I just read
a comment over at Blogonomicon that I see time and again on forums, in comments, and in emails I receive:
You're preaching to the choir.
The following is from "You Say You Want a Revolution?," published several years back in
GUNS AND AMMO:
If only this assumption was true. We would be invincible!
The choir is comprised of the volunteers up there doing the work, singing. These are the people who learn the music and the words and the programs. They take significant time out from their demanding professional and personal lives to practice, to learn and to perform. And they’ll do it again next week, and the next.
The overwhelming majority of gun owners are, at best, spectators. They may occasionally attend a service, they may even put a couple dollars in the plate when it’s passed, but to actually put forth time, effort and financial support on a continued basis, to do real work and make real sacrifices, is something they typically find reasons for not doing.
I have no way of knowing if the comment poster who was the catalyst for this rant is in "the choir" or not, and don't mean to imply otherwise. It's just that I see this comment tossed around cavalierly by others, and think it important to point out the reality, that most who claim membership are giving themselves more credit than they're due.
Must be a regional thing. In my neck of the woods we say "Preaching to the pew"--which is probably a more accurate phrase.
ReplyDeleteThe people in the pew show up, sit there, say "amen" a lot, put some change in the collection plate, and leave immediately after services--you assume they agree with the message--but you can't have church without them.
Sometimes, for reasons unknown to me, when I reply to a comment at my own blog, it doesn't auto-log me in. Most of the time when this happens I don't even notice it.
ReplyDeleteI left the proverbial "choir" reply to the first comment at my blog. I didn't know that I wasn't automatically logged in so it showed me as "anonymous." I'll go fix it later on today.
In making that perhaps cliched remark, I was referring specifically to the point made by the original commenter: that guns don't commit crimes, people commit crimes. In saying what I did, I only meant, "I already agree with you, so turn your caps lock off."
Maybe I should have left some detailed comments on what I thought of both the NRA and JPFO letters, but it was early in the morning and it was nearly time for me to go to work.
Tonight I'll try to put my opinion on these letters (at least) in the post in an update. My opinion is the same as JPFO: the BATF should be utterly and completely eliminated. Any legitimate and constitutional functions they that currently perform should be relegated to a new agency (or agencies).
Then, if I had my way, I'd bring charges against Janet Reno for conspiracy to commit mass murder and start working my way down (and possibly up) from there.
Not a bad idea, Alandp. Could you arrange for an indictment of Ron Horiuchi while you was at it?
ReplyDeleteAlanDP & Sean - Can assure you that the Big Guy in the sky has much greater plans for the tyrants. It will be far worse than anything we can come up with, I guarantee you that....
ReplyDeleteLinking doesn't work for the new blogger beta.
ReplyDeletePreaching to the choir?
"David reminds us of the true meaning of a phrase we've all used (likely misused)..."
Hear Hear!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat site! Into the Blog Roll you go.