This will be the first of many posts concerning the 2nd Amendment. To sum up my beliefs in one quick tag line: all your other rights are useless without the means to defend them. I feel more strongly about this issue than any other and could easily go on all day about it. However, I will break it down into more manageable chunks by hitting just one question or aspect of it at a time.

Today’s topic is my reply to those who say, “Yeah, but you don’t really NEED that gun anyway.” This is what my boss says when the conversation turns to that scourge of mankind, that wellspring of evil - the AR15 (for those who don’t know what that is, look it up. And here’s a hint: it is neither evil, nor an “assault weapon”). Seems like a reasonable question at first, doesn’t it? I mean, do I really NEED an AR15 to get me to work on time? Um…no. Do I really NEED a pistol to help me get my groceries? Um…still no (unless the economy collapses and all hell breaks loose, in which case…yes).

For a long time I struggled to find the right response to this. And then, it hit me. Here’s my biggest problem with the “you don’t really NEED it” argument: our system of government in America (and our society in general) was not founded on the belief that you have to justify wanting or needing something. You are entitled to the pursuit of whatever you choose, so long as you do not intentionally hurt someone else along the way. This is the whole idea of freedom: freedom of speech (you do not have to justify what you say, you are simply free to say it); freedom of religion (you do not have to justify your God, or lack of one, you are simply free to believe as you wish).

Our system is NOT about justifying why you need something; it is about justifying the need to RESTRICT something. Our system was designed so that the GOVERNMENT has to justify (rather extensively) why they should be able to RESTRICT your needs/wants/rights. That is the point of a free society.

Think about that for a moment. If you had to justify your need for everything in life, how would you do it? Do you really NEED freedom of speech to get to work on time? Well, no (just ask North Koreans or the Chinese). Do you really NEED freedom to worship in order to get your groceries? Again, no. So, you do not NEED these freedoms, yet you demand them anyway.

Why?

Because at a fundamental level, you know that it is right to do so. You can feel it in your bones, that to be denied the ability to speak your mind is WRONG! That to be denied the right to pray to your god is WRONG! That to be denied the ability to protect and defend your life, family, home, and country is WRONG!

Wait…what did I just say? The right to protect your family? Your home? Your country? Isn’t that why we have police and the military? Actually, no. Well, yes to the military, but no to the first one. It is not the responsibility of the police to protect you or your family. That responsibility rests with you. All the police do is try to deter crime by being present in the area, and investigate it later, after it happens. There are 300 million people in America, and less than a million police officers. Do the math. They can’t be everywhere.

Let’s dig a little deeper here. We know we live in a society where we are free to pursue our lives unmolested, as long as we do not hurt others along the way. Well, to those who say that my AR15 is hurting them, I say this: from inside its 800-pound safe, it’s not hurting anyone. However:

- your SUV spews pollutants into the air that do hurt me. Therefore, you no longer have the right to purchase, own or operate any vehicle that gets less than 40 MPG. You don’t really NEED that Cadillac Escalade anyway.
- your stereo plays loud music that hurts my eardrums and diminishes my hearing. Therefore, you are no longer permitted to have or use any music-playing device. You don’t really NEED that iPod anyway.
- large homes over 1500 square feet waste energy and are an affront to the less fortunate. Therefore, no family in America will be permitted to occupy more than 1500 square feet of living space. If your home is larger than this, it will either be demolished, or you will be forced to take on new residents. You don’t really NEED that big house anyway.
- all religions that differ from my own shall be abolished, and following their teachings will be punishable by imprisonment. Your teachings are different from mine, so they might be bad for me. You don’t really NEED freedom of religion anyway.
- how about access to books? Movies? Your fishing boat? Golf? You can live without them.

So, justify why you should be allowed to keep these excessive, flashy, polluting products. You can’t. When you look at it, there are a lot of things we don’t really NEED in life, in order to survive. But if I were to take them away, you would fight me to the bitter end. As well you should. Without them, life becomes meaningless.

Chief among these needs - is liberty.

Chew on that. And keep your hands off my AR15. 

Forging the future from the timeless stone
Oh let me know how far I can go
Answering the questions thet no one ever asks
Float through the sea of madness
And face the everlasting task

So lonely to wander
So sad to be alone
In the mist of the unknown
Trying to fool myself with dreams that never come true
So hard to stand my ground
Never again will I fail

Will you tell me not to wait
Tell me to live for today

As the flowers wither
I will forget my pain
Since the stars have shone
The devil has shown me the way

Will you tell me not to wait
Tell me to live for today

Bring punishment to get hold of me
So cold like a glance from my eyes
Accept the way it's meant to be
A mental sacrifice
Go down hear the sound of a gentle man
Leading you straight to the void
Where the neon bastards they make
Dropouts out of leftover toys

No more angels, no more painful lies
No more strangers, no more waste of time

So here I am going straight to the plan
Never knowing that I'm damned
Walking the thread that's so precious to me
A secret part of my history
My time- to short as nothing beckons to me
My time- goddamn what is it I try to be
Fill the hole a thousand feet below
Become the master of a freak show

So!! Cold!!
Right! Now!

No more angels, no more painful lies
No more strangers, nore more waste of time

Bring punishment to get hold of me
So cold like a glance from my eyes
Accept the way it's meant to be
A mental sacrifice
Go down- the keeper of your thoughts may be
Go down- a sacred child who just can't see
Counting the days. so amazed
Of this sweet and miserable effort

So!! Cold!!
Right! Now!

No more angels, no more painful lies
No more strangers, nore more waste of time

Things that I am tired of in this war:

I am tired of Democrats saying they are patriotic and then insulting my commander in chief and the way he goes about his job.

I am tired of Democrats who tell me they support me, the soldier on the ground, and then tell me the best plan to win this war is with a "phased redeployment" (liberal-speak for retreat) out of the combat zone to someplace like Okinawa.

I am tired of the Democrats whining for months on T.V., in the New York Times, and in the House and Senate that we need more troops to win the war in Iraq, and then when my Commander in Chief plans to do just that, they say that is the wrong plan, it won't work, and we need a "new direction."

I am tired of every Battalion Sergeant Major and Command Sergeant Major I see over here being more concerned about whether or not I am wearing my uniform in the "spot on," most garrison-like manner; instead of asking me whether or not I am getting the equipment I need to win the fight, the support I need from my chain of command, or if the chow tastes good.

I am tired of junior and senior officers continually doubting the technical expertise of junior enlisted soldiers who are trained far better to do the jobs they are trained for than these officers believe.

I am tired of senior officers and commanders who fight this war with more of an eye on the media than on the enemy, who desperately needs killing.

I am tired of the decisions of Sergeants and Privates made in the heat of battle being scrutinized by lawyers who were not there and will never really know the state of mind of the young soldiers who were there and what is asked of them in order to survive.

I am tired of CNN claiming that they are showing "news," with videotape sent to them by terrorists, of my comrades being shot at by snipers, but refusing to show what happens when we build a school, pave a road, hand out food and water to children, or open a water treatment plant.

I am tired of following the enemy with drones that have cameras, and then dropping bombs that sometimes kill civilians; because we could do a better job of killing the right people by sending a man with a high powered rifle instead.

I am tired of the thousands of people in the rear who claim that they are working hard to support me when I see them with their mochas and their PX Bags walking down the street, in the middle of the day, nowhere near their workspaces.

I am tired of Code Pink, Daily Kos, Al-Jazzera, CNN, Reuters, the Associated Press, ABC, NBC, CBS, the ACLU, and CAIR thinking that they somehow get to have a vote in how we blast, shoot and kill these animals who would seek to subdue us and destroy us.

I am tired of people like Meredith Vieria from NBC asking oxygen thieves like Senator Chuck Hagel questions like "Senator, at this point, do you think we are fighting and dying for nothing?" Meredith might not get it, but soldiers do know the difference between fighting and dying for something and fighting and dying for nothing.

I am tired of hearing multiple stories from both combat theaters about snipers begging to do their jobs while commanders worry about how the media might portray the possible casualties and what might happen to their career.

I am tired of hearing that the Battalion Tactical Operations Center got a new plasma screen monitor for daily briefings, but rifle scope rings for sniper rifles, extra magazines, and necessary field gear were disapproved by the unit supply system.

I am tired of out of touch general officers, senators, congressmen and defense officials who think that giving me some more heavy body armor to wear is helping me stay alive. Speed is life in combat and wearing 55 to 90 pounds of gear for 12 to 20 hours a day puts me at a great tactical disadvantage to the idiot, mindless terrorist who is wearing no armor at all and carrying an AK-47 and a pistol.

I am tired of soldiers who are stationed in places like Kuwait and who are well away from any actual combat getting Hostile Fire/Imminent Danger Pay and the Combat Zone Tax Exclusion when they live on a base that has a McDonald's, a Pizza Hut, a Subway, a Baskin Robbins, an internet café, 2 coffee shops and street lights.

I am tired of senior officers and commanders who take it out and "measure" every time they want to have a piece of the action with their helicopters or their artillery; instead of putting their egos aside and using their equipment to support the grunt on the ground.

I am tired of senior officers and commanders who are too afraid for their careers to tell the truth about what they need to win this war to their bosses so that the soldiers can get on with kicking the ass of these animals.

I am tired of Rules of Engagement being made by JAG lawyers and not Combat Commanders. We are not playing Hopscotch over here. There is no 2nd place trophy either. I think that if the enemy knew some rough treatment and some deprivation was at hand for them, instead of prayer rugs, special diets and free Korans; this might help get their terrorist minds "right."

I am tired of seeing Active Duty Army and Marine units being extended past their original redeployment dates, when there are National Guard Units that have yet to deploy to a combat zone in the last 40 years.

I am tired of hearing soldiers who are stationed in safe places talk about how hard their life is.

I am tired of seeing Infantry Soldiers conducting what amounts to "SWAT" raids and performing the US Army's version of "CSI Iraq" and doing things like filling out forms for evidence when they could be better used to hunt and kill the enemy.

I am tired of senior officers and commanders who look first in their planning for how many casualties we might take, instead of how many enemy casualties we might inflict.

I am tired of begging to be turned loose so that this war can be over.

Those of us who fight this war want to win it and go home to their families. Prolonging it with attempts to do things like collect "evidence" or present whiz bang briefings on a new plasma screen TV is wasteful and ultimately, dulls the edge of our Infantry soldiers who are trained to kill people and break things, not necessarily in that order.

We are not in Iraq and Afghanistan to build nations. We are there to kill our enemies. We make the work of the State Department easier by the results we achieve.

It is only possible to defeat an enemy who kills indiscriminately by utterly destroying him. He cannot be made to yield or surrender. He will fight to the death by the hundreds to kill only one or two of us.

And so far, all of our "games" have been "away games," and I don't know about the ignorant, treasonous Democrats and the completely insane radical leftists and their thoughts on the matter, but I would like to keep our road game schedule.

So let's get it done. Until the fight is won and there is no more fight left.

Just let me catch my breath...
I've heard the promises
I've seen the mistakes
I've had my fair share of tough
breaks
I need a new voice, a new law,
a new way
Take the time, reevaluate
It's time to pick up the pieces,
Go back to square one
I think it's time for a change

There is something that I feel
To be something that is real
I feel the heat within my mind
And craft new changes with
my eyes
Giving freely wandering
promises
A place with decisions I'll
fashion
I won't waste another breath

You can feel the waves coming on
(It's time to take the time)
Let them destroy you or carry
you on
(It's time to take the time)
You're fighting the weight of
the world
But no one can save you this
time
Close your eyes
You can find all you need in
your mind

The unbroken spirit
Obscured and disquiet
Finds clearness this trial
demands
And at the end of this day sighs
an anxious relief
For the fortune lies still in his
hands

If there's pensive fear, a
wasted year
A man must learn to cope
If his obsession's real,
Suppression that he feels must
turn to hope

Life is no more assuring than
love
(It's time to take the time)
There are no answers from
voices above
(It's time to take the time)
You're fighting the weight of
the world
And no one can save you this
time
Close your eyes
You can find all you need in
your mind

I close my eyes
And feel the water rise around
me
Drown the bead of time
Let my senses fall away
I can see much clearer now,
I'm blind

Find all you need in your mind
If you take the time

So its been a farely good trip.  Got in town late thursday night, passed out till almost noon, went and explored my old town for a few hours, and went out with seth to tonys place that night, fucking great time was had by all!  both these guys are doing great and have grown up since the last time we saw each other when i was 16...  then the next day i went and watched my sisters best friend get hitched.  great cerimony, but i hate weddings...  i gotta find the right girl sooner or later.  all the weddings i have been to in the past few years have gotten me down...  oh well...  that afternoon i helped out with the reception and playing music and the such. tore everything down, and then went back down to "the cabin"  about a half hour away. the cabin is a 1500 square foot house that backs up to a lake!  wiress internet, dish network on the flat screen and a full bar... we ordered up a pizza and waited for seth to get out of work...  about 9pm i picked him up and for some reason at that point i was SO FUCKING OUT OF IT!  we went down to see this chick that i was great friends with back b4 i moved out to denver.  it was great to see her, and i am super happy to see that she is doing so well and turned out to be such an awesome person, and sincerely hoping that we can stay in touch!  today i just chilled out with my mom for her birthday, took her to both lunch and dinner, and went out to the childrens museum.  it was really fun but alot better when i was like 8 years old lol.  now im just sitting around the cabin watching the broncos game and drinking red stripe.   ill be leaving to drive back in the morning and should be back in sometime tuesday for the soilwork show.  i cant wait to be home!  i wish i had more time while i was here to be around everybody and catch up, but that will be for next time!  im gonna try and fly out here again soon and spend some real time with people when i dont have obligations to the family...  well, its time to watch football so... PEACE!

 

~B

There is a light that hits the gloom around
Shows the footprints round this grave
Dried up roses scattered on the mound
Honouring the one engraved

Will ever the morning
Carry away
The souls of those for whom we cry

Leaving, grieving
Seeking, meeting
Binding, unwinding
Sighing "You"

Still day beneath the sun
Asking you who is the one
And when the day is late
We know who must forever wait

Black procession through the narrow aisles
Another's gone for all to see
Near the site for one who lost his trials
Sleeping neath the ground is me

Will ever the morning
Carry away
The souls of those for whom we cry

Leaving, grieving
Seeking, meeting
Binding, unwinding
Sighing "You"

Still day beneath the sun
Asking you who is the one
And when the day is late
We know who must forever wait