Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Take the Only Ones Challenge!

To paraphrase Glinda, from "The Wizard of Oz":

Are you a good Only One or a bad Only One?
There's competition for the meaning of the term. Ahab/Caleb has started featuring stories illustrating the good they do.

Good for him. I've certainly never claimed exclusive rights, particularly since it was coined by someone else.

I do have a challenge for him, though:

Go up to the "Only Ones" you praised in Chicago or Los Angeles. Congratulate them on their bravery. Tell them how much you admire them, and how you sympathize with them risking so much in often thankless and unappreciated tasks. Shake their hands and offer your profound respect and appreciation.

Then, tell them that in accordance with the Supreme Law of the Land--the one that says "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed," you are carrying a pistol in order to protect yourself, your family and your community.

And then let us know how much they respect you, and which definition of "The Only Ones" manifests itself--yours or mine.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

And for the record, I love that video where that DEAidiot plugs himself in the leg.

But that's more to do with the fact that I think DEA is a bunch of cowboys.

Less said...

The media is more apt to print outrageous stories of cops gone bad and fantastic rescues...

The rank and file that do their jobs are generally ignored...

I guess what I'm saying is that its the media job to highlight the bad "only ones" and hold 'em accountable while holding the good "only ones" up in exemplary action.

Kent McManigal said...

Sweeeping the evil under the rug that those "generally ingored" Only Ones commit on an hourly basis serves the purposes of the media. Slavery, genocide, and destruction make for good news stories.

Anonymous said...

"But that's more to do with the fact that I think DEA is a bunch of cowboys."

Any particular reason to be insulting cowboys?

"The rank and file that do their jobs are generally ignored..."

A goodly number of those "rank and file" also generally ignore the crimes committed by some of their coworkers. In my book that makes them accessories after the fact (and quite possibly before the fact too).

bob r
SNBI, III

Anonymous said...

Not trying to insult cowboys - just had more than my share of run ins with DEA guys who thought they were hot shit while I was in the Coast Guard.

chris horton said...

So how about it Ahab?
Me thinks you've been
challenged here......

zach said...

I think that Ahab's blog is superfluous. The general population and the media worship "the heroes in blue" unless a white cop has to get a little rough with a black perp. Why should we congratulate them when they do their job correctly? They congratulate themselves at every opportunity where I live. On a test you don't get a mark next to a correct answer, but next to a wrong one. The police state is on the rise, tyranny will come to your neighborhood in a law enforcement uniform, and people need to recognize that WE hire peace officers to be third parties to the isolated everyday crimes that disrupt communities. David Codrea's Only Series is much more important than Ahab's.

Anonymous said...

David,

Next time I'm in Seattle or Los Angeles, I'll do that - I wouldn't do it in Chicago because it's against the law for me to carry there; and whether or not I agree with the law, I will abide by it. But you already knew that about me.

David Codrea said...

How is it you can carry in Los Angeles, Ahab? The sheriff and police chief do not issue permits to average citizens.

Anonymous said...

I have/had a California carry permit, which I'm not sure if it's valid or not since I'm not a California resident any longer.

chris horton said...

Here in Pa ours have expire dates.

I thought they all would...

David Codrea said...

That's fortunate that you could get a CA permit, Ahab. Having lived in LA county for almost 30 years, I could not to save my life--which I did, twice, at no small legal risk if caught.

Kurt '45superman' Hofmann said...

But David--surely you understand that if you had been arrested and imprisoned for maintaining the means to save your life, the people doing the arresting would only have been doing their jobs, thus making it utterly acceptable--even noble. Right?

Remember--their job is more important than your life.

Anonymous said...

Chris, my CA permit does have an expiration date, but it hasn't reached that date yet; hence why I'm not sure if it's valid or not.

Anonymous said...

Now Ahab, do it with the only permit you should need, the second amendment. Or is that too much of a challenge, since you have already begged for and received permission?

Let your permission expire, then take the challenge. That is the only way to derive the true answer, isn't it?