Republican Congressman Giving Away Gun to Lucky Follower

[silverscreenselect]

From Candidate Lee Bright in today's email

I wonder why I'm not on his e-mailing list. Or Paul Broun's either for that matter.

[BackInTex]

Who's going to attack us now? (a) Mexico, (b) Canada, or (c)something out of Red Dawn? (d) Crazed liberals and (e) teenagers wearing hoodies?

a (citizens of), d, and e

Every single time some bunch of people willing to "die for freedom" has taken on the police or military in this country since the Civil War, that's exactly what happened. They died. Or were captured. Without getting whatever they felt was their freedom. Even in the Civil War, where you had the largest single group of people rebelling against the U.S. government, they eventually were beaten.

So, when faced with certain defeat, regardless of the cause, surrender? I guess I see that being your position. Its not mine. Thankfully it wasn't our Founding Fathers, either.

Your example of the Poles is particularly inept and shows a singular lack of knowledge of world history. The Poles did die, by the hundreds of thousands (one out of every six people, over 5 1/2 million, in Poland at the beginning of World War 2 died as a result of the war, a higher percentage than either Germany or the Soviet Union), but pistols and rifles weren't much good against Luftwaffe dive bombers and Panzer tanks. And against a German army that was willing to engage in mass slaughter to enforce its will. If you don't believe me, look what happened to the town of Lidice in Czechoslovakia, which was believed to have housed the partisans who killed Reinhard Heydrich. The Nazis exterminated that village. Dying for freedom is one thing; being willing to sentence your entire family or village to death is another. The Poles were only able to resist effectively when the Germans moved a large number of their forces into the Soviet Union.

Again, you position, nothing is worth fighting for if you will die. Got it. Still better to be armed and die trying, to me.

[silverscreenselect]

Every single time some bunch of people willing to "die for freedom" has taken on the police or military in this country since the Civil War, that's exactly what happened. They died. Or were captured. Without getting whatever they felt was their freedom. Even in the Civil War, where you had the largest single group of people rebelling against the U.S. government, they eventually were beaten.

So, when faced with certain defeat, regardless of the cause, surrender? I guess I see that being your position. Its not mine. Thankfully it wasn't our Founding Fathers, either.

Spoken by someone who's never actually had to put his rear end in any jeopardy (or risked any consequences to his loved ones). It's easy to make decisions when you're having a beer watching John Wayne movies from the safety of your living room and fantasizing about being a real man and getting to use your AR-15 against teenagers with hoodies.

The Poles were an effective fighting force in World War II precisely because they didn't throw their lives and what few weapons they had away in futile attacks against German armored columns. They waited until they had an opportunity to be effective. That's what our Founding Fathers did too. George Washington didn't spend the winter at Valley Forge because he wanted to commune with nature. It was because he refused to engage the British on terms that would probably have led to the complete destruction of his army if they tried to hold or retake Philadelphia.

The Japanese weren't afraid to die for their country in World War II, but they certainly could have used some of the troops they sacrificed in suicide charges later in the war.

Civilians don't have to surrender or throw their lives away at the first opportunity. They can bide their time and wait for the opportunity to do the most damage.

Here's something spoken by someone who had considerably more experience at fighting than either of us:

Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.

George S Patton

[BackInTex]

Spoken by someone who's never actually had to put his rear end in any jeopardy (or risked any consequences to his loved ones).

Not factual. I've had guns pulled on me twice. I held my ground. I was in the right both times, though the 2nd time I could have handled the situation better initially so that the other guy probably wouldn't have pulled the gun. Never backed down, pissed my pants, or really worried about getting shot. I have a good idea how I'd react to other similar situations if I too were armed. No panic.

It's easy to make decisions when you're having a beer watching John Wayne movies from the safety of your living room and fantasizing about being a real man and getting to use your AR-15 against teenagers with hoodies.

I don't have to fantasize like you do.

The Poles were an effective fighting force in World War II precisely because they didn't throw their lives and what few weapons they had away in futile attacks against German armored columns. They waited until they had an opportunity to be effective.

Not so much for the 6,000,000 unarmed Jews in Poland, who I was actually referring to in the initial reference of Poland.

Here's something spoken by someone who had considerably more experience at fighting than either of us:

Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.

George S Patton

So you think the sacrifice of all the brave men that "died for our country" didn't? O.K.

Many wars have been a numbers game. Those that died for either side were included in the numbers. However, in many if not most cases, those that died bravely communicated to the enemy the futility of the battle and contributed to the surrender of the enemy who feared future casualties from such foes.

It really comes down to the willingness to sacrifice for the benefit of others. Some will do it. Some won't.

You see it as foolishness. I see it as honor.

This thread is done.

[silverscreenselect]

However, in many if not most cases, those that died bravely communicated to the enemy the futility of the battle and contributed to the surrender of the enemy who feared future casualties from such foes.

It really comes down to the willingness to sacrifice for the benefit of others. Some will do it. Some won't.

You see it as foolishness. I see it as honor.

Death in combat can be both honorable and foolish. You like to see things in black and white terms that fit into your particularly simplistic view of the world and of me.

We lost over 50,000 soldiers in Vietnam, some of whom I knew. The vast majority of them died honorably. They inflicted heavy casualties on the Vietnamese, who never surrendered fearing future casualties. Their deaths was in pursuit of a wrongheaded war being fought under a no-win strategy. That was foolish.

The Japanese in World War II believed in honorable deaths too. Their suicide charges never led to the surrender of our forces.

My father lost a leg in World War II (and got a body full of shrapnel that eventually killed him) thanks to another soldier who was wiling to die honorably and foolishly doing something reckless. Neither his death nor my father's crippling mattered in the overall war effort.

And if you actually believe that carrying around your own little arsenal is needed to keep a bunch of illegal Mexican immigrants and Barack Obama supporters from herding you off into a concentration camp, you have far worse problems than that.

[silverscreenselect]

Not factual. I've had guns pulled on me twice. I held my ground. I was in the right both times, though the 2nd time I could have handled the situation better initially so that the other guy probably wouldn't have pulled the gun. Never backed down, pissed my pants, or really worried about getting shot. I have a good idea how I'd react to other similar situations if I too were armed. No panic.

Well, you just illustrated one of my points. You can survive having a gun pulled on you.

If you had a gun at the time, there's an excellent chance you wouldn't have been posting on this Bored at this time.