Joe Doakes from Como Park emails:
We need a new word to describe an establishment conservative, someone who claims to be conservative but is always willing to stab in the back any truly conservative movement (the Tea Party) or candidate (Trump.) StabCon, as in, “Geez, Romney is such a StabCon.”
It is well established that the Constitutional right of habeas corpus can be suspended in times of rebellion, insurrection and war. We’ve spent the last year learning that any governor can suspend the Constitutional rights of religion, assembly, and private property by declaring an emergency, no questions asked. Nevada is now the cutting edge. Bureaucrats describe unapproved statements as a ‘public health crisis’ so the Constitution no longer protects dissenting speech. And, of course, the CDC wants guns declared a ‘public health crisis‘ so the Constitution no longer protects the right to keep and bear arms.
Pretty much the only thing that is Not a public health crisis is my blood pressure going up when I see my tax bill rising, year after year. That’s perfectly okay.
Trouble Down Under. You can tell it’s a mob of vicious Neo-Nazis by the woman walking her dog. All Neo-Nazis bring their dogs to the rally. Those police are safe when firing on unarmed civilians protesting government regulations because Australians have no guns to fire back. Pro tip: do not try this at home.
Joe Doakes
It is time we had this discussion:
PREFACE I stipulate from the beginning that the purpose of the Second Amendment is to protect the rights of citizens from tyranny.
Glad we have it.
If we lose it we are screwed.
No argument there.
BUT I am damned glad no one had a firearm or shot back at the police. The optics of police or national guard shooting at unarmed citizens is power enough.
Think Bull Connor.
Think Kent State.
All it would take is one gun at the Selma Bridge or Kent State and the optics would have been flipped.
Thoreau, Tolstoy, and Gandhi figured that out a century ago. The left figured that out too. Mass demonstrations, including grandma pushing baby carriages are their most powerful tactic.
Way too often, conservatives knee-jerk into day dreaming about armed resistance way before it is called for.
When you can put 500,000 people on the streets of Saint Paul – and they are fired upon THAT is when you can start talking armed resistance.
Until then cheer every time the cops use rubber bullets on peaceful, dog-walking protesters. It is the gift of optics that keeps on giving.
Here is how to work the optics on a story like this.
First of all, no one gives a rat’s ass about covid protesters, but people do care about dogs…..passionately.
Sooo….
The best weapon of rebellion is the bodies of the rebels (and maybe the schematic plans of the Death Star). It takes a long time, though. The Prague Spring attempt to relax Soviet totalitarianism in Czechoslovakia was put down by tanks. By 1989 the Velvet Revolution drove the Soviets and their puppet government out of the country with nary a shot fired. The first day there were 2000 people in Wenceslas Square; they received the typical beatings that accompanied previous uprisings. The next day, though, there were 10,000 in the Square. There were 500,000 when the authorities decided to “beat feet” instead of trying to crack heads and withdrew. I take a small comfort in knowing that the children of the young people protesting today in support of subjugation will be on the front lines demanding freedom (and suffering the repercussions and concussions).
I’m also reminded of Gen. Charles Gordon who played a desperate game of geo-political chicken with the Mahdi and his own Prime Minister, Gladstone, in the siege and all of Khartoum. “Every man has a final weapon: his own life. If he’s afraid to lose it he throws the weapon away.”
Frankly, if I see a protester with a gun at a protest, my assumption is he is a plant or government agent inserted as a provocateur.
C’mon… the people who are actually to be feared as deadly threats by the Establishment (anywhere) are *not* going to be at demonstrations – well, except maybe Umbrella Man.
Think of the opening chapter in Vince Flynn’s first book: What if America’s leaders were held accountable for their broken promises — and made to pay for their corruption? A far more likely scenario.