File photo – Todd Shepherd Posted on 01/26/2019 11:58:59 PM PST by vannrox
t’s not the intolerance of progressives that is so insulting. It is the denial of their intolerance that is so abusive. File photo – Todd Shepherd
When I was growing up it was the liberals who more often held the moral high-ground. Those of us raised in the 1970’s heard it all the time — “the end doesn’t justify the means.” It was echoed in the media, in nearly every political battle, in entertainment and at water cooler conversations. By contrast it was intolerant conservatives who spouted, “America, love it or leave it.”
The American Civil Liberties Union came to the First Amendment defense of neo-Nazis in Skokie, Illinois. This is worth celebrating, especially today. Lawyers, many Jewish, fought for the rights of repugnant people, many of whom would like to see all Jews dead. Offended supporters of the ACLU left in droves. But the ACLU adhered to principle because … the end doesn’t justify the means.
Progressives have not just rejected that proud tradition, they have remade it into the ugly opposite — the end justifies all: Coercing speech with speech codes and forcing cake bakers to create statements against their core religious beliefs; social justice warfare and identity politics; the nanny state banning everything from plastic straws to tobacco products; and forcing private health insurance products at gun-point.
Progressives wield intolerance like the weapon it is. But are they kidding us or themselves when they smugly assert their tolerance? Do they believe their “Celebrate Diversity” bumper stickers, blind to the hypocrisy?
I find myself thinking about this since at the beginning of January I became a criminal in my tolerant hometown of Boulder. Boulder, which did so much to promote the civil rights of the LGBT community in decades past, when alternative lifestyles were misunderstood and feared, is now leading the charge against people like me whose lifestyle is misunderstood and feared.
I remember a time when, for public safety of course, some conservatives wanted AIDS patients to self-identify, to present themselves to the governmental authority, and be counted. There was an epidemic erupting after all, and “something had to be done.”
In Boulder, if your core beliefs include dressing as the opposite gender or following the teachings of the Koran our city government will bend over backwards to protect you from those who wish to separate you from your community. You’d never be forced to self-identify to government authorities, to submit to inspection, to be registered and made to pay fees to keep your core beliefs.
My strong belief in my Second Amendment rights is core to who I am. I know that is not understood by many today, however I am not asking to be understood. I’m asking to be left alone.
I am asking for progressives who run city government to live up to their assertion of tolerance and just let me be.
Because I own a long gun with a pistol grip and a detachable magazine, I had to the end of December to self-identify to the police, present myself for investigation and my gun for inspection, pay fees in order to receive a police-issued permission slip, all to avoid jail time, monetary penalties, and the confiscation and destruction of my gun.
I have never been convicted or even charged with a crime in my 54 years of life, but this week I became a criminal. I am no different then potentially thousands of other Boulderites who cannot bring themselves to submit to this ugliness. And yes, I know, most people today don’t see this as ugly or intolerant, but simply a reasonable thing to do about this “epidemic.” After all, something needs to be done.
For publicly stating that I will not comply, my daughter has been targeted at her Boulder school, the one with posters celebrating tolerance and diversity all over the walls. My refusal to submit has been commented on by teachers in front of their classes. She has been ganged up on by students and bullied because “her father is a murderer.” She is worried that I will be taken to jail. As a single dad to her and her handicapped brother, I have to admit I’m worried about that too.
I respect the police, greatly. The cops I know hate the idea of enforcing this intolerance. I ask them when they come to arrest me and confiscate my guns, they give me enough warning, so my kids aren’t around when they do it.
Jon Caldara is president of the Independence Institute, a free market think tank in Denver.
As an ex military I was politely arguing with an ex Navy retired liberal coworker that the hunter and predator like police are to be limitted with bagging limits, whereas it is the potential prey, the citizen going about his business who should not have defined limits because criminal poachers choose the time, weapon , location and condition of attack such as 5 against 1 in the dead of the night.
He went hysterically almost screaming that if you have a gun you are a predator, when there is no question in the first place of him or anyone of having a business of knowing if a citizen is armed or not.
Liberals are neighborly predators snitching on neighbors, the Bolshevik evil way. 80% of Gulag victims could have been avoided if neighbors did not denounce neighbors.
This is an example of the incredible way the left knows the average person has extremely evil competitive inclinations to kill neighbors in back hand back alley abortion like ways.
These people are pathetic.
Pathetic, is not exactly the word I was thinking of.
He might be retired, and liberal, and maybe at one time he wore the uniform...
But he is not Navy.
No, they are evil. Fire and brimstone evil. They want to kill the men, rape our women and sell our children into slavery. The sooner we accept that (and not feel sorry for them), the sooner we can defeat them.
Patriots, like the author, must be willing to risk all - as the Founders did. If we don’t, our children will curse us unto the seventh generation as they rattle their chains.
BTW, sounds like this guy may have a libel suit if the teachers are targeting him.
How could he win with a jury full of Boulderites?
Hopefully the Supreme Court will now get back to enforcing the plain words of the constitution - thus striking down unconstitutional infringements on our 2nd amendment rights like those in Boulder.
I REALLY hope President Trump gets the chance to replace at least one of the Gang of Four this year with a Strict Constructionist.
Yeah, his balls have been cut by his house wife... he is terrified of her while she probably has been cheating on him.
In reading this story I could only think of one joyous result in his disbelief, they eat their own
We are all criminals 10 or more times a day with all of these stupid laws. We must continue to fight back against these horrible nanny staters.
JoMa
It reflects the never-changing flow of Leftist’ rule. Start morally superior, become oppressive, then tyrannical . . . all of which concludes EVERY TIME in reeducation camps.
That is an illusion. When you grew up the liberals were chipping away at the system to gain control of it. They were able to take the "high " ground at that time. Now they have achieved power and we can see their true colors. All of those morality plays they made in the old days are forgotten. On all of the points, now that they have power , they are worse.
Amen! you said...
they are evil. Fire and brimstone evil. They want to kill the men, rape our women and sell our children into slavery. The sooner we accept that (and not feel sorry for them), the sooner we can defeat them.
“Liberals are neighborly predators snitching on neighbors, the Bolshevik evil way.”
Well said. Along with the no-due-process Red Flag laws, the authorities will soon publish 1-800-SNITCH hotlines where denunciations can be made anonymously. These were widely used in the 1970’s when antigun fever was running high
The Soviets had something similar with `anonimkii’, poison pen letters to the NKVD dropped in any mail box.
There was one problem: both systems became nothing more than a means of settling scores; abuse was instantaneous, massive, and overwhelmed police ability to process all the incoming nastygrams. Their use was soon called off.
Red Flag abuse will be in like manner and will increase SWATing incidents against the innocent.
Wild winds are a-blowin’ folks.
So they target this man’s innocent children. And if he goes up to one of these bullying teachers and shouts “You leave my kids out of this!!!”, he’ll wind up in jail.
America is going fascist. But the fascists’ intended targets are armed.
“But the fascists’ intended targets are armed.”
Being armed is of little use without the will to use it. I’m trying to imagine the scenerio that would cause a spontaneous, coordinated, widespread will to arms, an actual battle of us vs them and I’m not seeing it.
Those who passed the regulation and those who will give the orders to arrest “violators” should have “accidents” or be hunted down and disappear.
I've heard it argued that the second applies only to the federal government and that the states may do as they please. I do not agree, but then I don't get to make the rules.
That phone number you refer to is already in existence: Your local *TIPS* line.
Right now that’s the $64,000 question: patriots are out there, we’re armed, but where’s the organization, mission statement, assembly points, chain of command, etc.
Patriots in 1776 had their Committees of Safety, militia gatherings, pamphleteers, and an oppressive British presence to galvanize them to action. What will get us motivated?
Probably when a blue state governor goes rogue (Cuomo) and orders mass arrests & confiscations with shots fired. Then all bets are off.
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