What happens if gun ownership is not enough?

[LR1955]

Has anyone read the book "Bowling Alone"? The author covers the concept that the WW2 generation lost faith with the American Puritan Ethic (children of the Depression and young men of WW2). Thus after the war they did not bring their children, the Baby Boomers, to their lodge meetings or otherwise introduce them to the social functions that they belonged to. The Baby Boomers in turn rejected American Puritan Ethic and most over everything else as they saw their parents as hypocrites who said one thing but behaved in another. Thus a 1000 years of Western wisdom was thrown away.

The Baby Boomers are not joiners. We see that in our various social organizations. Most lodges are dead, the Freemasons are the only one really surviving. Soldiers do not join the Legion or VFW. We are a nation of loners with no one that we can trust. And this gets reflected in our politics.

Maybe it is time to join groups. Become a Freemason, go to church, be a precinct committeeman in a political party. Network and build alliances. Learn to trust others and have them learn to trust you. It is harder to take out someone with friends than it is a loner.

Trooper:

A plan is better than no plan. Congratulations. You stated a problem and posed a solution. And, it concerns the 2d Amendment as you stated in your initial posts.

Furthermore, your plan does not alienate any group of people based on their religion, profession, or even political beliefs.

Your plan will succeed.

LR1955

[XcountryRider]

Montana:

Not this time. The discussion involves techniques used by opponents of the 2d Amendment and how supporters should respond. I think XCR is bringing up the subject of tyrants needing a disarmed public.

The problem is that I am not sure what XCR is saying because he didn't state his opinion. And no one here is about to read five or six books in order to figure out what he is trying to say.

If XCR says that the Communist party is alive and well in the USA but they must have a disarmed and docile public to succeed in turning the USA into a Socialist utopia like the USSR, I won't argue with him or anyone else.

So, I am not getting into it or going off track. Just asking him to state his point.

LR1955

I don't have theories i have concerns but they will sound nutty to anyone that does not have a sound footing on the Communist Parties activities in the past. The average conservative has no idea how big the problem was then (30,40 and 50's). Even Joe Mcarthy was way low balling the problem from what we know now from declassified decyrpts. The problem is we have a narrow window of just a few years when we were reading the cables from the CP USA and Moscow. The CP was embedded everywhere and were all the way in the White House dictating our own policy before during and after WWII. We only arrested a small tiny portion of the conspirators. In other words they've been working for the last 50 years to gain full control. I think they pretty much mostly have it now but can't really take full advantage with a armed populace to stand in the way of the extreme measures they have planned. I know sounds nutty but the well researched books i listed will blow your mind. I think the attempts to embed have been a eb and flow situation. The commies made big progress in the 30 and 40's and setbacks in the 50 with more progress in the 60s and 70 and setbacks in the 80's more progress again in the 90's and again big progress now and maybe an actual coup of sorts thats taking place. The press i think is now mostly compromised.

[XcountryRider]

I'm pretty darn sure that the problems we have right now in the USA have nothing to do with not having enough people at weekend meetings of the water buffalo lodge. Read the books i listed and you'll start to understand how far off that thought really is. I do agree though get your ass in Church join the VFW the American Legion and others. Stop watching nightly news its no longer a free press and educate and organize. Most importantly keep your head and don't do anything stupid. Use the ballet box not the trigger while we still have a republic. Its serious but over reactions will only hurt the cause but most of all educate yourself.

[BjornF16]

I'm pretty darn sure that the problems we have right now in the USA have nothing to do with not having enough people at weekend meetings of the water buffalo lodge. Read the books i listed and you'll start to understand how far off that thought really is. I do agree though get your ass in Church join the VFW the American Legion and others. Stop watching nightly news its no longer a free press and educate and organize. Most importantly keep your head and don't do anything stupid. Use the ballet box not the trigger while we still have a republic. Its serious but over reactions will only hurt the cause but most of all educate yourself.

Sounds like you are advocating stopping complacency...I agree.

[Trooper]

I'm pretty darn sure that the problems we have right now in the USA have nothing to do with not having enough people at weekend meetings of the water buffalo lodge. Read the books i listed and you'll start to understand how far off that thought really is. I do agree though get your ass in Church join the VFW the American Legion and others. Stop watching nightly news its no longer a free press and educate and organize. Most importantly keep your head and don't do anything stupid. Use the ballet box not the trigger while we still have a republic. Its serious but over reactions will only hurt the cause but most of all educate yourself.

That is not the point. It is that you are trying to go alone. Once you isolate yourself, you are very easy to pick off. By belonging to a group (lodge, church, political party), you gain strength. It is harder to have the authorities or a lynch mob take you when you have friends. Especially friends who will cover your six (back).

Everyone knows the problem. Too many are so fearful that they are to the point of being paranoid, even emotionally ill.

the very concept of the militia was that you are OBLIGATED to join. It is your civic duty. And in the early days the militia was formed from the Masonic Lodge or the local church. The militia was the political system.

Stop trying to be a mountain man and work with your neighbors.

[bwaites]

Sounds like you are advocating stopping complacency...I agree.

I'd like to see the apathy go away! We have too many people who don't care what happens with anyone else, only what happens in their world.

That attitude is hard to overcome unless you become involved with others through service. Its why Boy Scouts have Eagle Projects, Mormons send their young men and women on missions, we used to have a draft, and why I still believe that service for young people is what gets them to understand their place and the requirements for being adults. The WWII generation was the "Greatest Generation" because they saw so many sacrifices and because they sacrificed so much for others.

We haven't had that common experience as a nation since, and we are lessened by it.

A good friend who served in both Gulf Wars and recently retired put it best when he said to me, "America didn't go to war in the Gulf, the military went to war, and most Americans went to the mall."

I understood that, and though he wasn't disparaging me or other non-combatants, he was pointing out that we don't have a common ground as a people.

I keep hoping we will find it, but becoming more and more discouraged that we won't.

[XcountryRider]

The greatest generation scarified and served and accomplished the impossible but were way to trusting of government and authority in general. They also didn't get there young in church and made materialism central. They raised self centered narcissists they we now all are suffering under. They should be honored and in many ways emulated but not idolized.

[bwaites]

The greatest generation scarified and served and accomplished the impossible but were way to trusting of government and authority in general. They also didn't get there young in church and made materialism central. They raised self centered narcissists they we now all are suffering under. They should be honored and in many ways emulated but not idolized.

I would argue it wasn't the "Greatest Generation" that was at fault, but those who came just after and raised the kids of the late 50's and early 60's. The people in their 40-55 range now.

That generation had no great war, no unifying experience. The draft was falling from favor, and people were losing their sense of responsibility.

Regardless of who, it has happened, and we are at a great loss. If we do not find that sense of unity as a people, we are lost.

[bwaites]

I am not going to tolerate much in the way of religious discussion here. The fact that some members seem unable to see a post and understand that a member is using some possible examples vs. recommending that everyone should follow all those examples is of great concern to me.

I really don't care WHAT those examples are, the point is that we are becoming more and more disconnected from each other, and that isolation will create a much easier to conquer group when it comes to 2nd Amendment issues.

GET involved in your communities, get involved in your church if you so desire, get involved in politics, get involved in service organizations of your choice. STOP being apathetic, apathy will lose us our rights!

[bwaites]

PS....

I feel a little like Benjamin Franklin...."A Republic, madam, if you can keep it!"

Its an open forum, but if you can't treat everyone with respect, then ignore them.

[montana]

Some how Major General Andrew Jackson got the, U.S. soldiers, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana militias, Free black soldiers, Baratarian pirates, Choctaw warriors and even women to put aside their differences to fight and defeat a common enemy in the battle of New Orleans. Bewaites, no one said it was easy!