Happy Bastille Day

The storming of the Bastille in Paris happened on this day in 1789. It was one of the defining moments of the French Revolution and is considered the symbolic start.

The French usually mark it with military parades and jet flyovers. They will still have those but it will be different. I think the picture below captures the difference.

This spring and summer have felt a bit like the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror that followed. Instead of crowds chanting, “Liberté, égalité, fraternité, we hear “tear it down”.

Instead of the unity and indivisibility proclaimed in the poster, it feels more like disunity and division.

I read something this morning regarding revolution and specifically why revolutions fail. The great Anglo-Irish statesman and philosopher Edmund Burke was quoted. One of his great works is Reflections on the Revolution in France. It is considered one of the great works of conservative thought.

As the article noted:

In his “Reflections on the Revolution in France,” Burke warned of political revolutions that despise everything that came before them: “People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors.”

We know the rest of the story. Barely a decade after executing their hated monarch—and after years of political instability, social chaos, and the remorseless violence of the guillotine—the freedom-loving revolutionaries installed an emperor to replace him. Napoleon Bonaparte, dictator for life, would plunge continental Europe into war.

Antifa, anarchy, the tearing down of statues, cancel culture, the subservience of “progressive” politicians to the mobs, etc, etc. It feels like a modern day version of 1793 France and I, for one, am fearful of the consequences. The longer it goes on, the more it takes a life of its own. Politicians who are now using it for their own political ends and think they can control it will soon find themselves at the mercy of the mob just like Maximilien Robespierre.

Perhaps the best way I can celebrate Bastille Day is to go to the range and shoot my Manurhin MR-88 revolver.

Radical Thought Of The Day

Lawrence Person at his BattleSwarm Blog had some thoughts on the current spate of rioting in cities across the United States. The one that stood out to me was this:

Here’s a radical thought: What if the backers and antifa and #BlackLivesMatter want Trump to win? The insane wing couldn’t get Bernie Sanders the nomination, and they can’t control the Democratic Party if Biden wins and leaves the Clinton hacks in charge of the gravy train for the next 4-8 years. As in the 1960s, looting and rioting boost the chances of law and order candidates, which is clearly Donald Trump this year. They need Trump to win again to completely take over the Party for the radical left.

That is a radical thought that just could be correct. I have yet to come across anyone – right, left, or center – who thought kneeling on George Floyd’s neck was anything other than unconscionable.

What if the radical elements seeking control of the Democrat Party from the Clintonistas are creating their own “Reichstag fire” moment to destroy the Clinton wing of the party. I’m sure that they would be willing to endure another four years of Donald Trump if it meant control of the party.

Weirder things have happened in history.

Follow-Up On My Antifa Post

This is a follow-up to my post from Friday saying I didn’t have a good feeling about the Seven Hills Antifa participation in the VCDL Lobby Day.

I think my worries were warranted. Looking at their webpage, they have posted a list of people that they consider known”fascists and sympathizers”.

Included in their list is John Crump who writes a column for Ammoland. I’ve read his articles for a few years and nowhere do I get the feeling that he is “known fascist or sympathizer.” Writing about Oath Keepers, Threepers, the Second Amendment, Ralph Northam, or anything else doesn’t make you an “other”.

You don’t publish a long list of people with pictures unless you want them targeted. While they themselves may not be the ones targeting these people, according to Seven Hills Antifa there are others of their leftist colleagues who do plan to attend.

They also had a long statement in another post about the Vice News article. They seem to be upset because their fellow traveling friends now think they have gone and joined some sort of white supremacist Neo-Nazi unit.

Many folks have read this article, or possibly just the headline, and come to the conclusion that we are choosing to march with Neo-Nazis and Klansmen on Monday. This was and never will be the case. We are forever in opposition to these groups. It is our group’s stated mission to keep these groups from having footholds in Richmond and beyond. There are many racists and fascists planning on attending “2A lobby day rally” on January 20th, at a steadily increasing rate since this bill emerged in November. We anticipated their efforts to recruit from the 2A movement, as has already been happening, and saw this as an important point to intervene since we oppose this legislation. We recognize how many in the movement, especially due to the projections of law enforcement, bear extreme prejudice towards Richmond and its residents, in the equation of “Democratic strongholds.” We understand the many racist, homophobic, transphobic, and misogynistic remarks that abound in the river of online comments on these issues.  Reading through and digesting these conversations is a reality of the work we engage in. We see it as our place to endure this, to be able to peer further into the void. In no way does this mean we seek to make alliances with those who wish violence and terror upon those most vulnerable.

The response to the Vice News article by Seven Hills Antifa is quite long.

It concludes:

We will work to get active threats out to the community as we get and verify them. We will never know all the threats but we will do our best to keep a watchful eye. We are not a vanguard force, and rely on the contributions of our community and comrades to be effective. We will use everything at our disposal to defend our neighborhoods in the event that fascists decide to move offensively. Our hope is that instead this moment will transpire in whatever peace is left. 

We are deeply sorry to our allies that this article scared or angered. Especially if it seems as though we were going to march alongside Neo–nazis or fascists. We would never do that and our intention is to only ever expose and expel them to the best of our ability. We hope that our prior words and actions speak to this, and that good faith can be assumed in us, especially in moments where we cannot afford transparency.We are always available to talk, and we encourage you to reach out. Only some of you may know our faces, but all of you have our ears. 

Love and Rage

I know it is easy for me to say be alert, be aware, and be safe given I’ll be at the SHOT Show and not in Richmond. Nonetheless, it is good advice. If you decide to be inside the fenced enclosure on the Capitol Grounds, make sure you have 2-3 good friends who are armed outside of it as your escorts. If you own a GoPro, take it with you and have it running on your hat or body. Think of it as your personal body cam or dash cam.

Thanks to Rick R. for the links to Seven Hills Antifa’s webpage.

I Don’t Have A Good Feeling About These Guys

The left-wing website Vice had a story yesterday about a group planning to show up for the 2020 VCDL Lobby Day. It is a local Richmond-based Antifa group which supports the Second Amendment and gun rights.

When gun lovers rally in front of the Virginia Capitol in Richmond next week, the local chapter of antifa will be there too. But their members won’t be wearing all black, and they don’t plan to douse right-wingers in milkshakes or Silly String.

Instead, local antifa will join thousands of conservatives who are expected to descend on Richmond that day in protesting pending gun-control legislation introduced by Democratic lawmakers.

Antifa Seven Hills, based in Richmond, are opposing the slew of gun bills introduced by the newly Democratic Legislature since November, because they say those types of laws are used primarily to criminalize poor people, minorities, and leftists — and to bolster law enforcement’s power.

“I think it’s been pretty important for us to focus on the fact that gun control in America has a legacy of racist enforcement,” said Antifa Seven Hills spokesperson James (who asked that his name be withheld to avoid getting doxxed online). “Like taking guns away from black people, because black people were perceived as a threat to property and the sanctity of the state.”

I tend to agree with “James” about the racist roots of gun control and how gun control has been used to keep African-Americans disarmed.

That said, I’m leery of any group of people affiliated with Antifa. As someone commented to me on Facebook yesterday, “the enemy of my enemy is not always my friend.”

My fear is what are called “Fifth Columnists” causing incalculable harm. They say they support gun rights and the Second Amendment but their goal is actually to subvert it through their actions. With media-driven reports of “white supremacists” and “militia groups” planning on attending the Richmond rally, the mainstream media will go wild if there is any sort of a disturbance. You just know that they along with every member of the gun control industry is just praying to Gaia that it is another Charlottesville.

My anxiety rises when I read “James'” last comments.

If authorities’ fears are confirmed and white supremacist groups join the fray, Antifa Seven Hills could be left in an awkward position. Asked whether there was a plan to switch from conservative outreach into a more combative role, James declined to comment. “We’re not going to discuss our plans at this point,” he said.

J.KB at Gun Free Zone has the best advice if you are going – be NORMAL. Wearing your casual Friday clothes, look respectable, leave the Gadsden flag at home, and don’t go looking for trouble.