[Nettime-bold] Good Intent gets you NOTHING

["Steve McAlexander" <mcalexander {AT} veriomail.com>]

	As an active member of the so-called patriot movement and a long
time
	advocate of individual rights (especially 2nd amendment rights)
I have
	often read and heard the question of 'When do we act?' I know a
lot of
	people that claim to be defenders of the 2nd amendment and a lot
more
	that can be really convincing in their affirmation of commitment
to the
	cause.  What is most distressing to me is the fact that of the
hundreds
	or thousands of people that claim to be on our side, very few
will do
	little more than discuss it boldly in the safety of like-minded
people.

	Our forefathers staked not only their reputations, but their
careers,
	their property, their families and their lives to defend what
they
	believed in. How many of us are REALLY willing to do the same
today?
	Not many!

	Oh, most of us say we would, but when the chips fall will we
back it up?
	I don't think so!  Let me explain and clarify.

	Many people believe that when the time comes to fight it will be
an all
	out war.  Society will be in ruins and we will either be
fighting street
	gangs in a lawless society or we will be fighting a foreign
enemy bent
	on killing us and destroying our way of life.  They believe that
their
	jobs will be lost, merchants will be closed, Gas pumps will be
dried up
	and people will be cold, hungry, and scared.  These people
foresee their
	role in this 'Madmax' scenario as defenders of their property or
	defenders of freedom where their actions will be regarded as
heroic.
	Where there will be no penalty for their actions.  Where they
can act
	out their ideas of primitive survivalism without fear of
repercussion.
	Unfortunately the fact is that a scenario such as this is so
remote that
	it is more likely we will be invaded by intelligent life from
another
	planet or by reanimated Zombies.

	The time to fight is long past.  We should have been fighting
for
	decades but we haven't.  We should have taken matters into our
own hands
	generations ago, but we didn't.  We need to be fighting now, but
we
	aren't.  Am I advocating an armed revolution against the
government? No!
	I'm advocating involvement at a higher level.  I'm advocating
commitment
	to the cause. Real commitment, not just words or conversations
where we
	all pat each other on the back and say "Yeah Man, that's right".

	Most people will join the NRA or the GOA, or they will write a
	diplomatic letter to their representatives' sugar coating their
request
	in suave professionalism and courtesy.  A few even make some
donations
	to other patriotic organizations; fewer still will attend a
public rally
	or sport a few bumper stickers.  These lobby groups and national
	organizations, these politically correct methods of voicing our
opinions
	and ideals are great, but they are not sufficient and they are
virtually
	ineffective.  There is an old saying that the squeaky wheel gets
the
	grease.  That is so very true. People are always more responsive
to
	those that present themselves assertively than to those that
maintain
	diplomacy.

	There is another old saying that goes like this; You catch more
flies
	with honey than vinegar.  This old saying implies that people
will be
	more likely to acquiesce to your wishes if you are kind and
gentle.
	Although the adage sounds nice, and is probably a good value to
teach to
	children, it's unfortunately untrue.  If that were the case
there would
	be no need for laws with penalties and punishments for
disobedience. We
	could simply ask people nicely not to commit crimes and they
wouldn't.
	The fact is people react more positively to a request when there
is a
	known consequence.  People try harder to accomplish something
when there
	is a reward, people try harder to comply with a rule when there
is
	punishment for non-compliance.

	What consequences are there for our government when they usurp
the
	constitution and trample our individual rights?  What punishment
is
	there for legislating our freedom away for the sake of the
public good,
	a few gently written letters of discontent, a few less potential
voters
	in the next election?  What deterrent is there from abridging
our
	constitutional rights and liberties guaranteed by the
constitution?

	When we lobby our elected officials with polite requests or make
	donations to organizations that lobby in our behalf we are using
honey.
	The problem is the flies aren't hungry, at least not for our
honey. We
	need to tell them in no uncertain terms that we will not
tolerate any
	further usurpations of power.  We need send them a message that
it is
	unacceptable for them to legislate our rights away.  We need to
show
	them our flyswatter.  We can no longer be nice.  We can no
longer ask
	politely for our wishes to be accommodated.  We must let them
know that
	there are consequences for non-compliance and we need to visibly
show
	them that we mean business and that we are prepared to defend
what we
	have at ANY COST.

	How do we accomplish this?  Do we begin with an armed revolt?
NO! All
	that is necessary is for us all to commit ourselves to the
cause. To
	truly commit.  Join together and stand united not as a lobbying
group
	but as a force to be reckoned with.  A force of citizens
prepared to
	fight if necessary to maintain our way of life.  But how can we
fight if
	we aren't prepared?  We must prepare.  We must train.  We must
organize.
	Our forefathers recognized this need and they made provisions
for it.
	They called it 'the Militia'.

	If you are not willing to commit yourself at the possible cost
of your
	reputation, at the risk of being labeled an extremist, then you
will not
	fight when the fighting breaks out.  Because when the fight
starts those
	that make up the opposition will be risking it all just as our
founders
	did. There will still be laws.  There will still be consequences
for
	rebelling. Those involved will be branded as criminals and
traitors,
	they will be hunted by their own neighbors and friends and
relatives.
	They will be pursued not by some foreign speaking military
personnel but
	by American police and national guardsmen.

	All too many people that I have spoken with support the same
ideas that
	I do.  They believe and feel the same way I do.  They offer
encouraging
	words, and claim to be supportive.  But when asked to join the
militia,
	to participate in the militia, to become publicly associated
with a
	group that is prepared to enforce what is right, they simply shy
away.
	Because it might cost them their job, or their reputation.  They
could
	lose their home or their car.  They might be watched by the
government,
	it's just too risky. They are always quick to chime in that they
will
	jump in there and fight when the time comes but they just can't
risk
	that type of exposure.  Or they just don't have the time with
the kids
	school schedule or church or volunteer work they do.  They have
too many
	other distractions and too many irons in the fire. Maybe after
	christmas, or next year, or next month, or 'At the next
meeting'.

	These people cannot be counted on to join the cause unless the
time
	comes that there will be no penalty for their actions.  Only
when they
	feel they can act without consequence will they be ready to
fight. Since
	that time will never come they cannot be counted on at all.
This is not
	a sign of the times however.  During the American revolution one
third
	of the population joined the fight and fought with their
government
	(England) against the rebels.  Another third stayed neutral and
	complacent, fearing repercussion. Only a third stood up and put
it all
	on the line.  They won the fight, and they won their freedom.
They won
	OUR freedom.  Alas, I fear that far less than a third of the
population
	would be willing to do the same today.

	I was recently searching the discussion groups on Yahoo to find
groups
	that pertained to Arkansas.  I live in Arkansas and belong to a
Militia.
	I was trying to find Arkansas Based groups to join and talk with
other
	folks about participating in the militia.  My search results
were
	frightening.  In Arkansas there are dozens of groups with
hundreds of
	members of Gays and Lesbians.  There is one group of Gay Arab
Men in
	Arkansas that has almost 1000 members.  People don't mind being
known as
	Gay, or Satanic.  People don 't fear being known as Wiccan, or
Atheist,
	they don't fear being associated with any group except for the
one group
	that wields the power to offer resistance.  The Militia.  You
can write
	letters and post messages all day long.  You can call your
congressman,
	or write your president, but until you commit yourself and your
time to
	a cause that can actually offer a solution you are 'all talk'.
And that
	brings up another old saying.  "talk is cheap" .

	Eric Powers
	Arkansas State Militia
	http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arstatemil
	http://www2.arkansas.net/~ericp  Netscape 6.2 or Internet
Explorer only

	arkansassv40 {AT} yahoo.com



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	"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of
servitude
	better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in
peace.
	We ask not your counsel or your arms. Crouch down and lick the
hands of
	those who feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you. May
posterity
	forget that ye were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams
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