Texpat forwarded this article approaching the subject of gun control from a different perspective than usual:
Bolsheviks and Nazis alike practiced collective punishment. The Reds would take hostages against “good behavior” of residents of a town and shoot them if any resistance was offered. Nazis would sometimes kill everyone in a town near which one of their troops perished. We look at such practices with abhorrence, though US and Allied bombings probably killed a few innocent bystanders of their own. As a culture, we don’t view collective punishments as acceptable…or do we?
When one insane man in the UK murdered a group of kids in 1987, hundreds of thousands were punished for his sins. British gun owners were deprived of their guns and not given a choice about it. That was collective punishment in its pure form, affecting only people who had no connection to the crime at all.
I particularly like the last paragraph. Hard hitting, but no less true:
And, in the end, our guns merely hold gun control pushers at bay. The victory over that unethical ideology will come from the cultural rejection of collective punishment. In my lifetime, Brady creatures and their ideological allies will be viewed with the same derision as the Ku Klux Klan.
I don’t know why the Rebecca Black (Friday, Friday….) youtube video WB linked to yesterday is fascinating me, 62 million views now and still going about 3 comments per second. Over 1 million dislikes and only 135,000 likes, why are they watching it?
For those who may not know, Nocona is located on the Red River where the Chisholm trail led for fording. The cowboys would all have their feet measured and a pencil outline drawn then continue on their journey north. When they returned with a pocket full of money from selling the herd, their boots were ready to be picked up.… Read more »
89 wagonburner says: March 28, 2011 at 8:08 pm Australia. The Nocona, Texas of the former British Empire. When I was a much younger man, I had a collection of Nocona Boot posters. I beleive there were six in the series and I had all of them dry mounted and framed up on the walls of my apartment. This one… Read more »
Hammie, you might check gun sales since the last presidential election. I believe just the opposite. No doubt there’s been a spike in gun sales from “The Barry Effect”. But I think a large part of that can be attributed to gun owners like you and me buying more guns. I think the general trend has been for more people… Read more »
Australia. The Nocona, Texas of the former British Empire.
Super Dave;
It could have been a TV the Burger King store bought a few years ago. From the televisions I’ve seen at Burger King, they are NOT $3,800 sets according to today’s set’s picture standards. Unless someone’s making a killer profit from the BK stores.
oletimer #15;
Is that Bill’s escape jet for when Hillary comes home?
fat albert #11;
Obviously into a brick wall.
#5;
Better than sucking them out at point blank range.
Left unsaid was why we NEED to go into Libya, yet we couldn’t even offer a word of support to the Iranians who were dying like the Libyans. Why Libya and not Syria? Like I said, its the Three Bears Policy. Syria doesn’t have any oil. Iran has too much. Libya is juuuuuust right. He can fight this until it… Read more »
74 mharper42 says: March 28, 2011 at 6:11 pm Sarge, with all the sensitivity and understanding you are showing for Islam, what do you have to say about the pi$$poor way almost all Muslim males treat the wimmins? Which Muslims? I’m not real happy with the way the Yearning for Zion folks treat their women, particularly the young ones. Hindu… Read more »
Okay folks. Here’s the deal.
Sarge has taken what he deems as reliable information (that an American shift towards towards universal hatred of–or prejudice against–Islam in general is deleterious to our men and women in the battlefield) and is running with it.
Has he embarked on a task of unbelievable dimension? You bet your ass he has.
Good luck.
I wondered how he would bring Bush into this.
blah blah blah
Iraq took eight years, thousands of lives, and lots of bux. We won’t repeat that.
Geez. Which one do I choose…
Left unsaid was why we NEED to go into Libya, yet we couldn’t even offer a word of support to the Iranians who were dying like the Libyans. Why Libya and not Syria?
blah blah blah
Coalition.
blah blah blah
Direct national interest.
blah blah blah
QadaffiKhadafiGhadafiKadhaffiBig Mo must go.blah blah blah
🙂
74 harp
Knowing him as I do, I take Sarge at his word that his concern is our men on the battlefield. Characterizing his recent forays into Muslim understanding as you do overstates that which he is doing, IMHO.
Im pretty certain he’s far from defending the general state female rights in Islamic culture.
Dammit Sarge this is getting complicated.
I wonder if “moderate” American Muslim leadership sits around asking themselves how they might have failed their legions of followers.
Sarge, with all the sensitivity and understanding you are showing for Islam, what do you have to say about the pi$$poor way almost all Muslim males treat the wimmins?
Another thing I’ll add.
There are people in this world who will fight battles with no where near the import of this one with a good deal more nastiness and zeal than what is actually at stake would require.
Sometimes the battle chooses you.
Some are worth fighting whatever the cost.
For me, the way I understand it and the information I’ve gotten, this is one of them.
A laudable goal. Choose your battles and tactics wisely.
Modify Delete
65 Shannon says: March 28, 2011 at 5:07 pm 63 That is kind of a weaselly response. Let me try again, and expand on my #68 at the same time. If you’re fighting a war, and waiting on the enemy to do something, you’re doing it wrong. If you’re fighting a war, and waiting on non-combatnats to do something, you’re… Read more »
Let’s see…
The Tea Party becomes a legimate force in 18 months.
Twenty-eight years after 220 Marines are murdered in Beirut, moderate American Muslims are still trying to figure out how to get their message out.
I do find it interesting that even in areas where Muslims do not live in fear of their life there is an almost total lack of condemnation of many of the most egregious terririst activities. My connection went south for a bit. If you look at that first piece, there’s an intepretation given that suggests methods of acheiving that goal,… Read more »
66wb
I guess that was an unfortunate, yet innocent, poor choice of wording.
Down boy.
Easy there fella.
63
That is kind of a weaselly response.
Shoot Sarge,
I’ll settle for a thousand FREE London Muslims in the street protesting against the actions of the jihadists. Or in France. Or any other damn country where they enjoy freedom of assembly.
58 Shannon says: March 28, 2011 at 4:38 pm Sarge I’ll settle for 50,000 Detroit Muslims marching in the street. That might make us feel better, but as mharper has said, those are the ones that left those regions and old habits and attitudes die hard. I doubt that 50,000 muslims marching in Detroit would have much affect on what… Read more »
#59 Hmmm… “uplifting.”
If I had more time, I could go places with that (figuratively and literally.)
#53 – Anyone wonder where America might be (or not at all) if our founding Fathers operated based on the fear that King George wanted them obedient & thoroughly taxed or dead? About where these folks are now if the British Government hadn’t been run by a Parliament and their armed forces possessed air power, automatic weapons, armor, and mechanized… Read more »
Sarge; Fascinating articles. I suspect that you are correct – Military sources are probably more reliable than civilian, especially in this area. One of the things I came away with is that Islam is quite factionalized and extremely diverse in its belief structure. And, you can probably derive any point of view you would like on any subject, just by… Read more »
You know, there’s just something really uplifting about a cute middle aged brunette gassing up her new canary yellow Camaro.
Sarge
I’ll settle for 50,000 Detroit Muslims marching in the street.
Yeah, I saw the spelling problem. I try to catch ’em.
For an administration that fights so hard against transparency, they sure are easy to see through.
#53 – Anyone wonder where America might be (or not at all) if our founding Fathers operated based on the fear that King George wanted them obedient & thoroughly taxed or dead?
#51 –
Octuple MEGADITTOS! (no charge for the spelling corrections mon Ami)
51 Shannon says: March 28, 2011 at 4:03 pm All that being said, the bottom line for me is Muslim dominated states are, in the main, dominated by radicals/jihadiists right now. And the radicals are in asendency elsewhere. A lack of a clear, consistent drumbeat of outrage from “the invisible moderates” (that is if they even exist) is unforgiveable and… Read more »
I wish y’all would quit talking about ice cream.
All that being said, the bottom line for me is Muslim dominated states are, in the main, dominated by radicals/jihadiists right now. And the radicals are in asendency elsewhere. A lack of a clear, consistent drumbeat of outrage from “the invisible moderates” (that is if they even exist) is unforgiveable and highly suspicious. And they will make ZERO headway in… Read more »
Never saw marshmallows in Bluebell’s Tin Roof. But I did in another brand. As you say, downright nasty.
48 Shannon says: March 28, 2011 at 3:25 pm 44 Sarge Thanks. Anecdotally, I have Marine friend who will brook no sweeping generalizations about Islam, and this even after losing some of his buddies when they fought in Fallujah. I have a stepson who served two tours in Iraq (both in Baghdad, one as Force Protection on convoys in the… Read more »
44 Sarge
Thanks. Anecdotally, I have Marine friend who will brook no sweeping generalizations about Islam, and this even after losing some of his buddies when they fought in Fallujah.
#45
It’s seasonal. Here’s a BB timetable:
http://www.bluebell.com/Templates/UI/FlavorFrame.aspx
The last time I had their Tin Roof, I think they were putting mini-marshmallows in it. That’s just wrong.
One of daughter’s pals dropped off a dozen small cupcakes earlier today. I had one for desert after lunch. It was delicious, but I should have known better after I took the first bite. The inside had a very slight green tint to it. I figured they were leftover from St. Patty’s day.
43wb
More importantly, why can’t I find Bluebell’s Tin Roof flavor on a regular basis?
39 Shannon says: March 28, 2011 at 1:48 pm 37 Sarge Okay. It’ll have to wait until I’m at home on the PC. Allow me to make a comment on sources. I hope folks will forgive me the habit of relying on military scholarship as it regards an assessment of Islam. I personally feel that the professional Soldiers, Sailors, Marines,… Read more »