Lying Damn Anti-Gunners

Beyond a thief, beyond a drug dealer, even beyond some useless person sitting in authority, I loathe, hate, and despise a liar. My displeasure is quadrupled when said liar presents his deception under they guise as news knowing it will influence weaker-minded people to his political base. Oh, I know, everybody lies. I’m talking about people who so twist the truth, so manipulate the data, and perform all sorts of word-smith surgeries upon the facts that what they present is a shameful travesty perpetrated upon the reader.

I was recently surfing about looking initially for some pro-gun cartoons. I always like to have a few on hand just to remind myself that not every artist, actor, or entertainer is a pinko-commie-gun-grabbing-nit-wit. Somehow, in the ways of the Internet, I wound up finding a poster from the Brady Campaign. Yes, yes, these are the people who run around trying to void everyone’s right to self defense. They represent the antithesis of our Founding Fathers. People shed blood and lost their lives in order to ensure our rights and yet people like this just keep trying to take ‘em away with the cowardly stroke of a pen. Mind you, most of them are obscenely wealthy and travel about with armed guards, live in posh, closely patrolled neighborhoods and such (the executives, I’m talking about, not the misguided citizens swept up in their liberal fanaticism).

This poster warns travelers to Florida, “A new law in the Sunshine State authorizes nervous or frightened residents to use deadly force.” Um … yeah … okay this is the kinda lying that REALLY pisses me off. First off, the right to self defense is based on a “reasonable fear of (harm).” Alabama recently enacted a “Castle Doctrine” law quite similar to the one in Florida, and there were a few people then who whined and opined we’d return to the days of the “Wild West” (a time when there was less violent crime per capita than we have today, so … hell … bring it on!). Essentially what these Castle Doctrine laws do is to codify the basic right to self defense we have in our homes, businesses, vehicles, and … well … pretty much anywhere we rightfully find ourselves to be. The law, working in accordance with long-existing laws requiring a “reasonable” fear (and in Alabama’s case specifically discounting “a genuine fear,” explaining that the burden of proof is not whether one was afraid, but whether it would have been reasonable for one to be afraid of death or grievous bodily harm at the time said person set about righteously defending his or her hide).
So, no, Florida’s law, nor Alabama’s is authorizing people to go about shooting everyone “Because he looked at me funny!” Do the Brady people know this? Sure they do. But they take a tiny bit of truth (i.e. that “reasonable fear” can justify a violent response and that with a Castle Doctrine there is no duty to retreat on the part of the defender) and use it as a foundation to build their maze of lies and half-truths. These people tell outrageous, inflammatory lies and not only get away with it, they get applauded! Meanwhile, imagine if the NRA or some similar organization were to put out a poster saying, “Travelers to Florida (or Alabama), please be aware that your safety is our highest concern. Deadly force may be utilized to prevent burglary in any degree, robbery in any degree, rape, arson, “car jacking,” and other similar violent crimes. Please utilize expanding ammunition to minimize the danger to bystanders, and lock-n-load.”

Those poor guys would be lynched!!! There would be Congressional hearings, subpoenas would go out, indictments would follow, heads would roll. See, only the rich and powerful are supposed to be able to defend themselves (or to pay someone else to do their dirty work), and only the people they like can have freedom of speech as well. That, my friends is how this works. [Le Sigh]

Personally, I’d love to see a full-sized poster on every highway crossing into Alabama, and at every airport and dock telling everyone how seriously we take the safety of our residents and visitors and how serious we are about ensuring their rights to protect themselves and each other. Then, a block or so farther on, there could be another poster:
“In case the legalese confused you, know this: If you try to perpetrate a Burglary, Rape, Robbery, or any other violent crime, someone will shoot your ass. AND they WON’T go to jail! Ya’ll play nice, now, y’hear?”

So, while that poster is really old news, it should remind us where we might be headed soon. Pretty much every Democratic candidate is a gun-grabber, some admittedly more “enthusiastic” about it than others. Sadly, I don’t see anyone on the other side that is particularly strongly Pro-Gun, either. Methinks we are about to do battle once more to keep our rights. I imagine when the gun-banning, rights-trampling legislation eventually passes, it’ll cost a lot of Congressional seats (yet again), but by then it’ll be too late. Hopefully we can all get our messages out in time to convince our elected leaders where their proverbial toasts are buttered.