New Year’s Revolution
While having a casual back and forth with Suzanne about my Uncle MAGA, I was reminded of a pre-Jan 6th meeting I had with him, and a bunch of his friends.
Uncle M used to throw a tailgate at O.S.U. home games, before we moved out of Ohio. Uncle M used to love to introduce me to his buddies as his former L.A.P.D. nephew. He beamed with far more pride than it was worth. On one of these occasions, I was introduced to a stock broker colleague of his. This broker was attending with 4 of his brothers.
These meetings evolve (or descend) into regular, he-man, tough guy stuff that these guys love, love, love to get into. This particular conversation started on a popular subject among these weekend he-men, guns. Oh, my heavens do they love discussing guns with a former LAPD officer. From the officer’s perspective, (mine), it is like being a gynecologist, and all the party guests want to talk about is porn. You run out of ways to say…, you know, its not like that. But, you’re a guest, and you indulge and try not to judge…outwardly.
In this particular conversation, one of the brothers mentioned that he owned five AR-15s, one for each member of his family. My personal view of those weapons, which I have ample experience with from my time in the USMC, is that they should not be owned by civilians. Inside my head I was screaming, but I calmly, snarkily said to him, “what are you doing, planning a rebellion?” Eyes shifted side to side among the brothers, and he said to me, “home protection.” Then he added, “I can shoot someone from 200 yards.” I said to him, If you shoot someone from more than about 15 feet, you will go to prison. That isn’t self defense. You have other options at that distance. Then he said something cryptic about the collapse of society, and there being no laws. That’s when I said to myself…Ohhhhh, I’m taking to Dr. Prepper.
A month or two later was when Jan 6th happened. I have no reason to believe that these gents were involved or even present in my new town when that occurred, but Jan 6th came as quite a shock to me, as it did to many here and around the world. And, looking back at that tailgate through a Jan 7th lens, I can see that we are bumping shoulders with an alternate reality all the time. I see one AR-15 in the hands of a civilian as a potential disaster. This chap has five!
I suppose this story has no point, but it came to mind when Suzanne commented about Uncle M, and guys like him. In my mind I saw him among friends, and BAM! Suddenly five G.I. Tom, Dick, and Harrys are making plans for the toppling of democracy…while smoking Monte Cristos. Or…so it seems.
12/15/2023 @ 12:17 pm
“From the officer’s perspective, (mine), it is like being a gynecologist, and all the party guests want to talk about is porn. You run out of ways to say…, you know, its not like that.”
Or someone who teaches life drawing classes with nude models, and the party guests want to talk about how fun it must be to stare at T & A for hours.
Those guys live in aplenty in western PA too. My old high school buddy tried to drag me to our fiftieth high school reunion this year. He’s a freelance nature photographer living in LA, and wanted to reconnect with our old buddies. I had four buddies in high school, and none were going, so I declined.
My friend texted me ten times a day, miserable. There were multiple events, one was a dinner the night before at a former classmate’s home, a 3000 sq ft hunting lodge with a huge stone fireplace, exposed beams, open plan to the second floor. The walls were covered with dead animal heads R had shot on hunting safaris in Africa, the furniture was upholstered in dead animal skins, also shot by R. Of course there was a gun room. The menu was exclusively red meat not even a salad. My friend is vegetarian, and pretty much starved, ate a cheese sandwich back in his hotel room.
Every other attendee except him was drunk, not buzzed, but fall down lifelong alcoholic drunk. He was teased for drinking soda. On display was a table of lit candles and four print outs with the names of classmates who have passed on, dozens and dozens of them, a pad of post its, pens, and a box of Kleenex. Drunken remembrances written on pink post its were stuck all over a board next to the table thick as scales on a fish. My friend returned to LA and was depressed for a week. I was a little depressed too, from his texts and photos.
tldnr; we didn’t fit there, we never fit there, and we got out. You did too. Now you’re in DC 🙂
12/22/2023 @ 4:31 pm
Such an alternate reality. They’d be rebelling against stuff that isn’t actually happening and couldn’t. The collapse of society. Who do these guys think are coming after them?
Put enough conspiracy theories out there, preach them twice too often, and you get Timothy McVeigh and a bunch of dead toddlers in a daycare center.
I just have too much trouble with that kind of irresponsibility. Believing stuff because it’s fun is a bad idea. Believing it because you saw it in a movie is a bad idea. Not asking why those “documentaries” they watch have ominous music is a bad idea. Whatever happened to due diligence?
I love your 15’ answer. It reminds me of master martial artists. No, the idea isn’t to beat the crap out of someone; that indicates failure.