Sometime we are our own worst enemy...

[Finch]

So I'm perusing Gunbroker looking for ways to blow more money that I don't have, and I come across this: http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=80202199

Notice the description - "This is the latest in long distance hippie dispatch technology."

As if we don't have hard enough of a time as it is calming the waters about not only .50's but all firearms in general. I see stuff like this all the time. Sometime I think that we do more damage to our cause than most anti's.

 

[MrTuffPaws]

Some times? Try most of the time. People like Ted Nugent don't help IMO.

One of the reasons why I like THR is that the mods keep the ultra right wing loons to a minimum.

 

[Standing Wolf]

As if we don't have hard enough of a time as it is calming the waters about not only .50's but all firearms in general. I see stuff like this all the time. Sometime I think that we do more damage to our cause than most anti's.

No matter what we say or do, don't say or don't do, the leftist extremists are going to hate both us and the very idea commoners can have guns. Trying to placate them is like trying to reason with rabid skunks.

 

[oldgold]

Gotta agree with Standing Wolf.

Tiptoeing around these leftists and trying to be "politically correct" is What they want. First step to being a sheep is to start acting like one.

It's not 'gun control'; it's ' people control.'

 

[woof]

I agree with the OP completely. And when I see long threads going on and on about how we have the right to walk down the street with RPGs, I wonder how much the crackpots are being kept under control. That kind of stuff is ideal poster material for the antis.

 

[tinygnat219]

MrTuffPaws,

Gotta disagree here. People like Ted Nugent help fortify and energize the all too apathetic base of firearms owners. While I agree that "hippie-dispatching" is a bit strong and I wouldn't use it personally, I think the message is good.

 

[Whatsit]

The abundance of "what gun for the living dead" and various other zombie threads don't lend much credibility when viewed from the outside, either. People take it as evidence of mental instability and / or being out of touch with reality.

 

[mike101]

Well, I doubt the anti's visit Gunbroker much, but I see your point. Actually, they're more likely to discover that ad here, as I have caught them spying on us, on Huffpo and the Brady Blog.

 

[jeepmor]

Cretins are everywhere, there is no exception due to political slant one way or the other.

Ted has always been Ted, it's who he is. He doesn't pander, I respect that. Sure, he froths at the mouth once in a while, so be it, passion is what it is.

Leave political correctness to the politicians. Myself, I like that fire in people's bellies as long as they can attack the issue, not the person. Therein, lies the rub most the time.

 

[woof]

"The abundance of "what gun for the living dead" and various other zombie threads don't lend much credibility when viewed from the outside, either. People take it as evidence of mental instability and / or being out of touch with reality."

Which in fact, it is.

 

[Fisherman_48768]

Ted Nugent is our sides version of George Soros.

 

[woof]

Who did Ten Nugent give 10 million to? Besides, George Soros pretty much keeps his head down and his mouth shut. I would say Ted Nugent is more like Howard Dean - the more he talks the more he helps the other side.

 

[Baba Louie]

Whereas a lot of RKBA proponents have a sense of humor that some (most?) or our opponents would proclaim "sick", the same opponents claim that the very desire to KBA is less than desirable. You know, and I know that "long distance hippie dispatch" technology is really... a shower, shampoo, haircut, shave and deoderant

It was a joke people. I feel confident enough to joke about the "hippie" thing, even tho' back in the 70's when I was a collegiate type, my hair was long(ish) and I questioned authority and even hung out with some smelly long hairs who hated "war" and "Nixon" or something. Their dorm rooms always smelled like burning rope too.

"We" are not all one and the same. "We" are simply self reliant when it comes to our personal self defense. "We" make jokes. "We" screw up. "We" compromise. "We" may have long hair or short hair. "We" may be red-necked and beer bellied or "We" may be marathon runners.

But do keep your sense of humor in this dry comedy we call life. It helps when you've got the Feinsteins, Schumers, McCarthy's and Kennedy's to face. Not to mention any Presidential Campaign.

 

[lance22]

Ever visit gun guys dot com? Are they worried about hurting the feelings of gun owners? When the Brady Campaign runs ads in Florida calling their castle doctrine law the "Shoot First" law - are they filled with remorse that their ads are inflammatory?

I turn on the tube and see gun owners ridiculed on a daily basis. I send my kids to college for 30k a year and they come back telling me what their professors are saying in class about people like us. Are they playing softball?

But here on this forum we remove posts that say bad but true things about [name of anti gun illuminary here] because they might make an anti-gun person feel uncomfortable or it might discourage true discourse.

In some ways this is good ... but in some ways I feel like we are gag-ordering ourselves for no apparent reason.

 

[Sharps-shooter]

No matter what we say or do, don't say or don't do, the leftist extremists are going to hate both us and the very idea commoners can have guns. Trying to placate them is like trying to reason with rabid skunks.

I don't think so. That has not been my experience at all, in fact.

For one thing, I know some leftist extremists who have guns. They like them for pretty much the same reasons we all like them.

Secondly, people are people, regardles of their politics. Some people might be terrified to hold a gun, or even to look at one, but if trouble arises they're going to call for someone with a gun. This is the big secret-- Almost no one is anti-gun. They just have different ideas about different types of gun owners, and why someone would want to have a gun.

If you talk to someone in very abstract terms about how the world should be, they might think fewer guns in the hands of "commoners", as you say, would be better. But if you talk to them on a personal level, like saying "I own a gun, because I want to keep my self and my family safe", They're mor elikely to understand. I've found very few people who will argue much against that. If they do, it's to say that you might end up getting hurt by the gun, and the appropriate response there is to talk aout how not to become a statistic, and how we all take risks in life to make our lives better.

 

[Animal Mother]

I would say Ted Nugent is more like Howard Dean - the more he talks the more he helps the other side.

Howard Dean is more like Ted Nugent in that they are both pro gun -- when it comes to the issue they are both on our side.

I also cringe a little when I see or hear somebody advocating violence against those that are opposed to us, but at the same time it always makes me smile to see some politically incorrect T-shirt or bumper sticker that attacks our opponents hypocrisy, ideals, or intelligence. I think that if we can still say things that hurt other people’s widdle feelings it means we haven't totally lost our first amendment rights just yet.

 

[woof]

lance22, You misunderstand. No-one I know is advocating playing softball. Quite the contrary. This issue will not be settled by those with strong feelings on either side. it will be decided by the mass in the middle who look at it superficially and decide based on "impressions." I've talked to lots of people who are basically pro RKBA (based on what they think that means). But when they hear about and see assault rifles and all kinds of military looking stuff in the hands of people who look to them like punks, then they change their minds. If I were of a mind to I could go to any number of ranges and find some of these punks waving their ARs around and acting like fools. I could say - hey dudes... how about posing for some pics with your tacticool gear? They would love it and in that minute an extremely effective anti poster image could be born.

 

[lance22]

woof - I guess maybe we have two threads going here. One - as you pointed out 'the behavior of idiots' and the other having to do with where we draw a line in self-censorship.

The problem with idiots is they don't self-censor so we'll keep seeing those you tube vids of 19 year olds waving their rifles while acting 'all gangsta'. Nothing we say or do on this forum is going to touch that.

Then we have the self-censorship of reasonable discourse. Like yourself I'm in favor of drawing lines but I think we draw them at different places. I think it was Jean Jaque Rousseau who said "I hate what you say but I defend your right to say it". We should avoid inflammatory rhetoric but we also need to leave room for humor (aka zombie threads) and sharp wit (what some may think of as sarcasm).

We at our worst are not as inflammatory as gunguys dot com on thier least offensive day - so I think all in alll we keep our behavior at an acceptable level already. Just my .02 and we all won't agree on it. I don't own any forum so I try to play be the rules set forth by the owner and admins. Your house your rules

 

[Walkalong]

"This is the latest in long distance hippie dispatch technology"

Do you think this really helps the pro gun cause. No need to piss people off. Come on. Thanks. AC

This is what I sent him through the "ask sellor a question" option.

 

[sm]

Notice the description - "This is the latest in long distance hippie dispatch technology."

My first reaction is "how damn funny!".

I was born in '55, graduated HS in '73.
Sex, drugs, Rock-n-Roll, 'Nam, Kent State, Woodstock, Gals burning bras and guys burning draft cards.

Black Panthers calling Police "Pigs" and I an everyone else was a "Hippie" by default simply because of our ages and times.


I am not offended, I am more centered and assured of myself.

These "references" may not be a Positive Reflection on gun owners - the fact is, this is Reality.

References by Persons of any Affiliation have always done this, and will continue to do so.

All through history , folks on both sides of the law referenced guns for "Rustlers" , "Horse Thieves" "Indians", "White Man" , "Mob" , "Revenuers", "*******" , "Honkeys", "Spics", "Wetbacks" ,"Pigs", "Fuzz", "The Man", "Black Panthers"...

More Recent times: "JBTs"," Meth-Heads", "Dopers", "Poodles" , "Dogs" , Zombies".

This is 2007, we cannot change the past, and we cannot do anything about tomorrow.
If one has one foot on yesterday and one on tomorrow, they are pissing on today.

Police one's self first. Lead by example.
The more folks take care of themselves first, the less time they waste on people, places and things - they cannot change- and the more effective they are by Attracting new folks that want what they have.


Excuse me, I got use a "Tomato" knife *gasp*
Yeah, I am going to slice and dice a tomato, and let the juices flow!

 

[Rudy Kohn]

I get the feeling that if I were to talk to this guy (the seller) in person, I would have to ask:

"What's wrong with your face?"

and he would reply:

"That's my tongue. In my cheek."

Come on, guys. It's not like this guy is selling "hippie"-shaped targets and information about "hippie" gatherings. I looked at a bunch of his listings. The "hippie" theme is not repeated. The proper response is . It's an old joke, and not even a very good one, but...

Even if somebody were to stumble onto this two-week listing and raise a stink about it, the proper response, not only of us, but also of rational people with senses of humor, is still .

Seriously, how would someone pitch this as an anti-message? "See! He says 'hippie dispatch!' He's going to kill hippies!" Would any reasonable person, hearing that, really believe it?

Now, if somebody seriously suggested that the purpose of firearm ownership was to "kill hippies," that would be bad. But to get worked up over somebody making a joke on an obscure listing on a site not generally used as a source of material for political discourse is, I think, a bit too much. I think it's possible to hurt ourselves by taking ourselves too seriously.

I dunno. Those are just my thoughts.

 

[sm]

Ebps

Evil Black Poodle Shooter.

Let us see a show of hands of those that have said this.

How many have actually gone out with the explicit idea in mind to shoot poodle dogs?


It is always funny, until someone gets hurt. - anon

 

[Nolo]

I personally think that political correctness is a bunch of crap. Having said that, there is an enormous benefit to being polite and well-spoken. Yes, we'll never convince the die-hard antis, but that's not who we're aiming for. We're aiming for the people in the middle. You have to take the middle ground to capture the enemy fort, y'know? Do I think that "hippie-killing technology" is good form? No. Do I think it did any harm? No. Do I think it's funny as Hell? Yeah.

 

[cnorman18]

Humor is vital

One of the great advantages we have in this fight is our sense of humor. The left, generally speaking, doesn't have one--especially the anti-gunners. Much of what passes for humor on the left is nothing more than mean-spirited viciousness (e.g. Al Franken). If any of those loons on AirAmerica had actually been funny or entertaining, they wouldn't have gone belly-up. A sneer isn't the same as a laugh (GunGuys.com, for example).

The ONLY instance of anti-gun humor I've ever seen that was actually funny was a bumper sticker: it showed a cartoon of a serious-looking bear wearing a hunter's cap and holding a rifle, and it said, "I support the right to arm bears." I hated the message, but have to admit I laughed out loud.

If more of the antis learn how to do that, it wouldn't be good. Fortunately, they probably won't.

I love it when they don't get the jokes. In some ways, THEY are the "zombies"--zombies never laugh, either; they just keep stumbling ahead, not thinking, mindlessly intent on their prey--which is usually better-armed than they expected...

Hmmm. Anti-gunners as zombies... Kind of works, doesn't it?

 

[ROMAK IV]

Lighten Up!!! The Bradys lie like crazy about gun owners all the time and characterize us in the worst way. Then they pretend to be all offended when the NRA makes a list of people that trash the RKBA, calling it a "Blacklist"!!! [/evil music] So what do we do? We attack each other! I love listening to Gell Beck, but Glenn seems to do this all the time. When he was still in Philly, he realted about a couple in the gun store at the same time he was, that he "feared" that they would buy a gun because they seemed, "mildly retarded". Who is Glem, Beck to decide who isn't entitiled to buy a gun? A week or so ago, he trashed Ted Nugent for his video from a concert where Ted chided Hillary to take his AR-15, just in more colorful language. Already here we have had references to "crackpots" and "ultraright exremeists". The antigun left has always managed to control the definitions in our society, and they already define us as "nuts" at best and "having blood on our hands" at worst. And in reality, Howard Dean isn't on our side. When he was running for president, he supported the states rights and the federal renwal of the AWB at the same time. So I would say, no matter what his personal feelings were, his statements mirrored the misleading statements about the RKBA from the Democratic Party. I am careful to distinguish antigun liberals from progun liberals, and I wouldn't want to offend you unless you engage in the same rhetoric as the antigun liberals. Got a topic shut down at another forum. I was discussing gun control and used Barack Obama's middle name, "Hussein". Another individual accuesd me of being anti-black and anti.-moslem, both being ridiculous. He also took a shot at the forum, claiming it was extremist right wing. I pointed out that Barack has a long voting history and is without a doubt, extremely antigun, and would work to ban the same guns that the liberal owned. Barack is also Christian and attends a Christian church of some sort, AND of course, his middle name IS hussein! So please people! We have enough of a time being demonized by, not all liberals, but definately by liberal leadersip, and we don't need to be doing it ourselves.