Europe, 1905–1949” by Stanley G. Payne.
BN, the relatively high numbers of long guns in Sweden is not due to the Swedish reserves keeping their HK93s. They’re just a bonus although they’re probably a big overlap Venn diagram-wise.
There are changes happening in Sweden for “the better” but the question is now how quickly can they happen – and also if they’re in time.
Yeah, jdm
They can only ignore the ridiculous spike in rapes and assaults for so long. Swedes are deluded, not stupid.
BN, they’d still be ignoring the rapes and assaults today if the gang wars didn’t start involving areas where the Nice People (read Limousine Liberals) live. You know, like Stockholm’s Linden Hills or Gothenburg’s Mac-Groveland.
jdm, there is one Western country that has resisted African and Middle Eastern immigration, and faced widespread condemnation.
There is one other Western aligned country that supports such migration elsewhere, but has outright refused to accept any African or Middle East immigration, but not one word of protest has been heard.
Can you guess which countries these are?
Moderation of my latest post is making my head spin…whenever Berg releases it, y’all might understand why.
^ Ahh! Mitch didn’t say there would be quizzes in the comment section.
I know Hungary and Poland don’t accept MENA immigrants, but I otherwise don’t know the answers. I assume the “Western country” vs “Western aligned country” is a hint, but it’s too early to think that hard.
jdm, Google (or better yet, Duck Go) “anti-infiltration law”
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