Monday, November 10, 2008

Guest Column: Unintentional Revolutionary

by Ed Dunnigan

Sometimes, an individual gets an idea that is so radical, that his actions change the culture forever. Eli Whitney, Henry Ford, Orville and Wilbur Wright; It is such men that create the societal changes that span decades, or even centuries. Consider Bill Gates; wanting only to make computers as available to the public as televisions, he managed to create an irreversible change in society, especially regarding the exchange of information. Much to the chagrin of the major news agencies, people are no longer reliant upon them to find out what is happening in the world.

But the revolutionary idea doesn't necessarily have to be a new or radical concept; sometimes the idea that is put forth just seems radical because it is old wisdom that has been largely forgotten. Once it is put before a modern audience, the truth contained within the concept resonates with the modern listener, and the person that brought the concept forth is considered to be a visionary, if not a genius.

Dave Ramsey is such a man. Now, before you roll your eyes and move on to the next article, consider this; Dave Ramsey was espousing individual fiscal conservatism at the same time that our president was telling us to charge our purchases and take out loans for the good of the economy. Now that those chickens have come home to roost, Ramsey seems like a prophet.

So what, you ask, does this have to do with guns? Plenty.

President-elect Obama is a product of Chicago politics; the most corrupt, anti-gun, political machine in the nation. His presidency looks to be the first in our nation's history that views gun control, not as some politically expedient platform that he uses to gain congressional support, but as a method of controlling and eliminating his political opponents. We will almost certainly experience a new and more invasive Assault Weapons Ban, and his overt hostility to the idea of concealed carry indicates that he will work to counter all of the progress made by the pro-freedom movement.

With this in mind, it is certainly tempting to go out and charge the purchase price of a semi-automatic rifle, magazines, ammunition, and all of the kit to support such a thing. However, as counter-intuitive as this may sound, I am telling you that that would play directly into the hands of those that would subvert this country, and replace it with their version of a socialist utopia. To go into debt to buy an AR15 is to sell yourself a little deeper into financial slavery.

Modern day Americans are the most indebted generation in our nation's history. An individual that has a mortgage, car payment, and massive credit card debt cannot afford to financially support the people on our side that would fight our legislative battles for us. Think of it; if you are fighting to pay the minimums on your credit cards while maintaining all of your other bills, how can you concentrate your attention, let alone your finances, to donate to the cause? (And by that, I'm not talking about national lobbying organizations that talk a good fight and then compromise with the enemy, I'm speaking of the grass roots organizations that do the hard, hairy, work locally while their national counterparts with the seven-figure salaries travel the cocktail and hors d'oeuvres circuit.)

It is no secret that those that seek to eliminate the Second Amendment fear us. We only have to remember Henry Waxman's mewling about fifty caliber rifles penetrating his limousine to remind us of that fact. They also know that an overt confiscation of our weapons would result in a bloodbath, with their blood as the main ingredient. Therefore, they will hit us where we are the most vulnerable: in the legislature. Make no mistake, The Senate, and The House both run on money, and he with the biggest bag of cash gets all of the attention. A beautiful chronicle of this process can be found in the book "Hill Rat-Blowing the Lid Off of Congress" by John L. Jackey. And while you're at it, read "Ricochet" by Richard Feldman and learn how, sometimes, your worst enemies are your friends. Most of all, read "Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey. It's more than a financial guide; it's a roadmap of the path to freedom.

Freeing yourself from this slavery is the single most important step you can take in redeeming our republic. An individual without debt is better insulated from the idiosyncrasies of the economy than is his leveraged-to-the-gills brethren. One who doesn't have to skip a utility payment to donate to his or her favorite charity can be more effective in the legislative battles. As well, someone for whom taking a day off work to testify before the state legislature isn't a financially-crippling
indulgence can become a powerful force at the grass roots level. Remember, we have no George Soros providing us with endless funds with which to war against our foes. Our strength lies in our numbers, but those numbers are worthless if we can't afford to fight the war.

In short, if you do not currently own a semi-automatic rifle with a high-capacity magazine, learn to be more effective with what you have. In the meantime, listen to Dave's show, read his book, and follow the steps chronicled therein. Whether he intended it or not, Dave Ramsey has given us the tools to fight the coming battle, all we have to do is use them.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

"A beautiful chronicle of this process can be found in the book "Hill Rat-Blowing the Lid Off of Congress" by John L. Jackey"

That would be "Jackley." And may I also suggest "Parliament of Whores" by PJ O'Rourke.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like we should be fighting the enemy where he is strong, on his ground and by his rules. Oddly enough I can not find any historical references that show this to be a good idea. We need to fight them where they are weak, NOT where they are strong. We need to make them play by OUR rules.

Anonymous said...

It's not a matter of attacking them where they're strong, it's a matter of strengthening ourselves. Preparing for the Red Dawn scenario is certainly a valid tactic, but it's not the only one. If you claim to be free, but you are in debt up to your eyeballs, you're fooling yourself.

W W Woodward said...

Debt.

I remember a conversation I had with my mother back in the '50s.

I was concerned that I didn't have my own car, that my clothes weren't as stylish as those of some of my classmates, and that the house we lived in wasn't as nice as the people I wanted to impress.

My mother, who spent most of her life working for FmHA and the local bank, pointed out that all of my classmates who had the cars, the clothes and the big houses owed everything to the bank or some other lending agency and that at any time the bank could call the loan due and take everything they owned.

She then went on to say that everything we owned was paid for and that nobody could take it from us.

I never complained again and have done my damnest ever since to stay out of debt.

Anonymous said...

Lots of good advice, also good testimonials..................Indebtedness is a form of slavery.

Anonymous said...

I see no problem going into debt to buy a basic tool for survival and personal defense, if you have no such tool at present. If you ever need it as badly as some people think, you probably won't be worrying about making payments on that card anyhow. This is not to say that spending thousands on a belt fed, crew served weapon is prudent, however, if the situation warrants ...

Anonymous said...

This is all fine and dandy in a make believe world. But in the world we live in the rule of law and fair elections are history.
Fact: Oboma will not produce the proof that he is a United States citizen. The reason he isn't doing this to put this issue behind him is, he's not a citizen. So if we know this, which many of us do and know the details of the farce ruling in PA. Than the international elitist running our nation's capitol know this as well as the puppets they have had elected. What this means is the United States Constitution may as well have the glass covering it busted and have it taking out so they all can wipe their asses with it. They have openly thumbed their noses at the U.S. Constitution and anything is fair game after that. We have a huge problem with the fact that Oboam refuses to produce his proof of citizenship as the U.S. Constitution demands.
Screw giving money to this political cause or that political cause. We have gone far beyond that if this man is allowed to take the oath of office without proving he's Constitutionally able to hold that office.
I can't believe this is not a topic that is being yelled from every rooftop.

Anonymous said...

avgjoe:
The FBI does a thorough background check on each candidate. Do you really think that an enemy of America would be able to pass through that kind of scrutiny undetected? And before you begin to froth about conspiracies, think about this: the same group of people that couldn't run a brothel, couldn't keep military secrets, and can't even keep spies out of the CIA are not going to be able to keep a conspiracy of the magnitude necessary to destroy us a secret.

Anonymous said...

If you are in debt up to your eyeballs, you are not free.

You can beat your chest and talk about what a hardcore libertarian he-man Randian uber mensch all you want.

But if you are in debt, you ain't free at all.

Also, not having any debts (other than a mortgage, in my case)and having cash saved up, and having some side jobs as sources of cash make it a lot easier to go out and buy ammo and ARs and magazines, etc. etc.

Get out of debt. Yesterday.