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Cautionary note on yard sign revenge. Hunting is not worth it.
October 3, 2008 | Tagged Republican yard signs, revenge, Second Amendment, vandalizm |
Craig put up a comment today about my post, “McCain yard sign stolen, I suspect the Democrats.” He implied that he is going hunting tonight, either for opposition yard signs, or for Democrats vandalizing GOP signs. While I understand his frustration, I would strongly discourage either activity.
When somebody steals your sign, you feel angry and violated. That person has not only taken about three dollars worth of wire, paper, or plastic, they have effectively stolen your freedom of expression. That freedom is one of the most important jewels that we as Americans possess. When someone steals it, we need to be angry. We need to get out and campaign for our candidates, we need to tell our friends and neighbors of all political stripes, that the other side doesn’t care about the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. We need to put out more yard signs and bring them in at night to force the Democrats to steal them during the day. However, there are other considerations in this request for restraint and self-control in the face of Liberal thuggery.
First of all, we do not want to give the Democrats the excuse to call us barbarians, vandals, suppressors of free speech, etc., for stealing or defacing their signs. We are better than that. We are better than they are, because we do not have to engage in Nazi Brownshirt behavior to make our points
I read an article on gun rights a few years ago that said in effect, “It’s great to be on the individual right to self-defense side of this argument, because we don’t have to lie to support it.” That doesn’t mean that everyone on the Democrat side of the political spectrum is a vandal, but they certainly have their share. We want to stay on the moral high ground in this debate.
Tactically, we don’t want to steal or vandalize Democrat signs because it angers and energizes them. Look at the comments from people on this site who have had their signs stolen! We want the Democrats who can think for themselves to vote McCain/Palin and keep on going down the GOP side of the ticket. We don’t want them stomping to the polls and voting three times for Barack Hussein Obama, because they want revenge against a Republican who stole or tore up their sign.
The other possible meaning of hunting is even more chilling and more demanding of self-control. I don’t believe that Craig intended this meaning, but I want to take this opportunity to make an important point. This is not legal advice. I am not an attorney, nor a trained self-defense instructor. The following is my personal take on dealing with vandalism and violence.
One of the best ways to avoid being injured or killed by gangsters, muggers, rapists, or vandals is to exercise good judgement in the matter of situational awareness. This means that you don’t put yourself into situations where you are likely to become a victim.
You don’t walk down dark alleys alone at night. You stay out of dangerous neighborhoods. You don’t flash a lot of money or jewelry around. You don’t get staggering drunk or high. You stay out of places where you get the feeling that someone would cut your throat for a twenty. You don’t go looking for confrontations.
You get a concealed carry permit for a handgun. You religiously follow the rules of gun safety. You practice with your weapon until don’t have to think about your actions, if you ever need to use it. You buy pepper spray, a legal knife, a cane, or another possible way to defend yourself or help another citizen in case of attack. You realize that being armed carries with it a burden of responsibility. You don’t want to hurt someone in error and have to face the personal guilt, or the criminal, and civil consequences of an “unrighteous” shoot or other incident.
Would I confront a vandal stealing my yard sign? Probably. It would be a judgement call. Would I be armed? Yes. I would also be acutely aware of my legal rights and responsibilities in that situation. There is no legal “bag limit” for vandals. The law discourages inflicting injuries on others for crimes against property, when you or other persons aren’t at risk.
If you choose to arm yourself, I believe there are certain basic issues that you have to take into consideration. You learn the laws about the use of deadly force and what the laws are in your state regarding the right to stand your ground as opposed to a “duty to retreat.” You do your best to defend your natural right to self-defense against crime and tyranny, and you thank whatever God you pray to, or your lucky stars, that you live in the United States of America.
As bad as it is here, and it could get much worse if Obama gets elected; we still have people climbing fences and crossing oceans to get in. In a really big chunk of the rest of the world, people are climbing fences and crossing oceans to get out, so that they can come to what Reagan called our “shining city on a hill.”
So I am going to discourage hunting either yard signs or Democrat vandals. I will instead encourage actively campaigning for the GOP in this election. I believe large numbers of thinking Democrats are going to step back from the edge of the cliff and vote Republican. If we can get the GOP Base out, convince Independents to vote for Freedom instead of Socialism, and keep intellectually pure gun owners from throwing away their votes by staying home or voting for a third party candidate, I believe we have a good chance of winning this election.
If we win, we can, for a time, relegate the sign stealers and vandals to the trash heap of history, along with the Nazis, the Japanese Imperialists, and the Stalinists who believed that suppressing free speech is an effective way to gain and keep power. (Have you heard anything in the Mainstream Media about Obama’s attempt to muzzle the NRA in Pennsylvania?)
The fight will never be over. There will always be those who want to be “more equal than others.” There will always be those who “mean to rule well, but who mean to rule.” “Eternal vigilance is” truly “the price of Freedom.” If we are to survive as a Republic, we must be willing to pay that price, and we must be able to control ourselves in the face of Left-wing provocations, voter fraud, and Mainstream Media pandering. Remember, we don’t have to lie, cheat, or steal to win elections, because we have the truth and the Bill of Rights in our corner in this fight.
Def Mech
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[...] defmech added an interesting post today on Cautionary note on yard sign revenge. Hunting is not worth it.Here’s a small readingThe other possible meaning of hunting is even more chilling and more demanding of self-control. I don’t believe that Craig intended this meaning, but I want to take this opportunity to make an important point. This is not legal advice. … [...]
Why was it necessary to refer to him by his middle name? How mature. Obama isn’t going to take away your gun rights, McCain is a crook and Palin is brainless. Wake the fuck up and quit with the race-baiting and fear-mongering.