You know what? I am getting really, really gorramed tired of the “need” argument coming up in reference to handguns, “assault rifles”, and all of the other fun, “evil”, nasty-looking firearms and equipments that are out there. You see it all over the place these days… “You do not need an ‘assault rifle’ to hunt/defend yourself/open a can of soda,” “You do not need that kind of caliber to stop someone from attacking you,” “Why do you need that many firearms?” Yadda yadda flipping yadda.
I am sorry, but who the frak died and made you grand bloody arbiter of what other people need and do not need? Piss off and mind your own gorrammed business, life, and matters.
I can guarantee you that at least 50% of the people driving SUVs on the road today do not “need” them.
I can guarantee you that a fair number of people in this country do not “need” houses as large as they have.
I can guarantee you that no child (or anyone else, for that matter) “needs” an XBox, Playstation, or Wii – books have worked pretty gorramed well for the past few hundred years, not to mention that wild and wooly “outside” thing.
I can guarantee you that few, if any, families “needs” more than one computer, or more than one television. Hell, a fairly decent argument could be made that no one really “needs” a television in general… how many do you have?
I can guarantee you that few people need as much heating and air conditioning as they probably pump into their overly large, not-”needed” houses… just put on or take off a few more layers if you feel uncomfortable.
I can guarantee you that few people “need” as much money as they make… oh, but wait – the great and almighty Obamamessiah has already seen fit to tend to that problem, has he not?
And that is what all of this comes down to it, is it not? Nothing more than a combination of abject jealousy and projection. On the one hand, we have a group of people being greedy little twits, approaching the world from a perspective of, “If they can have it, I deserve to have it too!” Well guess what dumbass – if you work as hard as they do, plan ahead as much as they do, and prove to be as productive a member of society as they are (or are otherwise extraordinarily lucky, depending), you can have all of their nice, shiny gizmos, too. And on the other hand, we have a (not-necessarily-distinct-from-the-last) group of people with the pathologically-childish mindset of, “If I do not need it, they do not need it either,” or, even worse, “If I do not feel comfortable/safe/responsible with Item X, they are obviously not going to be comfortable/safe/responsible with it either.”
With all due respect and politeness, fuck off.
What I “need” is a matter for me, and me alone, to decide. You can certainly provide input, you can certainly offer your own suggestions, and you can certainly help me if you want, but you damned well should not be able to limit me, just based on your own tastes and desires (insofar as what I decide I “need” does not infringe on anyone else’s rights).
But that is not the direction our country is headed, is it? No, it unfortunately is not. Today, people do not “need” rifles that just happen to look like military equipment, so they shall be banned. Today, people obviously do not “need” as much money as they make, so it will be “spread” around. Today, people do not “need” to take risks with the stock market, so their retirement accounts will be “guaranteed“. Today, poorly-managed and -run corporations do not “need” to fess up and learn from their mistakes, so they are being bailed out left and right (with your money, no less – if this was being done by the companies themselves, without the government acting as a middleman, it would be commonly referred to as “theft”).
And, tomorrow, what do you not “need” that is going to be arbitrarily taken away from you?
Trackposted to Rosemary’s Thoughts, Right Truth, Shadowscope, DragonLady’s World, Cao’s Blog, Leaning Straight Up, Democrat=Socialist, Conservative Cat, , Allie is Wired, third world county, Faultline USA, Political Byline, Woman Honor Thyself, Wake Up America, The World According to Carl, Pirate’s Cove, Rosemary’s News and Ideas, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, CORSARI D’ITALIA, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
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I’m sorry sir, but we don’t recognize your “need” for that bottle of wine. Just how many of those do you think you “need” at your house anyway. Put it back… now.
Yeah, that’ll fly far and fast, won’t it.
First off, the less than serious comment:
“I am sorry, but who the frak died”
Battlestar Galatica fan, eh?
Okay, that’s outta the way.
I don’t need an American-made Fender Stratocaster, but I wanted one. I saved up and bought one.
I don’t need a Wayne Gretzky NY Rangers customized hockey jersey, but I wanted one. I saved up and bought one.
I don’t need a boxed set of The Vicar of Dibley on DVD, but I wanted one. I saved up and bought one.
I don’t need a S&W 38 pistol or a Glock 44, but I want to eventually to get one. When I do, I will save up and buy one.
And no political hack shan’t tell me I can’t have something because he or she declares I don’t need it.
On the other hand, I don’t want socialized national health care but under an Obama regime it seems political hacks are going to make me have it whether I like it or not.
However it seems we are to get political hacks in the near future from the Feds telling us what we can or can’t have depending upon their determination of need vs. want. And if the liberal congresscritters get their magic number of 60, it is guaranteed we will make the rapid descent into socialism.
Exactly correct, on all counts gentlemen. The second we start letting other people dictate to us what we can and cannot have based of their own biases and prejudices, the slope becomes very slippery indeed – especially when some of those bans and regulations directly impact Constitutionally-protected rights. And it is funny how some “need”-based bans would immediately be challenged, and others are welcomed with open arms… I guess since the majority of them are not students of history, Americans do not quite understand the “first they came for…” concept.
.
Just remember, it is for your own good. Or the good of the children. Or the good of the environment. Or something.
On another note, I am a proud deckswab on the Galactica, Browncoat, and Trekkie, and likewise thoroughly approve of your DVD choices, Carl
As I told my ex-wife when she told me I didn’t need to own a gun, I didn’t need to get married, either.
Nobody really *needs* a Prius either – they just buy them to feel good about themselves.
And nobody really *needs* to re-cycle – it’s simply a tenet of Faith among the Eco-Cultists.
And nobody *needs* to bail-out the Auto Industry either.
True enough, on both counts, Mark.
And I would be just as happy not bailing out the auto industry, DirtCrashr, especially considering how the presidents of those companies are behaving and reacting in light of their companies’ situations.
Nice post,
I like the way you think but i have to admit that i think you have missed the boat. I myself certainly dont need most of the trinkets that i have, that make life much more pleasant, and i certainly agree that no one should be able to choose or take away what i have.
I have a family that i am ultimately responsible for there physical well being. I need a gun to help me with that task.
I must also take care of my physical well being if only so that I can take care of my familys financial well being, and for that, I need a gun.
I think everyone in this nation needs a gun just to guarantee that a tyrannical government will not run rough shod over the top of us, and for that we all need a gun.
I hope i never need to use it, but i need it all the same.
I believe that the founding fathers of this nation felt the same way. I believe this is why they guaranteed the right to keep and bear arms in the bill of rights. That is why i believe you are doing us a disservice trivializing gun ownership as a want. Its not only a want, or a need, but most importantly a unalienable right to have and bear that gun. We as a nation better get real, real mad real fast if someone even thinks about taking that right away. Its much more than important than a television set.
Thanks for reading my little rant, thanks for the opportunity to be able to contribute a little bit.
Ack. I seem to have failed at making myself clear – do not worry, it happens more than I would like. Let me see if I can straighten some things up.
First, my post was not trying to redefine gun ownership as a want, or need, or anything inbetween. I was simply trying to express my frustration at larger and larger numbers of people applying the “need” argument to firearm ownership, and then having firearms come up short. This frustration largely stems from those people arbitrarily defining what people do and do not need, so my post responded in kind – people do not “need” any of those things, but that does not matter, does it?
It does not matter because, even if people just want those items, they should be permitted to have them. And it further does not matter because now I am just arbitrarily redefining the ground rules, like I was ranting about, and it is not my place, or anyone else’s, to do so. If you feel as though you need something, you do, and no one else should have any capability or capacity to tell you otherwise.
Second, while I agree with you on every point (apart from the confusion I generated over redefining needs as wants – not what I was trying to do, believe me), the “need” argument is a losing game for firearm rights activists, simply because gun-grabbing hoplophobes do not recognize any of those things you listed as “needs”. As such, why not just chunk the “need” argument entirely? In all reality, it simply should not factor in for any possession ownership, firearms included, for aforementioned reasons.
At any rate, you are more than welcome to come back whenever you want, Panhandle, and contribute however you want. Comments like yours let me know where my flaws in expression lie, and I appreciate that.
Thank you for the hospitality, just had a little look at the rest of your blog….i like….think i will hang out here for awhile.
Shiny. Works for me
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