Liberty II post grew longer than it needed to be, and actually covered two separate thoughts.
So, I've decided to answer some of the points raised in Comments of that thread here as II(a) - sorry for the clumsy deployment.
AP, I know you often take the position of Devil's Advocate, and it is a vital tool for critical thinking. I'd never fault you for looking for the weak spots in any plan...that's what real Leaders do.
I hit more than 50 real Tea Party events before they were hijacked by the Establishment, across more than 50 cities and 24 States. I was researching a book as well as throwing in with the message these folks were screaming at Washington and the Establishment.
There was hostility in the crowds. At every single city there was disappointment in the crowds of people because the "Tea Party Express" that was the headliner was offering weak tea - in every single city the people in the crowd did not hear the hot rhetoric they wanted from the stage. Remember, Tea Party Express was part of FreedomWorks - the hijackers.
I know there is un-tapped, un-satisfied outrage among the real Tea Party folks out there. Those folks will be comfortable with a III Patriot with his Go Bag and gear.
And those folks not comfortable? Well, they are the problem, aren't they? They are the ones calling themselves Tea Party for the money and power. If we piss them off...mission accomplished. John Parker did not ask the milquetoast of Lexington if he may, please, have permission to go to the Green with his gear... ;)
Let's see one or 50 of them try to throw me off the Green. You'll see me in the headlines on that day, folks.
Martyrdom: I am no martyr. This is one suggestion for action that is lacking on one front of the battlespace. I don't want anyone breaking any "laws"...that's not the point. There will be places I show in nothing more than a sanitized Go Bag, and there will be other places I show with items that our Masters have deemed I may own. Black rifles and 1911's are not permitted to me, these days... It depends on the State, local laws, and my stash of bail money and whether or not my wife will actually spend it to get my silly arse out of the pokey.
Zoomie is right - do not break any laws. And do not be embarrassed if you don't own a black rifle that is fully tricked out with spinning rims... Real Warriors know that they can show up with nothing more than a smile and empty pockets and leave with a kit that would make a WWII Gunny proud. ;)
But, I'm going. I'll be there when I can, where I can, as a fight on this one front of the Battlespace.
I'm no Leader. I'm not asking anyone to go anywhere and risk anything.
I'm going.
Nor is this suggestion the sum of my Call to Action - it is a tiny detail. There are better, more constructive ways to accomplish our goals. This one is public, in-your-face, cheap and easy.
If we can't do the easy stuff when it's easy, forget the rest.
More will be revealed in the rest of the series of posts.
Yours in Liberty,
Kerodin
III
I still remember when the Tea Party started. And I still remember seeing lots of Tea Partiers strapping on hardware. That was the Tea Party I had hope in. But like you said, it was seriously hijacked. Those people who were carrying hardware were eventually intimidated and/or pushed aside by the ideological swing of "new" Tea Party. So, maybe where it is "legal" to strap on, one should do so anyways within certain Tea Party protests. Wear a III patch or III t-shirt while passing out fliers with talking points on liberty, the Founders, the constitution and Bill of Rights. While the Tea Party may have been hijacked within the upper echelons of the organization, I still believe there are people in it on the ideological swing of liberty that the III Percent advocate. Sometimes people just need a little push. Sometimes people just need to be reminded that they are not alone. Certainly, you can not set fires in peoples minds if you are not willing to light the match.
ReplyDeleteAs for "if we did this" ... "this will be the outcome" ... well, that may be so. I am sure the Founders and patriots of times past had those same thoughts. But in most cases, didn't let the thought of a little contention in the cause of liberty to get in their way. No one will advance the cause of liberty by being just like them. Like I said, sometimes you have to be willing to light a match before the fire spreads.
We are after those whose minds can catch on fire. If we are afraid of upsetting the status quo of certain members within the Tea Party, we'll never reach those straddling the fence.
Awesome.
ReplyDeleteKeep up this series, it has value.
Curtis,
I don't care about upsetting people. I care a bit more about a lopsided gun battle or at the very least, an arrest for patriots who try to show up to support the tea party.
As I said, perhaps others have ran into hard Tea Party types. I've ran mostly into the softer, Glen Beck-ish types. They don't want trouble, and their idea of "freedom" is mainly lower taxes. A gentler muzzle.
AP
For what it's worth Sam, keep this series up.
ReplyDeleteYou are putting out some good ideas. Don't let my prodding get in the way; I am all for what you're suggesting. I think you and many others understand that, tiring as it might get...
Resist.
AP
AP
ReplyDeleteI know you are not worried about upsetting people. I here you and understand what you are saying. And pushing has its limits. But as long as one stays within the "legal" framework, while it may make some people uncomfortable, it is still "legal". Hell, if I am going to get arrested for nothing more than making some people uncomfortable, then so be it, arrest me. I don't plan on moving in calling ... to arms, to arms. Personally, I don't care about the people who are hardcore uncomfortable and/or Glen Beck-ish. I refuse to believe that their are not people in the Tea Party movement who can not be nudged. I am no Thomas Paine... but he did light fires in the minds of those who stood on the fence. And I believe their are people in the Tea Party who are standing on that fence, for whatever reason. They need to know that they are not alone and there are other people who may have been on that fence and been nudged off of it themselves. On the other side, as far as agent provocateurs, that is what it is. And that may Happen and does happen. That is something we must be able to deal with and accept.
Just another thought...
ReplyDeleteAs tiring as it might get, those "many others", whoever they may be, are not the sum total of the patriot movement. There is always "newbies" and there are always those who need prodding and fresh idea's.
Thanks for the support and engagement, guys.
ReplyDeleteI haven't made the point yet in an actual post, but I need to: These actions are all things I am doing myself. I'd never ask anyone to do something that I would not do first. Nor will I ever fault anyone who takes the decision that X or Y is not for them.
Every single one of us is in a different real-life position. The only thing binding every one of us together is the Tyranny the bad guys are trying to impose.
I've only been doing this online for a bit more than a year - I don't know how guys like CA have managed not to go insane after so many years. Nothing is getting better, only worse.
And Ben Franklin's words (that you quoted recently, Curtis) are as true today as ever - we'll hang together or separately. I think it is not too far of a stretch to modify Mr. Franklin at this point...today it sure does look like we're all going to hang, no matter what. The only question is who will hang beside us...
Stay safe.
Kerodin
III