Saturday, August 04, 2012

Some Thoughts on Winning...

I received a lovely email this morning, one that I would class as a thinly veiled threat to me and mine. It was, of course, obscene and unsigned (and neither the first I've received, nor, I imagine, the last), but I can share a bit of the joy with you:
F$%@ off, asshole! You are the s&%# that ruins America!
Yet for all that venom, it is nothing compared to the deluge of sludge, including multiple death threats, that has fallen on Olympic trapshooter (and bronze medalist in 2008) Corey Cogdell, a fine athlete, an outstanding person...and a hunter. I'm not even going to repeat those slurs and death threats here (and her Twitter pages have been taken down), but let me refer you to Bitter's blogpost on SHALL NOT BE QUESTIONED, who's been covering this disgusting and profoundly unAmerica interlude. You can read her reports here and here.

This is what a hero looks like!

Safari Club International has stepped up to support Corey, and I imagine the other firearms organizations will be issuing their own statement now that Corey is finished with her Olympic games, having failed to advance beyond the qualifiers today. It's impossible to speculate what kind of effect the anti-hunting/anti-shooting venom had on her performance...I'm sure Corey would graciously say none at all. But as a competitor myself, knowing that apparently crazy people had threatened both me and my family would weigh heavily on my mind when I stepped to the line.

Corey and my good friend Kim Rhode were mentioned by name on anti-gunting/anti-gun "progressive" sites like Change.Org and circulated on sites like Examiner.com, which ran this piece of crap on Friday. The MSM is typically silent, except for this "iReport" on CNN, which carries a specific disclaimer that this iReport, while assigned by the failing network, "Not vetted for CNN." The report parrots the anti-hunting sites and makes no mention of the multiple, repeated death threats. This is one of the milder disses, and I suggest you read the comments. These are, as I say, the mild ones.

I had agonized over blogging about this for fear of shaking more whackos out of the trees. In fact, this morning I had a long talk with my friend Paul Erhardt, whose opinion I respect, about this subject and who urged me to write something. Then I arrived home to find my own threat waiting for me.

So I think there are some things that need to be said.

I have noted the increasing calls to violence among not just anti-hunting zealots, but anti-shooting (more correctly, anti-rights) zealots as well. I believe these increasing calls to violence are because we not only are winning, but have in fact won. Americans don't want more gun control, and Americans think hunting is a perfectly fine sport. The antis have thrown everything they had against us for the last 30 years, and the American people have responded by tuning them out.

Obviously, the vast majority of this venom is pure loud-mouthed bluster, egged on by Internet anonymity. But as we saw in Aurora — and as those of us who take our personal defense very seriously already know — there are among the shouters, the blusterers, the provocateurs, the inciters and inflamers and the sad little people with a computer in their parents' basement the rare few whose minds are...broken...festering swamps of paranoia, of violent fantasies, of unrequited violence. And I believe that the posters of all these fantasy threats hope and and pray in their heart of hearts that somewhere out there is a lunatic who will do their bidding, who will bring the gasoline and fertilizer to the party and make real the posters' dark and often explicitly stated fantasies.

If this is the price of our victory, so be it. But our enemies need to understand that we are united, hunters and shooters stand together. An attack on one is an attack on all.

25 comments:

Unknown said...

Michael - Thank you for your unwavering support.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Michael for your words and for bringing this matter to the forefront. By the grace of God, we will all stand together.

nj_larry said...

My humble observation. The left and its ecosystem are ready and willing to destroy their perceived enemies and this country. I have been toying lately with the idea that we are in fact in the midst of a civil war right now. Its not as obvious as the 1860 party. Just as the military now considers cyber warfare equivalent to kinetic warfare, the world of words on the web is the civilian version. Take a look this week as the restaurant Chick-fil-a was threatened, defaced, by those who want tolerance supposedly. The absolute vile things written about the chain and its principals.

I predict that if November doesn't go their way, we might just see tremendous violence in the streets. This is the veiled threat that the left holds over politicians and this republic. Yet no one will openly talk about it. Your episode and Cory's, is the start of what could be a very fearful period in Americas history.

Overload in Colorado said...

Hopefully you contacted the FBI and forwarded this threat to them?

Eric said...

Too many rats in the box!

DamDoc said...

it amazes me how narrow minded and intolerant the nazi regressive leftists really are.. they claim the mantel of the party of peace, love, woodstock, and hope and change... they are really the worst of what they criticize everyone else of. We waterboard and that is claimed to be a war crime. Their savior assinates people with drones without trial, and crickets... pretty much sums it up.

shawn w said...

hmmm
the people that scream the loudest for tolerance are in fact the most intolerant. only in America.

and to doc,
that's assassination of two American citizens without charge or trial.

i'm not defending anything said Americans may have done to bring on such a response by our leaders in DC.
only that as Americans, they deserved due process.

shawn w said...

sorry doc,

seems you did feel the same as I.
senior moment, please forgive.

"gunner" said...

some idiot threatened you? does he think all that shooting you do on t.v. is just special effects, hollywood stuff? if you didn't slready have a .45 i'd gladly lend you one of mine.

Pathfinder said...

We also need to remember we live in a country populated by people dumbed down by the public "education" system, given awards for participating not winning, and in general told that they were special and unique their whole life, while never accomplishing anything.

In short, we live in a country filled with little children in grown-up bodies.

And we are seeing the virulent tantrums of these children daily because they are not getting their way, when they have become accustomed to getting their way their whole life. It is truly sad.

Anonymous said...

Pathfinder posted
"we live in a country populated by people dumbed down by the public "education" system, "

How dumb ?
Think about this, "people" who by the very nature of their delusions posses no weapons are sending threats to people who by the basic nature of their beliefs and occupations not only have weapons, but are also quite proficient in their use.
If that isn't the epitome of stupid I don't know what is.
Tom B.

Steve said...

I agree that we have won. Many on our side need to get out of their defensive crouch and recognize that it isn't 1993 anymore.
The media is trying to cover up the fact that Obama's reelection campaign is in serious trouble but as it becomes obvious to the faithful that the president is not going to be reelected, I expect the threats of violence as well as the actual political violence to increase dramatically.
Our side is too civilized to respond in kind but the irony of the unarmed making threats against the guys with the guns is not lost on me.

George said...

These people are domestic terrorists. The only thing they haven't done is drive a truck into a garage and blow up the building or fly a plane into a building to blame it on us.

I agree with Michael that we should take these threats seriously. Here's a Wikipedia entry on one of the more extreme on their side: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Yourofsky.

We need to be ever vigilant....

George said...

This is the guy I was originally thinking about:

http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/04/30/animal-rights-terrorist-dr-jerry-vlasak/

Will said...

These people fully expect that "the system", directed by their fellow thinkers in .gov, will provide the muscle to deal with us at some point. They have no wish to dirty their own hands with violence, for the most part. That's what the "little people" in uniforms is for.

This is what they have learned from looking at other countries. Problem for them is that it won't go the same way here. Way too many armed, independent thinking citizens. I suspect that "leftist" will qualify for addition to the endangered species list here, if they push this idiocy far enough.

nj_larry said...

@Will...just want to remind folks that Katrina was a recent lesson for us all. I don't remember any officers standing up to their brothers in blue saying "stop or else". A thousand guns later (in like 1 week) the innocent citizens only had a multi-year recourse in the courts. Good people are not going to fire on cops, and cops will follow orders. This has been proved time and time again.

bigdrumdaddy said...

"An attack on one is an attack on all."

Truer words were never spoken, Michael. For, if there's one thing I know - that among the many hunters, shooters, collectors, and veterans I've met during my lifetime, freedom is the tie that binds us. We may differ on the finer points, but freedom to do our business, and to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and the fruits of our labors without government interference is a quality shared by all. Unfortnuately, our pointy-headed adversaries will never understand any of that.

As one who has fought and bled beside fellow Marines - as I suppose many among us have - I know all too well that freedom isn't free. And it's far more than some inoccuous word. I have made it known my whole life that I am not a man who goes looking for a fight - and much like you've said of yourself, Michael, I've done and said any and everything to avoid fighting with some loudmouth lout in public (even though I may be three times his size), for the cost in the end is simply not worth it.

But . . . you threaten me, my loved ones, my liberties, my means of making a living, show nothing but distain for the political process when it doesn't go your way - and begin to re-define even the most basic of terms to suit your agenda - among other things far too numerous to mention . . . and I tell you outright that you are playing with fire.

Glenn Beck likes to say, "A storm is coming." And that may be so for Glenn is a friend and a mentor of sorts - but I believe the storm he sees is rising from our side as the "real America" has had it's fill. And the time for THAT America to strike back - perhaps by any means necessary - is nearly upon us.

I am content, for now, to heighten my awareness - much as I did after the Aurora, CO shooting - but if they can "get" to Michael I have no illusions about being safe myself. But I'll "strike back" on NOV 6 - for now.

The rest is up to them.

Anonymous said...

ALL threats must be reported to the appropriate agency. A "police report" must also be filed, to make the report official. This compels action on the part of the police agency. The incident cannot be closed easily, or by just passing it off. Then, you must insist that action be taken. As citizens, we must all back the "threatened" to ensure that actions are taken.

Life Member

Rob Drummond said...

This stuff has been going on for years & we should take it seriously & write, speak, & talk about it.

I am was a member of a list on sheepdogs, sheep, and farming. Most of the people who are on it are PC liberal leaning. One bleeding heart was asking for advise about loosing his lambs to turkey vultures & asking for advise on what to do. He didn't want to kill them he just wanted them to go away. He got all sorts of advise about who to call like government agencies, the game warden or wildlife specialist to come out and evaluate the situation. My advise that I sent him was to "shoot, shovel, & shut up". My response not only got me baned from posting but I got all sorts of hate mail both private & publicly on the list. This was a year ago & I still get hate emails from time to time on this subject. While getting the hate mail I got several private emails that agreed with me & supportted what I said. Most practical people with a problem like this are not going to just wait for someone to show up & evaluate the situation & still continue to loose stock.

The point of the story is even something like this can trigger hate responses and wiggle some of the lunies loose. Many of the people who support my position were quiet & privately supported what I wrote. I think it's important to speak up & not be silent about these kinds of threats. So all the more reason I am glad you wrote about threats Michael it's important.

For example over this issue about the vultures I got an email that said "I know you & know where you travel, be prepared" I mean what does that mean? How do you not take that seriously?
Rob Drummond
Hillsboro, NH

Michael Bane said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Michael Bane said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Michael Bane said...

Okay, will now attempt to type correctly! I sat down with local law enforcement Saturday. I explained that while I had not been specifically threatened, the post was disturbing enough that I wanted to make the authorities aware of it.

I also raided my now threat assessment," both in and outside my home.

As we've seen in Wisconsin, psychopathic violence is a communicable disease, and as with any disease, it is up to us to take preventative measures.

mb

Michael Bane said...

"raised" not raided...automatic correction is killing me!

mb

Al S said...

Well put Michael. Watch your 6…

Will said...

@nj_larry:

When I referred to "independent thinking citizens", I was not including the cops, as their hiring practices over the last 20 years or so have weeded out a lot of good guys.