I just wanted to share with you guys an interesting (and infuriating) discussion I had this afternoon with a co-worker and buddy of mine over lunch.
Let's call my co-worker Fred. Fred was born and raised in Texas, fancies himself as a cowboy, and grew up around what he lovingly calls "down-home rednecks"... his words not mine. Anyway we're out to lunch and we get to talking about the silly laws being considered in California. We agree for the most part that some of the laws there don't make sense and would never fly in a conservative state like Texas.
But then things start to get a little strange when we start talking about gun laws. He says that he believes that all gun owners should be tested and evaluated for a license in order to purchase firearms... much like the process we go through in order to get a driver's license. He says a gun is dangerous and we should be tested to see if we are capable of handling such a weapon. I politely tell him that unlike the act of driving a car, the act of owning and carrying a firearm is a RIGHT that was specifically enumerated in the Bill of Rights. Driving a car was never called out in such a way. He comes back and points out that it's a silly argument because cars didn't exist at the time the Bill of Rights was ratified so how does that even relate. He goes on to say that many of "us" (I assume he meant the 2A crowd) are skewed too far to the right and that most people like him have no problem with staying in the middle ground and letting the two extremes duke it out.
So that pisses me off a little and I tell him that I didn't expect him to stand to either extreme but I think he should stand for something. If we let them erode our rights little by little, force our children to endure beliefs and ideals we don't agree with, and let the government dictate what we can do and what we can think then we are allowing this nation to go in a direction that might not be in its best interest. He fires back at me and says that if the majority wants to enact all of these laws then who are we to stop it - let it all fall down and just worry about your immediate family and friends because there's nothing we can do to stop it. He even laughed a little bit at how worked up I get about these sorts of issues.
I was floored. This is a man who was born in this great country, raised in the proud state of Texas and yet he has this attitude of apathy that's helping to bring this nation to its knees. Worse yet, he thinks people like me are "extreme" and silly for worrying about issues I have no power to control. I come from an immigrant family that left an oppressive country to come here and work hard to earn citizenship. I was taught to love the opportunities this country has given us and when I was old enough I joined the service to play my part and give back some small measure. Now that I have a child I've become keenly aware that our actions as a whole will directly impact what sort of world I will leave him with. To have someone with the luck and privilege to have been born here tell me that it's not worth fighting for bothers me deeply.
I tell him that if he's not doing SOMETHING, no matter how small the measure, to fight for the future of his child then he's dooming that child to a fate he didn't deserve. He just shrugs and tells me that he can take care of his own without getting embroiled in all the BS...
I want to stay his friend because he's a decent (albeit misguided) guy but I have to admit that I look at him very differently now...
Sorry for the long rant but I had to get it off my chest.
Let's call my co-worker Fred. Fred was born and raised in Texas, fancies himself as a cowboy, and grew up around what he lovingly calls "down-home rednecks"... his words not mine. Anyway we're out to lunch and we get to talking about the silly laws being considered in California. We agree for the most part that some of the laws there don't make sense and would never fly in a conservative state like Texas.
But then things start to get a little strange when we start talking about gun laws. He says that he believes that all gun owners should be tested and evaluated for a license in order to purchase firearms... much like the process we go through in order to get a driver's license. He says a gun is dangerous and we should be tested to see if we are capable of handling such a weapon. I politely tell him that unlike the act of driving a car, the act of owning and carrying a firearm is a RIGHT that was specifically enumerated in the Bill of Rights. Driving a car was never called out in such a way. He comes back and points out that it's a silly argument because cars didn't exist at the time the Bill of Rights was ratified so how does that even relate. He goes on to say that many of "us" (I assume he meant the 2A crowd) are skewed too far to the right and that most people like him have no problem with staying in the middle ground and letting the two extremes duke it out.
So that pisses me off a little and I tell him that I didn't expect him to stand to either extreme but I think he should stand for something. If we let them erode our rights little by little, force our children to endure beliefs and ideals we don't agree with, and let the government dictate what we can do and what we can think then we are allowing this nation to go in a direction that might not be in its best interest. He fires back at me and says that if the majority wants to enact all of these laws then who are we to stop it - let it all fall down and just worry about your immediate family and friends because there's nothing we can do to stop it. He even laughed a little bit at how worked up I get about these sorts of issues.
I was floored. This is a man who was born in this great country, raised in the proud state of Texas and yet he has this attitude of apathy that's helping to bring this nation to its knees. Worse yet, he thinks people like me are "extreme" and silly for worrying about issues I have no power to control. I come from an immigrant family that left an oppressive country to come here and work hard to earn citizenship. I was taught to love the opportunities this country has given us and when I was old enough I joined the service to play my part and give back some small measure. Now that I have a child I've become keenly aware that our actions as a whole will directly impact what sort of world I will leave him with. To have someone with the luck and privilege to have been born here tell me that it's not worth fighting for bothers me deeply.
I tell him that if he's not doing SOMETHING, no matter how small the measure, to fight for the future of his child then he's dooming that child to a fate he didn't deserve. He just shrugs and tells me that he can take care of his own without getting embroiled in all the BS...
I want to stay his friend because he's a decent (albeit misguided) guy but I have to admit that I look at him very differently now...
Sorry for the long rant but I had to get it off my chest.
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