Dave McCracken
May 26, 2003, 09:41 AM
There's a wall of black stone about 30 miles from here in DC,inscribed with 58,000 names.I can put faces to a few of the names, and feel kinship to all. But for the Grace of God, or blind chance, mine would be there also.Take your pick.
I've been to the Wall three times, and will not go again. Takes a lot out of me, and there's no closure, just catharsis.
Possibly this applies to you. Nam was the common denominator of my generation. Whether for or against that war,whether we were there or far away, it was the watermark of our history. And, of many of our lives.
Alas,combat seems to be more the norm than peace in the world. Right now, there's maybe 80 wars on, including ours vs the Jihadin. Most are unheard of outside the region, small in stature, and few memorials will result.
And that irrefutable fact of combat being the norm indicates just how blessed we are here.
Most governments,most of the time,are oppressive.Some more than others.However lofty the language of their politicians and constitutions, most governments exist as legalized gangstery. Doubt the former? Step outside the US to most any other place on earth and publicly denounce the government of wherever you are. See how long you get to do so. Here, major political offices can change hands, and parties, without tanks rumbling through the Capitol's streets.
And oppression's happened here. Ask any Native American, any Black American old enough to remember Freedom Rides, or any Japanese American old enough to remember the internment camps of 1941-45.
But, by and large,the worst American demagogues and self nominated rulers have been limited in power by a few factors.
First, our system is set up to do exactly that. The Tripartite government system makes it hard for a complete seizure of power by any group. Juntas haven't happened here, and probably never will.
Second,the American committment to information means we've better data to act on. Most governments, most of the time, let what they think is appropriate be broadcast.The US is one of the few powers without a Ministry of Information. The basic weapons of Liberty include the printing press.
And third,Americans have traditionally had the means to resist aggression from without and tyranny from within.
The fifth largest armed group in the world meets in the Pennsylvania woods after Thanksgiving each year for the opener of deer season.
That 870 in the closet may never have killed anything but birds and little clay discs,but it serves as a check to tyranny, aggression and oppression.
That cheap handgun in the drawer may not be very accurate or effective, but it might be all a poor family can afford.
That Barrett Light 50 you see at the range may not have much "Legitimate Sporting Use", but it's fun for those that shoot it. And any legislation banning same can be construed to ban other large bore weapons,like shotguns. And expensive, hard kicking 40 lb guns are not weapons of choice for street gangs.
And those shotgunners who regard the "Assault Weapons" dreck as not affecting them have the same mindset as some German Jews in 1930. "It cannot happen here".
Yes, it can, and yes, it will, IF WE FORGET THE LESSONS OF HISTORY.
History never repeats itself. People do.
Armed people are citizens.
Unarmed people are subjects.
Disarmed people are slaves.
So let's all get off our collective keisters. Let our elected officials know that we regard any assault on the 2nd Amendment as an assault on us.
It is.
If you're not communicating to your elected officials that you own and operate firearms, VOTE, and believe that armed, law abiding citizens are the best public safety tool available, you're part of the problem, and not part of the solution.
And on this Memorial Day, let us keep faith with those who sleep in the dust, and not sell our birthright bought with blood for a mess of pottage....
I've been to the Wall three times, and will not go again. Takes a lot out of me, and there's no closure, just catharsis.
Possibly this applies to you. Nam was the common denominator of my generation. Whether for or against that war,whether we were there or far away, it was the watermark of our history. And, of many of our lives.
Alas,combat seems to be more the norm than peace in the world. Right now, there's maybe 80 wars on, including ours vs the Jihadin. Most are unheard of outside the region, small in stature, and few memorials will result.
And that irrefutable fact of combat being the norm indicates just how blessed we are here.
Most governments,most of the time,are oppressive.Some more than others.However lofty the language of their politicians and constitutions, most governments exist as legalized gangstery. Doubt the former? Step outside the US to most any other place on earth and publicly denounce the government of wherever you are. See how long you get to do so. Here, major political offices can change hands, and parties, without tanks rumbling through the Capitol's streets.
And oppression's happened here. Ask any Native American, any Black American old enough to remember Freedom Rides, or any Japanese American old enough to remember the internment camps of 1941-45.
But, by and large,the worst American demagogues and self nominated rulers have been limited in power by a few factors.
First, our system is set up to do exactly that. The Tripartite government system makes it hard for a complete seizure of power by any group. Juntas haven't happened here, and probably never will.
Second,the American committment to information means we've better data to act on. Most governments, most of the time, let what they think is appropriate be broadcast.The US is one of the few powers without a Ministry of Information. The basic weapons of Liberty include the printing press.
And third,Americans have traditionally had the means to resist aggression from without and tyranny from within.
The fifth largest armed group in the world meets in the Pennsylvania woods after Thanksgiving each year for the opener of deer season.
That 870 in the closet may never have killed anything but birds and little clay discs,but it serves as a check to tyranny, aggression and oppression.
That cheap handgun in the drawer may not be very accurate or effective, but it might be all a poor family can afford.
That Barrett Light 50 you see at the range may not have much "Legitimate Sporting Use", but it's fun for those that shoot it. And any legislation banning same can be construed to ban other large bore weapons,like shotguns. And expensive, hard kicking 40 lb guns are not weapons of choice for street gangs.
And those shotgunners who regard the "Assault Weapons" dreck as not affecting them have the same mindset as some German Jews in 1930. "It cannot happen here".
Yes, it can, and yes, it will, IF WE FORGET THE LESSONS OF HISTORY.
History never repeats itself. People do.
Armed people are citizens.
Unarmed people are subjects.
Disarmed people are slaves.
So let's all get off our collective keisters. Let our elected officials know that we regard any assault on the 2nd Amendment as an assault on us.
It is.
If you're not communicating to your elected officials that you own and operate firearms, VOTE, and believe that armed, law abiding citizens are the best public safety tool available, you're part of the problem, and not part of the solution.
And on this Memorial Day, let us keep faith with those who sleep in the dust, and not sell our birthright bought with blood for a mess of pottage....