Our friends at MomAtArms remind us that the first impulse self-preserving political trough-feeders have is to protect their precious hindquarters, and if that means constituent disarmament, the historical precedent is there. [More]
I remember that particular historical precedent well. I included it with a list of other infringements an unidentified politician supported and asked readers what they thought of him. Over 75% considered him a traitor.
I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that some got mad at me and tried to make excuses when I told them who he was. I'm also not surprised to see so many gun owners still revere the guy.
But wait, as late TV pitchman Billy Mays used to say, there's more!
In an event similar to the upset caused by your poll, during the Vietnam war, local high school students were roughed up after trying to get construction workers to sign a "petition" which was actually the text of The Declaration of Independence.
ReplyDeleteIn there somewhere is a parallel to the fact that even while Congress as a whole had an approval rating below 15%, incumbents were being re-elected 97% of the time.
Despite historical evidence to the contrary, people hold on to the myth of the first Thanksgiving with almost religious fervor.
I has been proven very difficult to get people to take the equivalent of "The Matrix" Red Pill, and many are quite upset for a time if they do.
This is dangerous on multiple levels for as Herr Goebbels proved repeatedly, the truth is no where as powerful a force as what people believe.
"All lies and jest, still a man hears what he wants to hear. And disregards the rest..." -- "The Boxer" by Simon & Garfunkel