ricocheting bricks

In a somewhat interesting and unprecedented turn of events for my weblog, it would appear as though my post regarding the lying cowards perpetrating and encouraging this pointless “Window War” was actually a little ahead of the curve.

If there is anything that can be said about Jay G, it is that he is always ready, willing, and capable of speaking his mind plainly, and this time, he breaks out the cluebat with a vengeance:

We are not the Taliban. We do not deal with the opposition by intimidation and stupid stunts. We are nice right up until it’s time to not be nice – and it’s not that time, not yet.

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Tossing a brick through a Democratic party headquarters is not “sabre-rattling”. It’s bullshit dimestore bullying no matter how noble your intentions may be. You’re not making a stand, you’re being a friggin’ thug, no better than the thugs that slashed the tires on the GOP get out the vote van in WI. I’ll bet they thought they were sending a message, too.

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Look. It’s bullshit when they do it. That doesn’t give us the right to stoop to their level. Jesus H. Tapdancing Christ here, people, it’s like I’m talking to my kids. “Because he hit me” is not a valid reason to haul off and belt your brother. If it doesn’t work for a six year old, it’s certainly not going to work for alleged adults.

If you have to resort to petty crimes and thuggery to get your point across, maybe it’s a pretty shitty point.

And that is all these brick-throwers are engaged in – petty, childish, thuggish, vandalistic acts of personal violence. Way to take the high road, folks.

But the fun does not stop there – Roberta X weighs in as well:

But what’s this idiocy about smashing windows? First of all, such vandalism is a half-witted kid trick; second of all, from just whose pockets is the price of a new window gonna come? Congressman Traitor? Bzzt! Wrong. But those are just side issues: the third thing is, are you gonna go do that just ‘cos some guy on the Internet — who doesn’t seem to be anywhere near any busted glass his own self — tol’ja it was a good idea?

While I hope it never gets to be vote from the rooftops time in this country — we haven’t run out of soapboxes and ballot boxes yet! — the man who tells me it is had damn’ well better have a rifle in one hand, a ladder in the other and some shingle-grit under his fingernails. There’s a word for the guy who preaches violence from well behind the lines; a couple of words, actually, and it’s a coin toss between “coward” and “agent provocateur.”

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It’s a time for signs, for speeches and letters and serious, serious organizing; a time to regroup and plan for elections. It’s a time for the states to take the matter to court — and bless ‘em, they are, in significant and growing numbers.

Our backs are not quite against the wall. Let’s not be in a hurry to get there and let’s not be hooligans along the way there, either.

Unfortunately, the individuals throwing the bricks, and especially those exhorting others to do their dirty work for them, have been wishing for our backs to be against the wall for more than a few years now – it just happens that a recent turn of events has allowed them to try to make their own personal pipe dream a reality.

God help those caught in the crossfire.

Mike W. took a break from his unfortunate hiatus and let loose with both barrels:

Dear Mike Vanderboegh

Would you and your buddies shut your pieholes?

You Are Not Helping. You’re acting like a bunch of petulant children. Besides, violent protest combined with vandalism and destruction of property is something I’ve come to expect from the left. Why stoop to that level? It’s stupid and counterproductive.

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“If all we accomplish is to scare people then what we’ll have done is alienated people and marginalized ourselves. It’s hard to have a broad, positive impact once you’ve done that. It’s hard to keep those founding principles and values alive if you’ve been marginalized.”

I’m pretty sure that engaging in threats of violence and vandalism / destruction of property will accomplish exactly that which I’ve quoted above. Well that and the fact that engaging in such behavior makes you a huge fucking asshole.

Committing crimes and generally being an asshole isn’t the kind of behavior that brings about positive change through effective, grassroots activism. We’ve still got the ballot box to worry about, so put down your rifle, ammo box, & bricks and try acting like a rational, civil adult.

Based on my previous and current experiences with those in question, sadly, I doubt they would be capable of such mature behavior.

While his spelling could use a little work, to say that Mike’s Spot is annoyed at the situation would be putting it mildly:

Look- I don’t know who you are Mike Vanderboegh

but your a dick.

Don’t go running around saying you represent gun owners. You really don’t. Especially not me. I am not bat shit crazy, nor do I ever advocate DESTRUCTION OF GOVERNMENT PROPERTY as a ‘protest’. they have a word for breaking windows in ‘protest’. its called VANDALISM.

To any Anti-gun people who make traverse this post- Gun owners are pissed. . . at this douche bag for trying to say we are a bunch of extremists who pleasure themselves at the thought of another civil war.

And to the people who are listening to this guy- your all jackasses. I promise, if you want reform in this country, breaking windows like a frustrated 12 year old with absentee parents is not gonna get it done.

No, tossing bricks through windows in some misguided attempt to “warn” the government is not going to come anywhere close to reforming this country (mostly because the government has never been the problem with our country), but it will certainly make the brick-throwers feel better, and that is all that matters… at least to them.

Last but not least, Og breaks out the allegory (which you should read in its entirety), wrapping up with:

You are surrounded by people trying to tell you that the line in the sand has not yet been crossed, and those are the people who have moved their line back and back and back and yet back again, until it is at their own front door; they say “here, here we will make our stand!”

The enemies of your freedom do not have the right. The line in the sand is outside their front door; they crossed it ages ago.

There are those who speak of “Soap box, Ballot box, Cartridge box”. This is insane. Only one box is important, the one you must think outside.

Bullets, or sisal, or bricks, are not the kind of thing you need, now. You need those brains God gave you. You know the line has been crossed. You know your back is against a wall, and you know you have noplace left to retreat. Now you need to twist that grey matter to a new task, the task of defeating an opponent who would use your own civility against you.

And that, dare I say, is the closest thing to a right answer I have ever seen for those who would rudely demand of others where their “lines” are.

Hopefully they will forgive me for quoting their posts almost in their entirety – I simply feel as though their words are worth repeating and spreading – so by way of making it up to them, head over their way and give them a little traffic.

I have to admit – if those throwing the bricks and spurring others to do so wanted to make a point, they have surely well made it. Something tells me that “it” was not what they actually intended, though… In the end, given the hypothetical choice between those throwing the bricks, and these four individuals, I know upon which side of that line I will land.