On Mike Vanderboegh’s letter

To the Capital Times no less…

http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/letters/297313

I’m aware of the storm of opinion that this letter has caused (see David Codrea and Kevin Baker for more, and more succinct debate).  I also agree with Billy Beck in a comment on the controversy:

Every time I ever see this discussion, I can count on a goodly number of people saying that “we’re not there yet”. The only only that they can really say with authority is that they are not “there yet”. Nobody can determine someone else’s threshold of outrage: the point where what could be lost in violence is not worth would could be gained. In the very same way that the socialists are wrong when they presume someone else’s values, it’s no good for some to say to others, “we’re not there yet”. This is an arbitrary presumption of what someone else should live with in the man-made arena of politics. (That last point is important: “life is not fair” platitudes don’t cut it, here.)

For my part (and I know that writing this here does meet with David Codrea’s contempt, as I blog here anonymously)

UPDATE – David Codrea responds (very graciously, too)

http://waronguns.blogspot.com/2008/07/im-sorry-if-i-gave-this-impression.html#links

I do agree with Vanderboegh – people  must, from time to time, be reminded that they don’t speak of outlawing something like Jarts or trans fats – but weapons, obects specifically enumerated by the Constitution, and there will be some who will react to their banning with violent force should it be attempted.

And any God that may or may not exist grant that I do not have to respond in that fashion.

On the political wisdom of the timing of the letter, well, aside from the almost certainty that the Times will use the letter to paint us as maniacs – so what else is new, right? – such things need to be said.

I’d rather not spend hours out of my weekend and funds I could be using to make a movie on ammo and gas to get to the range.  But I prep anyway – because the time Vanderboegh writes of might be coming, sooner than I think, and I want to be ready should that horrible day come.

Thomas Berna