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Ostracizing...
Highball
Member Posts: 15,755
Separating gun controllers from the company of decent folks.
I think this is a proper response to those insisting that gun control is a good thing..needed to keep a society in line.
Just my personal belief, of course.but allowing those people to continue to fraternize with REAL Second Amendment supporters dilutes the strength of our position. Anyone standing outside and looking in must wonder about the validity of our arguments when we welcome as brothers those espousing gun control..
Over on General, there are several posters that will throw up a thread and get many replies from various and sundry.and the original poster is known well to advance the argument that there is NO Constitutional Right to own a gun. I cannot find the forgiveness necessary to respond to ANY thread by one particular person.I chose to not associate with him.Same as I do in real life.
There used to be a rather steady poster from Alaska that stated that were a gun ban to take place.He would turn his OWN MOTHER into the authorities if she attempted to keep a gun..What vomit.
The REAL tragedy was..he made a trip down South.and broke bread with what had appeared to be a solid citizen of the board..that, friends, is a betrayal of what SHOULD be basic values.
The only contact with gun control freaks OUGHT to be attempting to sway them to the light..NOT socially yucking it up with them.
Those criticizing me will point out the need to get information out to Quislings and sell-outs..I will counter that with the point that being seen in the company of Quislings makes you seem to be condoning their behavior, in the eyes of the observer..therefore making what they say `alright'.
I don't expect this post to be popular.just food for thought.
I think this is a proper response to those insisting that gun control is a good thing..needed to keep a society in line.
Just my personal belief, of course.but allowing those people to continue to fraternize with REAL Second Amendment supporters dilutes the strength of our position. Anyone standing outside and looking in must wonder about the validity of our arguments when we welcome as brothers those espousing gun control..
Over on General, there are several posters that will throw up a thread and get many replies from various and sundry.and the original poster is known well to advance the argument that there is NO Constitutional Right to own a gun. I cannot find the forgiveness necessary to respond to ANY thread by one particular person.I chose to not associate with him.Same as I do in real life.
There used to be a rather steady poster from Alaska that stated that were a gun ban to take place.He would turn his OWN MOTHER into the authorities if she attempted to keep a gun..What vomit.
The REAL tragedy was..he made a trip down South.and broke bread with what had appeared to be a solid citizen of the board..that, friends, is a betrayal of what SHOULD be basic values.
The only contact with gun control freaks OUGHT to be attempting to sway them to the light..NOT socially yucking it up with them.
Those criticizing me will point out the need to get information out to Quislings and sell-outs..I will counter that with the point that being seen in the company of Quislings makes you seem to be condoning their behavior, in the eyes of the observer..therefore making what they say `alright'.
I don't expect this post to be popular.just food for thought.
Comments
To become the "Thought Police" would make us no better than "THEM". We have the Free will to either respond or ignore such posters. Unfortunately to be a true defender of the 2nd Amendment means to be a true defender of them all. Our only true recourse is to stick to our guns and demonstrate/practice that discipline.
Ostracizing people with opposing views will do about as much good as gun control does to eliminate crime. If they do post here, there may be some chance of un-indoctrinating them or at least getting them to consider reevaluation of their beliefs. You and I CANNOT change their minds. That's something only they can or will commit to do and only after exposure to opposing views. Where else do you think they'll be exposed to that????
And, consider all the people that just read these post without responding, I've never worried about what people think about me personally; but when I post here I am representing more than myself. MY posts are a reflection of a gun owner and someone in SUPPORT of the Constitutional Rights that are being attacked and systematically stripped away in piecemeal manner. Condoning/condemning others ideology won't score any points for the home team. It will only alienate them and harden their resolve that either they are right or I'm some kind of nut. Lose - Lose!!
God knows you've been here long enough to see converts. How many of them came out of the woodwork (the read only crowd) after seeing something here that they could identify with? On the flip side of that: How many have been lost to uncivilized bickering??
Love ya' brother, proud to have your back, but I think you're misguided here.
Just my humble opinion.
Separating gun controllers from the company of decent folks.
I think this is a proper response to those insisting that gun control is a good thing..needed to keep a society in line.
Just my personal belief, of course.but allowing those people to continue to fraternize with REAL Second Amendment supporters dilutes the strength of our position. Anyone standing outside and looking in must wonder about the validity of our arguments when we welcome as brothers those espousing gun control..
Over on General, there are several posters that will throw up a thread and get many replies from various and sundry.and the original poster is known well to advance the argument that there is NO Constitutional Right to own a gun. I cannot find the forgiveness necessary to respond to ANY thread by one particular person.I chose to not associate with him.Same as I do in real life.
There used to be a rather steady poster from Alaska that stated that were a gun ban to take place.He would turn his OWN MOTHER into the authorities if she attempted to keep a gun..What vomit.
The REAL tragedy was..he made a trip down South.and broke bread with what had appeared to be a solid citizen of the board..that, friends, is a betrayal of what SHOULD be basic values.
The only contact with gun control freaks OUGHT to be attempting to sway them to the light..NOT socially yucking it up with them.
Those criticizing me will point out the need to get information out to Quislings and sell-outs..I will counter that with the point that being seen in the company of Quislings makes you seem to be condoning their behavior, in the eyes of the observer..therefore making what they say `alright'.
I don't expect this post to be popular.just food for thought.
I look at it as making a choice on who you hang out with. I would choose to not hang with a drug user, child molester, one-worlder, socialist weenie, or other persons who I do not share views with. That does not mean that I am isolated to the world, merely that my associations are choices left to me by and large.
I would never suggest restricting anyones freedom to associate with anyone they choose to, but I think that these associations certainly could have the appearance of agreement in views and/or complicity with another's views or activities.
As I reflected on Highball's post, I realized that in life, I have done largely what he describes. I don't have a single friend who doesn't support Amendment II. That translates to the people who I "hang out" with or socialize with.
When it comes down to it, I have no respect for and actually have disdain for those who are not for the US Constitution as intended and written. In retrospect, this was not a conscious decision, but a natural process for me.
The final point made by Highball is an x-ring. Seemingly being chummy with, or fraternizing with, the quisling crowd does indeed appear to outsiders that the views must be acceptable. I think that is a natural by-product of such associations in the eyes of fence sitters, the general public or ignorant gun owners. This indeed could well be damaging to the concept of Amendment II in those persons eyes.
Rather dealing with those that persist in aiding and abetting the enemies of freedom, here.and I was not just talking about the `Net, either..but as noted by the good lt496, in everyday life.
Also..I do not put debating them in the same context..because there the onlooker can determine the stark difference between those desiring freedom.and those willing to allow the Beast free reign.
The basic idea I advance is that welcoming the anti-freedom crowd to your table places YOU squarely in a place I do not want to be..surrounded by people selling out the precious remnants of Liberty.
Lt496 has it to a tee.I have not associated with anti-gunners personally for many years.AFTER I decide that they cannot be brought to a state of understanding of exactly what they are selling out.
Over the course of time their positions may change.
Speaking for myself, I can say my convictions have strengthened considerably since I joined. In the eyes of some, I may now be too "extreme", in the eyes of others, I may be not be extreme enough.....but I do know this...If I had been ostracized from the get-go, none of that would have happened....I was fortunate to be engaged and made a part of the discussion.
As things get worse, my feeling is that more folks will come over to our side of the fence. If we ostracize people now, we'll only have succeeded in transforming a minority (us) into a smaller minority
Our strength will only increase.
They can be changed but it takes a long time and I don't have any patients as I get older. Lately, if they don't see things my way, I blow them off because I don't need them and I move on.
Never would I shut the door on a person as long as they were making progress...even baby steps..in the Rights direction.
The people I was pointing at are...say..people that have been in the police force for 30 years and convinced that people have no right to own firearms...the oh-so-smug lawyers and 'upper classes'...you are going to play hell changing THEIR minds...after all, coming from a trailer house you have no validity at all...
I believe that one actually has a chance to change minds when there hasn't been years of 'upper education' (Read..indoctrinated, brainwashed)..that people getting their information from the TV, yet struggling to make a living are far more likely to wonder why they have to beg government to buy a gun.
But, alas, those of us that cannot afford to live outside of society at large must often fraternize, and sometimes pander, to these types. Tipping our cards can by costly, our job, home, welfare, etc.
Don't mistake this co-existance, no matter how cordial, with complicity.
Well my friend, I guess there are several of us on the same page then. I am fortunate in the fact that I seldom cross paths with anyone admittedly anti-gun or pro-gun control. (The exception being correspondence with my elected representation.) The few times that has happened the debate was pretty one-sided. They can only espouse the political talking points of the anti's and the misinformation fed them by the MSM. My stomach churns when I see people willing sell their souls or trade the farm for a pound of government cheese. To trade their freedom for the opportunity to feed at the government trough of suppression for some ill-conceived sense of security!! All of which I may add was foreseen and addressed by the Founding Fathers way back when...
My accountant, whom has done the "heavy duty" stuff for my business for 17 years!
He has known that I am a gun owner, and that I carry, and always have a gun around. Tuesday I ran by his office to drop off some papers, and I realized that I had never invited him to go shooting at the range before. He just got through a divorce, and is kind of lost, right now, so I asked him if he wanted to go shooting one weekend soon.
I learned real quick, that I had read him wrong, all these years.
He said he didn't like to be around guns, and had no interest in going. Well, that is his right to choose what he likes, but being the "devil" that I am, I started asking questions.
I told him I never would have imagined he felt that way, and understood that if he didn't wish to shoot or own a gun, that was his right. I then asked him how he felt about me having so many guns, and having a CCW,..........and I had to tell him about my new AR-15 coming in.
What an eyeopener!! He said that it didn't bother him with me having them, but didn't understand why I needed so many, and why I wanted to carry one around all the time. I then got the "evil assault weapon" question too,........why do I need one of those?
He feels "assault weapons" should be banned, and doesn't agree with CCW licenses. Also we got into the 2nd. Amendment,........another that believes it relates to the state divisions of the National Guard.
I wasted about 30 minutes trying to explain where he was wrong,.....even if he chose to live the way he does, and told him I hoped that he never ran into an issue where he may feel differently.
His response on that was,.......if it is my time to go, then it will happen anyway.
I left feeling totally shocked by comments from someone that I have known a bit for that long. I don't plan on changing accountants, but will never think of him the same way again.[xx(]
One doesn't necessarily need to burn bridges right NOW...but remember that freely choosing to fraternize with the enemies of freedom is dehabilitating.
One other thing. Thinking about it now will put you in good stead down the line..when uttering the wrong word to the wrong person will land you in the Gulag.
Thee will come a time here in America when the mere suspicion of owning a gun will be grounds for that trip.and there will be LOTS of people willing to turn you over for another crust of bread.
I intend to become far less "outward" of my "possessions", to people that I truly do NOT know their feelings about the subject.
It is just shocking to me, what you can find out about how certain people feel.
I thought I was a good judge of character, but now I am beginning to think I am TOO open about things,i.e.,.....I get your point CLEARLY.