The recent terrorist event in the zoo previously known as Great Britain illustrated the unfortunate decline of that people. On the one hand, brave residents went after the perpetrator of violence with all available tools. On the other, the sole available weapon was a narwhal tusk in its original shape, not even fashioned into a proper spear. That’s Paleolith-level tool, no better than those available to Neanderthals.
It’s symptomatic that the would-be mass murderer continued the rampage until the zoo-keepers known as “bobbies” showed up with German submachine guns and Austrian pistols to shoot him. Good for the British subjects for taking the fight to the foe. My sympathy to them for having to do that with completely inadequate tools, for having been stripped even of bronze age implements like knives and even of paleolithic tools like non-metallic blades.
Kipling’s book “The Light That Failed” set around 1880 shows even ten-year-old kids of very modest means able to buy and carry modern firearms. A hundred and forty years later, even the adult specimens of the British herd have no such right or ability.
As with other island species that evolved away from the ability to defend themselves, or even to recognize newly imported predators upon encounter, the residents of the British Isles are in trouble. The trouble doesn’t come as much from the imported terrorists, for their depredations are opportunistic and not statistically significant yet, as from the domestic zoo-keepers using the specter of the Islamic hobgoblins to keep the proles scared, clamoring for more surveillance, for more restrictions on tools and behavior, for tighter and more constricting bondage. People elsewhere should learn from their example and pick a more constructive path.
Indeed we should Oleg. Here in the U.S. we have far too many calling for everyone to become harmless sheep. To keep us safe of course…
Some people can ‘bleat’ for disarmament all they want, and personally do so if they wish.
A significant subsection of American populace though, has a history of telling nanny-staters where to go and how to get there.
Like the five Senators who filed a brief in the New York City v. New York State Pistol and Rifle Association SCOTUS case?
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6294256-Amici-Whitehouse-Et-Al.html
Short version: “The Supremes are balanced conservative and might make a ruling we don’t like, so they shouldn’t take a Second Amendment case until we get a court that agrees with us.”
Or the 139 Representatives, whose brief says “Application Of Strict Scrutiny Or Petitioners’ Purely Historical Test Would Unduly Limit The Ability Of Legislatures Around The Country To Preserve Public Safety And Limit Gun Violence.”
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6283965-Amicus-139congressionalreps.html
“You people cannot be trusted to own firearms! The police will protect you(when they finally show up)!”
I think a couple of thousand years of English/Irish/Scots/Welsh warriors aren’t spinning in their graves anymore, they’re trying to tunnel to someplace else.
Great article Sir. May I copy it and post it on a gun forum and give credit to you?
Thank you.
My all means!
Thank you!!
Nice one! Really well done!
I would only point out that the Brits do in fact have the right to keep and bear ams, as do all peoples everywhere, whether or not they choose to assert it.
With rights after all come serious responsibilities, and to face their current responsibility for what’s happening in their country is far too much for them, in their compromised, corrupted state, to bear. In such a state, they could scarcely so much as comprehend the true nature of their plight, much less do anything positive to amend it, and comprehension is the prerequisite to positive action. More likely is that they’ll continue to double down on the false assumptions and false doctrines that got them into this trouble, and so every response to trouble will bring more trouble.
We in the U.S. are on the same path, and not very far behind either, so I say all of this without a shred of smugness.
“People elsewhere should learn from their example and pick a more constructive path.”
Yes, and yet, for the most part, alas, they won’t.
“Shock and Awe” by the way, can result as much from one’s own state of obliviousness as from any real strength exerted by one’s enemy. I fear this concept will play itself all the way out in formerly Great Britain.
“There will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth” said Jesus, and, “Narrow is the path and few are those that find it.”