I just spent last evening with a British immigrant who has just bought a home here in America, which -- along with his job -- he thinks will establish himself well enough here that he shall remain forever. "Good," I said, "and what are you going to do about Donald Trump?"
"Well, if I must leave again I suppose I shall," he said. "I could probably get you out too."
I answered, "I'm not going anywhere. This is my country, and that is the whole reason I own a rifle."
A third party to our discussion, an American from Omaha, jumped in enthusiastically at this point. He missed, in his enthusiasm, our British comrade wiping away tears.
They cannot see the danger from the left, though neither are even slight friends of Ms. Clinton. The danger from the right occupies all their thoughts, though it is perhaps rather less severe. I don't imagine Donald Trump would be trying to run out British émigrés, and I'm not sure how much I think he'll really turn on Hispanic or Muslim ones. I have a feeling it's all talk with him.
But how nice to see enthusiasm for the rifle. How nice to see even the romance of it. It is worth a few glorious tears. It is the final guarantee of liberty.
I've been discouraged lately about citizens' willingness to stand up to government. I was encouraged, though, by my county's resounding 90/10 rejection of a new groundwater commission that would have removed our right to capture water via wells. Not that anyone is blind to the need to protect groundwater, but we successfully aroused the voters to the notion that any solution needed to be narrowly tailored to a specific and visible problem. If there are looming efforts to suck too much water out of the ground and sell it to Lubbock, a commission might be formed to address that issue. There is no basis for removing the right of residents of a rural county to sink their own wells, "just in case." The County Commissioners were shocked by the pushback. It's a small issue, but a good sign.
ReplyDeleteTexan, last I heard, the plan was still to tap the water north of the Canadian River and sell it to San Antonio. :) Y'all are safe for a while.
ReplyDeleteAlthough its still hard to beat the plan to tap the Mississippi and pump it across LA and TX up to the Panhandle. Would only require eight (or 10) dedicated nuclear power plants to run the pumps. For some reason President Carter killed the bill.
LittleRed1
We're at about 20 feet of elevation here on the coast. Our groundwater is the below-sea-level lens of freshwater that naturally collects itself atop the saltwater under our feet. It's not that easy to get a big flow out of it, and I'd be surprised if it were the first choice of any distant Texas municipality looking for a cheap and easy new source of fresh water. It's brackish and not great. There's a reason our house runs primarily on a rainwater cistern! But it is potable in a pinch and can be used for irrigation on tolerant plants. I have no interest in begging a county commission for the right to continue pumping it. I suspect them of a long-term preference to force the whole county into municipal water treatment systems. Our own system is environmentally preferable and, frankly, I don't want a water utility district in my life.
ReplyDeleteGrim, Did you quote his countryman?
ReplyDelete“That rifle on the wall of the labourer's cottage or working class flat is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there.” George Orwell.
I did not, but he's a big fan of Orwell. It's good odds he knows the citation.
ReplyDeleteAh, the Leftist alliance. Many people in America refused to see what it truly was, even though they were warned many years ago.
ReplyDeleteThe go it alone AMerican philosophy works in Afghanistan and Iraq, due to a number of reasons having to do with British and EU allies. Trying to fight Islamic Jihad while ignoring the Leftist raiders cutting supply lines, was never going to work, even for people who were truly independent. That was a war they were going to lose.
Too much pride breaks the providence and covenant.