Saturday, May 04, 2013

WWMLKD?

Salon's Alex Seitz-Wald reports on a planned act of armed civil disobedience from the gunners:
Libertarian activist and radio host Adam Kokesh is hoping to get 1,000 people to march on Washington on July 4 -- armed with loaded rifles. The plan, launched with a Facebook group today, is to gather on the Virginia side of the Potomac, where gun laws are lax, and then march across the bridge with loaded rifles slung over their shoulders into the District, where openly carrying weapons is generally prohibited.

"This will be a non-violent event," the Facebook group warns, "unless the government chooses to make it violent."
That's probably true. If the police allow this to happen, it probably will be peaceful -- right-wingers who engage in dominance challenges like this tend not to get violent, basically because the dominance challenge itself satisfies the desire for violence. In other words, these folks get off sufficiently on the notion that they're hurting and frightening us and we're afraid to stop them.

If this takes place and is successful, there'll be more and more demonstrations like this -- until the Overton window on guns moves that much farther to the right and more and more people question laws forbidding open carry. And so a few more of those laws will fall, and the gunners' insane notions will become more and more mainstream.

Misermix calls this demo a "dress rehearsal for the coming revolution." I disagree. This will just help the gunners get what they want working within the system.

If this takes place -- there are questions about whether it will -- I hope the authorities will turn it back with force but zero violence. The organizer claims his troops won't resist:
This will be a non-violent event, unless the government chooses to make it violent. Should we meet physical resistance, we will peacefully turn back, having shown that free people are not welcome in Washington, & returning with the resolve that the politicians, bureaucrats, & enforcers of the federal government will not be welcome in the land of the free.
I'd like to see this march met by a King-like group dedicated to nonviolence. Imagine if, as the marchers crossed the bridge, they were faced with a group of D.C. residents -- unarmed, serious, dignified, young and middle-aged and old, maybe even dressed in their Sunday best, and determined to block the marchers' progress without force, merely by standing in place.

Yes, if we're talking D.C. residents, it's likely that the vast majority of them will be African-American. It's likely that the vast majority of the marchers will, um, not be African-American. I think that would tell a story right there about who the gunners are and what war they think they're fighting.

I don't think the gunners will stop winning every fight until some of us literally start facing them down. The Newtown victims have begun that process. But I think more of us are going to have to treat the gunners as if they're the Tiananmen tanks. Because, really, they don't need a revolution -- on their issue, they have government power on their side.

7 comments:

Nefer said...

I saw a story about this elsewhere and a commenter (not me) suggested meeting the marchers with flowers, which I think could be a great idea, especially visually.

Victor said...

What are they gonna call it?

"The Thousand Cro-Magnon Man March on Washington?"

And yeah, let them cross over - but the let them be faced with, not DC residents, but thousands of children from all over the country, with crosshairs on their T-shirts, holding flowers.

And I'll gladly listen to anyone elses suggestion of other things which might mock and ridicule these sociopathic gutless cowards even more than those kids.

Glennis said...

Perhaps the police could just peacefully hand each marcher a court summons.

aimai said...

I'd like to see the march met by police and paddy wagons, handcuffs and court dates. It is absolutely not for innocent, unarmed, civilians to try to block or even shame these assholes. But I wouldn't object to lining the march with pictures of the dead children with signs under them saying "Your right to bear arms is responsible for the deaths of these innocents, and thousands more every year. Be ashamed."

John Taylor said...

I see this as an irresponsible provocation. These idiots should be ashamed of themselves.

Examinator said...

Victor,
No it's called an opportunity for Jihadists or any suicidal malcontent to run amok with a fire arm or explosives.

Clearly the Numbnut that thunk this up isn't big on commonsense or history. In every protest there is an element trouble makers.

Imagine what will have to be the police response Swat squads up the wahzoo… one person wanting to make a suicidal point and instant BLOOD BATH. The police, these wannabe minute men all shooting at everybody else...Great news story not so sure that it would be a successful pitch for the unlimited interpretation of 2 nd amendment.
On second thought it’s one way to show their interpretation for what it is and as a bonus a few less gun nuts that can’t be all bad can it?
The flowers will come in handy for the memorial.

Realistically the Police must be planning to stop it .

Anonymous said...

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