This need didn’t end in 1781 when Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, or in 1865 when Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox, or in 1946 when the McMinn County Sheriff’s Department surrendered in Athens, Tennessee.For those who don't know about it: The Battle of Athens.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
QotD: The Real Purpose Department
Bob Owens, explaining the real reason behind the Second Amendment, included this zinger:
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13 comments:
The Battle of Athens has long deserved a big screen treatment. If I had any talent or skill with screenplays, I'd write one myself.
The downside (or is it?) Is how to make such a movie without getting Mel Gibson's backing?
"Freedom!!!!"
Mel Gibson only kills the English. I'm surprised he hasn't played a Boer farmer yet.
As Eleanor Roosevelt wrote of the battle of Athens: “If a political machine does not allow the people free expression, then freedom-loving people lose their faith in the machinery under which their government functions . . . We may deplore the use of force but we must also recognize the lesson which this incident points for us all.”
Eleanor always seemed smarter than Franklin.....she married below her station, methinks. Plus, she packed heat her own self. A strong woman, wether you agree w/her ideas or not.
Wow. Even Eleanor Freakin Roosevelt got it a little bit...
'Course "freedom-loving" disarmed people are still subjects and serfs...
Better but much longer source on the Battle of Athens - http://www.americanheritage.com/content/battle-athens
Bob Owens takes the innernets, for the WIN!
gfa
The 15 minute movie you see on Youtube is rather lame, and dramatically (or undramatically) understates the severity of the fighting at the police station, with vets getting shot during each of several rushes.
I also believe there were several explosions before the deputies finally gave up, after twice threatening to murder prisoners if the "Mob" didn't disperse.
Interestingly, after the police surrender, the vets secured them in the jail to protect them from the crowds, then set up citywide patrols until things calmed down.
The movie has the goodguys using M-1 carbines, but the actual weapons were a few M-1 Garands and 40 or so 1917 Enfields, against a police force with one Thompson submachine gun, less than 20 shotguns, and more than 100 handguns.
Multiple thousands of rounds were fired, and all the fired brass was collected for souvenirs, but the weapons were cleaned and returned to the armory.
Since then, the National Guard has taken to storing the weapons without bolts, and leaving said bolts with the local police force.
So next time kiddies, bring your own toys to the playground.
It made me think of Stephen Hunter's Hot Springs, which was itself a fictionalized version of a similar soldier's uprising in 1947 Arkansas.
Matt
St Paul
Since then, the National Guard has taken to storing the weapons without bolts, and leaving said bolts with the local police force.
That's the Left's Militia right there, folks! Always stooling for the guards!
Well, my VAARNG unit didn't leave the bolts with the local doughnut shop.
Out of the rifles (but not the GPMGs, nor the slides of the pistols), sure. But in a "tool roll" type thing which was stored in a padlocked steel chest, with the pistols. And only the "unassigned" rifles at that.
I'm surprised he hasn't played a Boer farmer yet.
Hot Dang! You think that's in pre-production yet?
Tam:
Dont want to hijack the thread, but I must speak up-
I don't know Mr. Owens from Adam's off ox, but he seems to have slandered some folks undeservedly -he lumps General Lee( and my g-g-g grandfather and his father and brothers, as well as thousands more ) with Cornwallis and the McMinn County Sherrif's Department.
In Athens, Tennessee, in 1946, the McMinn County bad guys were working for a political thug who thought he was king and who decided to deprive the locals of their rights - namely trying to rig an election.
Lord Cornwallis was working for a King whose subjects had voted to be "free and independent", and said King was reluctant to acquiesce to the vote - Cornwallis was trying to overturn the results of that vote with bayonets and cannon and subordinates such as Bannistre Tarlton.
In contrast, General Lee was employed by the sovereign State of Virginia and a new nation who had voted, just as their ancestors had, to be " free and independent"; and my ancestors were involved because Texas had voted to secede, to be a " free and independent " part of this new nation. From Washington,DC , Mr Lincoln's response was to plan for an invasion of Texas, to " hold Texas in the Union" as his telegram to Sam Houston reads.
No matter how you slice it, Mr. Lincoln chose to overturn the results of a free and fair election at the point of a bayonet. No free citizen of a republic could stand for such an affront, so my grandsire and his kin and neighbors took their personal arms off to war to resist the Federal coercion.
Of course, General Lee and my ancestors lost, but it wasn't for lack of effort, nor for want of courage - mostly they ran out of powder and ball.
It can certainly be argued that Lee and my ancestors were wrong, but those opinions are always based on facts seen through a modern lens, and filtered through a victor's sensibilities. In spite of that, even today, a paper on the subject prepared at Indiana or Purdue or Ohio State or Harvard will likely be a bit different from one written at Baylor or Texas A & M or VMI.
Robert Lee and the men who defended their home states in a hopeless struggle against an unwanted central government should not be lumped, even casually, even carelessly, with history's villains, unless, of course, the intent was gratuitous insult and aggravation.
Who is really the bad guy to be lumped with Corwallis and the McMinn County Sheriff's Department?
End of Transmission. Back to your regular programming.
Regards
GKT
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