An Open Letter to the Legislatures of New Jersey and Rhode Island: Are you seriously proposing

Sipsey Street Irregulars ^ | March 20, 2014 | Mike Vanderboegh

[rockrr]

To the legislators of the states of New Jersey and Rhode Island, upon the approach of your votes for firearm confiscation:

The firearm owners of your respective states tell me that you are busy men and women with short attention spans so I will try to make this brief, beginning with an instructive story from the history of my adopted state, Alabama. Some still tell it with pride in the hills of north Alabama. Like all the best stories, it has the advantage of being true.

In 1863, eight duly sworn and appointed law officers of the state government, acting with the authority of their nation's congress, executed a search of the homestead of one Henry Brooks. They were there searching for Brooks' son who was evading the draft and to execute the tax-in-kind law, which stated that everyone, no matter how poor, had to support the national government, even if that meant having half their crop and farm animals stolen for government purposes. At the homestead were Brooks, his wife Jenny and their eight children. The oldest son was just 17 and was hiding in the barn. The youngest was suckling at his mother's breast. The men disarmed the Brooks at gunpoint and commenced their work. In order to find out where the eldest son was, the Confederate Home Guard posse put a rope around Henry's neck, threw it over a limb of the tree in their front yard and slowly raised and lowered him, torturing him for the whereabouts of his son as the entire family was forced to watch.

*snip*

What does this have to do with you? Well, I'm getting to that. Stick with me here.

[rockrr]

I wasn't sure where to cut - and although it isn't a super long read it is one of the best I've seen in a while.

Please see the rest here: http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/2014/03/an-open-letter-to-legislatures-of-new.html

[rockrr]

stupid html ;’)

http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/2014/03/an-open-letter-to-legislatures-of-new.html

[rockrr]

Oh, and the full title: An Open Letter to the Legislatures of New Jersey and Rhode Island: Are you seriously proposing to have your own skulls turned into soap dishes?

[Lurker]

No one can maintain a 300 yard security perimeter forever.

[Sherman Logan]

In 1863, eight duly sworn and appointed law officers of the state government, acting with the authority of their nation's congress, executed a search of the homestead of one Henry Brooks.

It is quite debatable if this is an accurate characterization of the men who killed Willis (not Henry) Brooks and his son John. There were lots of armed men, deserters and the Home Guards chasing them, who were often more draft evaders than anything else, roaming around the South at the time. Many of them claimed to be working for the state or Confederate government, but any control was often loose at best. Many southerners of the time claimed Confederate cavalry and Home Guards were worse than even the Yankee stragglers.

One obvious example is Quantrill's Raiders over in MO and KS, but similar bands of outlaws/guerrilas were found all over the place.

While the post is an entertaining story, it plays fast and loose with a lot of the facts. Notably, the shootings in OK 40 years later had little if anything to do with the killing of Willis and John.

The real story is a good deal more interesting.

http://www.freestateofwinston.org/auntjenny.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooks%E2%80%93McFarland_Feud

[rockrr]

Thanks for the links - they make for interesting reading. I’m shocked that someone would embellish the truth ;’)

[Sherman Logan]

You are quite welcome.

I’m not entirely sure why the author thinks the story, even as slanted, is particularly relevant to the modern gun control debate. The issue was the draft and who was “a rebel,” not guns.

[american_ranger]

nitpicker

[lcms rev]

The argument he makes is that if the government keeps infringing on rights, sooner or later those laws are going to get the wrong person killed, leading to a vendetta against the legislators.

I don’t know if that would really happen; I’d think the more likely target would be the government itself, rather than any individual legislator.

[Sherman Logan]

I understood the author’s point, just didn’t think it was applicable.

The family in question didn’t go after Jeff Davis, or Lee, or Thomas H. Watts. They went after the men who pulled the triggers.

A reasonable analogy today would be Elishaba Weaver, who’s now 23, tracking down and killing Lon Horiuchi. Ruby Ridge.

[lcms rev]

I am very curious to see what will happen in my former home state if this latest governmental overreach does go through. I hope we will see mass noncompliance and civil disobedience, but my fear is that they will meekly go along with this just like they went along with all the other unconstitutional laws.

All I can say is, I’m glad I don’t live in New Jersey anymore!