A Confederate Yankee
By William D. Mayers
(Town of Sullivan, NY – Aug. 2014) Really, this is too good not to share. For several weeks, a grungy band of ne’er-do-wells has been “exercisin’ arr Konsitoot’nal rahts” by gathering in a public space in downtown Austin, Texas, carrying assault-style rifles, caressing them like lovers and frightening small children and intimidating adults who pass by.
Well, a number of local women got tired of these pointless shenanigans and began showing up at the same spot. They stripped from the waist up and began strutting around topless. The gun-toters were aghast. They demanded to know what the women were up to.
“Exercising our rights!” the ladies answered. Yes, indeed, dear readers: in supposedly ultra-conservative Austin, Texas, it’s legal for women to go topless in public. And yes, the women were making a point.
“We’re law-abiding citizens who respect the Second Amendment,” one explained in an exasperated voice. “There are gun owners in our families. Some of us own guns. But we have the good sense to leave them at home, rather than haul them around scaring the hell out of young children and intimidating older folks. So we’re out here, exercising our legal right to go topless, to make a point. That point is to show you how foolish you appear and to encourage you to grow up.”
Seriously, what’s with these open carry lunatics? Are they really so clueless as to suppose people will see them and will consider them fine, upstanding patriots for lurching around with guns like so many drooling idiots?
Can they not see that the rest of us consider them cowards and bullies and domestic terrorists, no better than the most rabid of Muslim suicide bombers?
No, I guess not. But they do get upset when others exercise their right to protest not being allowed to go about their business in public without having to live in fear of guns in irresponsible hands.
Only in America: women’s breasts considered a greater threat to public safety than military-style firearms.
What the hey, Open Carry Texas? You guys ought to know better!
William D. “Bill” Mayers RT, RN, of Sullivan is a retired senior U.S. Army Corpsman. A certified healthcare professional since 1964, he holds two professional licenses, including that of Registered Professional Nurse licensed in New York, Alaska, Virginia and Louisiana. He has four children, two stepchildren, three grandchildren and is an avid analyst of current events.
Funny, huh? First let me say that I am a second amendment, right to carry, etc. fanatic. BUT, I get a kick out of how so many people, in Texas and New York and all over our great nation jump up and down about the second amendment but turn around and forget that there are many amendments that we should be protecting. ALL of them.
My biggest beef is with the fundamentalist christians. Most are pro gun but anti women. Most are pro gun but anti gay. Most are pro gun but anti non christian and many are pro gun anti different denomination from themselves. They want their supernatural beliefs displayed on PUBLIC property claiming that taking it home to their PRIVATE property is a violation of their rights. They claim to defend freedom of speech but too often prove that they only mean their own speech.
In addition, as a fiscal conservative I was fascinated by the idea of the tea party. That is until I realized that every local or national website I went to was filled with anti gay marriage, thinly disguised racial prejudice and the usual non-statements about “family values”, whatever that is. Very little about fiscal responsibility other than “lower MY taxes.”
The biggest danger to the constitution and bill of rights comes from those who want to pick and choose which rights are important, and whose.