The greatest fear of a genuine conservative is government inflicting too much power on society. The greatest fear of a genuine liberal is that government lacks the size and power to govern society.
Hold those thoughts. We’ll come back to them.
———-
There are a lot of reasons to distrust government. The least of them is that nothing guarantees it will ever be able to help you when you need it.
It’s happened. Katrina, of course, was a debacle. Before that? It took only a videotaped beating and an unpopular “innocent” verdict to turn one of our major cities into a war zone – one from which government withdrew, leaving the citizens to the mercy of the mob and to their own devices.
And the most inspiring scene from that entire miserable episode was that of Korean shop owners, armed with their own rifles and shotguns, patrolling their storefronts and rooflines, bringing order to anarchy. As stores burned all around them, they and their property remained safe – because when government couldn’t safeguard them, they did it for themselves.
I saw that, and I damn near cried. It was beautiful – the silhouette of an American citizen with a rifle, doing what big, stupid government can’t, drawing the metaphorical line in the sand and saying “You, evil, shall not pass”, and facing down the mob, and on their little corner or in front of their little store, winning.
They were the militia.
Not the idiot nutslaps in Michigan who are serving as the media and left’s current boogeymen on the subject.
Indeed, we all are. That’s the law. The Second Amendment says so – boiled down to 21st century parlance, it says “since freedom needs to be defended, the people shall have the right to own guns, and use them”. Heller declared that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms” means “you and me, the law-abiding citizens”. God willing, McDonald will say “and it means the same thing in ever corner, nook and cranny of the union”. It is the duty of every law-abiding citizen who pays more than lip service to liberty to own a gun and be proficient with it.
Now, go back to that first section. The great difference between liberals and conservatives is the question “who’s in charge”.
Last year during the Tea Parties, much of the media and about half the nation got the victorian vapours over a few reports that Tea Partiers had brought firearms to the rallies. And it was instructive to see peoples’ reactions to the news that nobody got arrested, because in the jurisdictions involved, it was perfectly legal.
About half the country rolled their heads in horror; “what if someone had shot somebody?” Some even suggested that the possibility that one of these law-abiding armed citizens would step out of line was cause to restict the Second Amendment.
The other half went “Well, duh!”. They know that the law-abiding citizen is a law-abiding citizen, whether he’s carrying a wrist rocket or an M14 or a flamethrower for that matter. Our rights, they know, front and center in the heart of their soul, are not dependent on what our dumbest neighbors might do!.
To the liberal, a citizen who believes society is a free association of equals who consent to be governed, and who believe that consent must be earned, and who arms himself to reinforce the point, is threatening; “who governs him?”, the liberal asks. The conservative responds “Unless I’ve actually broken a law? I do!”. That defies the liberal’s vision for what “society” is.
Tough.
The guvmint must earn my consent to be governed, therefore imma gonna stand outside here at this Tea Party thing sporting an assault rifle ‘cuz you’re not the boss of me, I’m the boss of my own self and my gun, the end. WOLVERINES!!!
April 15 everyone, bring guns. Lots of them. Please.
Well, yeah. The government MUST earn the citizens consent to be governed. You feel differently about that? And I’m sure projecting your strawman onto the tea party helps when you refute them, but other than that what purpose does it serve? I really do not understand this “oh no, Republican in the white house, take to the streets, fascists everywhere!!!!! Followed by “yay, Democrat in the white house, lock up all those insane rednecks who disagree with his policies!!!!!” Is it just you really don’t mind a repressive government as long as its your side doing it?
The guvmint must earn my consent to be governed, therefore imma gonna stand outside here at this Tea Party thing sporting an assault rifle ‘cuz you’re not the boss of me, I’m the boss of my own self and my gun, the end. WOLVERINES!!!
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.
Tim in StP, tell me where that is from?
You laugh now, Timmy, but you’ll wish you had an “assault rifle” when they release the Kraken.
Tim is one of those people who think that rights come from government. Apparently he doesn’t feel he can be trusted to be “the boss of my own self”.
I pity him.
The guvmint must earn my consent to be governed, therefore imma gonna stand outside here at this Tea Party thing sporting an assault rifle ‘cuz you’re not the boss of me, I’m the boss of my own self and my gun, the end.
You make that sound like a bad thing.
Otherwise? What Ben said.
Queue up for your feeding, little fella.
April 15 everyone, bring guns. Lots of them. Please.
Do you know what the actual law is?
(Of course you don’t).
I thought we’d all agreed it was “gummint”, not “guvmint”.
He’s from Buhcelona.
Your`re right, Fawlty.
“Tim is one of those people who think that rights come from government.”
Kermit nails it.
What do the Tics think of the Constitution:
http://stark-raving-sane-dont-go-in.blogspot.com/2010/04/democrats-dont-care-if-they-shred.html
“I Don’t Care About the Constitution” – US Rep. Phil Hare (D-IL)
I applaud his honesty at least.
Thinking about the worst . . .
Think about Beatus Barak (he’s not a saint yet, hasn’t achieved the required 3 miracles – he’s only got the Nobel Peace Prize and managed to Socialize the auto, banking, health care and student loan industies; cap-and-trade still eludes him). Suppose he manages to convince the Democrats in Congress to pass a law confiscating all guns.
Sure, it’s unconstitutional. And in about 5 years, when the case works its way up to the top, we’ll be proven right. Meantime, the goons will go door-to-door and the smelters will work day and night.
So we’re going to need hide-out guns that use ammo nobody can purchase but we can steal from the only people still allowed to have guns – the police and military.
Just bought a Hi-Point 9mm this weekend. $135 new in the box. Seriously, it’s a nice shooter and all American-made. I know, any gun that cheap must be a POS, right? Not so – I blew $50 worth of shells at Bills Gun Range in Circle Pines this weekend. Okay, it’s not a Browning Hi-Power, but then, it’s only 1/10 the price.
Trust me. Get one. Bury it in your backyard along with few boxes of ammo. You’ll be glad you did when Tim and his crew take over.
Actually, liberalism is deeply rooted in narcissism. Obama just happens to be a liberal that has a flashing neon orange sign saying “narcissist” on his forehead.
Keep in mind that most liberals don’t allow others to see that extreme side.
But the certainty in their minds that they cannot be wrong on any point, is exactly what it’s about. The preoccupation with feelings over facts. The hypocrisy that narcissism is, is plain to see by normal, sane people. But is a justification and self-supporting pillar of fact to the liberal.
They truly cannot understand how anyone can oppose their viewpoint and have even the remotest possibility of being correct. After all, they are the most important thing in the universe and their ideas fall within that scope. Impossible to be wrong in their minds.
It is obvious in their manners today. When a liberal politician is shown they’re wrong in any fact, they can never admit they were wrong. It will always be someone else’s fault. It is the fault of the “system”, which needs more oversight. It is the fault of whoever brought attention to the fact they’re wrong. (Seeing a LOT of this lately).
The recent video of Congressman Hare is a perfect example of that. He couldn’t be wrong, it was the videographer’s fault somehow. Even though the clear evidence shows the full context of the exchange, he must say it was out of context. He cannot just say he misspoke. He cannot admit he was wrong in any way whatsoever. It was the questioner’s fault and it was “society’s” fault.
Even his initial reaction was narcissism in full display. He began a histrionic answer to justify his position. When someone pointed that out to him, he shrugged it off and continued to use histrionics (people are dying!) to justify his position.
Until liberalism is understood to be a symptom of the narcissistic disorder, the average independent voter will think it’s based on “good intentions” or at worse “naive idealism”. That is what allows liberalism to continue. The ignorance of understanding what it truly is.
We now live in an extremely narcissistic age (update Twitter, Facebook status, etc. every 20 minutes because they’re so important everyone needs to know what they’re doing). Conservatives and Libertarians need to be extra vigilant during these times and know how to deal with a narcissist when discussing policy issues.
1. Ignore them. You cannot change a narcissist. Won’t happen. Ever.
2. If you fear others may be susceptible to being misled, state the true facts, don’t engage the narcissist on a personal level. Personal attacks feed the narcissist. (After all, it puts the focus on them, which is where they want it)
3. Don’t feel guilty. Narcissists will suck you dry and still not be happy. Don’t allow statements regarding “social justice” to concern you. “Social justice” only exists in the narcissist mind as a means to justify their (personal) end. Make no mistake, even while claiming to stand for others, their personal needs are what’s at the forefront of their mind. Their grandiose sense of self-importance (They’re going to save the world with their ideas) are all centered on fulfilling something for THEM.
4. Ignore them. Again.
Anyone who doubts my thoughts on this can easily go look up anything they want regarding narcissism. It will describe liberals to a “T”. It is a disorder and needs to be treated as such.
to nate,
“So we’re going to need hide-out guns that use ammo nobody can purchase but we can steal from the only people still allowed to have guns – the police and military.”
I agree that things seem to be coming to a head, but WHOA! Have you listened to yourself? Friend, brother, countryman, settle down. Breath in, breath out…
I won’t say, “It Can’t Happen Here”, but it seems only a very remote possibility. Even if it did, 1st of all, I’m confident a vibrant black market for arms & ammo would come into into existance overnight. 2nd, have you ever heard of ‘reloading’? 3rd, don’t tell people to bury a gun in the backyard. That’s a good way to ruin a perfectly good firearm. 4th, owning the gun(s) is not enough. People must sight it in and know how to use it well AND be willing to use it to defend liberty.
… and finally “You’ll be glad you did when Tim and his crew take over.”
WTF? Who / what are you talking about?
Thanks for reading my post, Harry.
Yes, I do know a little about reloading. If you’re suggesting we could reload rather than buy or steal ammo after the Barak Ban takes effect, the weak point in your chain of logic is primers. Ban private ownership and retail sale of primers and reloading is dead. Sure, you can steal them from the Federal Ammo factory or buy them on the black market from somebody who did – but you can’t reload unless you’ve stocked up pre-ban. And if you’re going to stockpile, you might as well stockpile commercially loaded ammo. As I recommended.
As for “can’t happen here,” that’s an example of the Black Swan fallacy. Gun confiscation hasn’t happened; therefore it can’t happen. Except it has. Repeatedly. Look it up. The most recent example is in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when law enforcement went door-to-door confiscating guns, leaving homeowners vulnerable to looters. See: The New York Times article dated September 9, 2005.
“Tim” refers to “Tim in St. Paul” who posted the lead comment on this thread. He thinks he’s funny. It’s not Wolverines I’m concerned about. It’s Crips. After the Barak Ban, they’ll be just as heavily armed as they are now but Tim’s family will be defenseless AND THE CRIPS WILL KNOW IT. Mine – not so much. Nasty surprise for somebody.
But hey – I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about. After all, I live in St. Paul, where everything unpleasant or distasteful is prohibited by law. What could go possibly wrong?
.
Timmy in St. Paul who thinks that our rights are a gift from the Nanny State that can change at any time.
What is scary about Tim is that he is the average liberal. Kinda like Ed Schultz who compared us tea party members to Tim McVeigh and showing his solid grasp on reality. Keep talking Ed, your a gift that just keeps on giving 🙂