“But mark my words. This war will be fought not on the frontier, or on some distant battlefield, but amongst us. Among our homes. Our children will learn of it with their own eyes. And the innocent will die with the rest of us.”
Recently I wrote an article titled “Rattling the Second Amendment Saber” where I discussed the necessity to speak out and let our elected politicians know we will hold them accountable for their actions. Isn’t it amazing how quickly the landscape can change in one week?
Yesterday morning I was surprised when my business partner called me on the phone and asked me if I’d been arrested by the FBI yet? I was confused. “What? Why would I be arrested?” He replied, “Haven’t you been watching the news today?” I hadn’t. You see, I live in Michigan, and he was referring to the FBI rounding up 9 members of a domestic terrorist group called “Hutaree”. Apparently these people were plotting to kill police officers as well as preparing for the violent overthrow of the U.S. Government, and … did I hear that right? The antichrist?
My friend was joking about my arrest of course, as he often does about my involvement in the Second Amendment March. He thinks it’s funny that the ATF, the FBI, or some other acronymed federal organization might be listening to my phone calls or reading my mail, or whatever else it is they do. Personally, I think they have bigger fish to fry than one little country boy in Michigan organizing a “peaceful, unarmed” march on Washington DC. And when they raided the “Hutaree”, they proved that to be true.
As Founder of the March, I’ve been learning a lot about all kinds of people all across our great land. There are some people out there who advocate the immediate, violent overthrow of the government. Just for clarity’s sake: I’m not one of those people. One of my biggest fears was given flesh, blood and bone yesterday when I found out about the Hutaree organization. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad they were arrested. They’re kooks. But I fear there are more out there like them, ready to kill innocent people. If we can just last another 6 months until the November election, then I think we’ll be okay. But… then this morning I started getting hate mail.
The subject title of the email was: “Gonna blow up some daycare centers?” It was from a man named (we’ll call him) “Pseudonym”.
The message read: “Have fun on your Timothy McVeigh Domestic Terrorism Memorial March. Ignorant sad sack, f*#$ing morons, all of you.”
Normally, I just hit the “delete” key when I get mail like this. But today I felt playful, so I responded with: “Dear Pseudonym, What are you talking about? Your message makes no sense. We are an "unarmed" free speech protest designed to support the Second Amendment. Go to www.secondamendmentmarch.com and get the facts before spouting grade-school-level insults.”
This incredible, intellectual giant countered with: “4/19, dumb#ss! Great day for a bunch of wingnuts to go marching. Especially with guns. Or are some of you going to pack a truckload of fertilizer?” Why is it that every time a Democrat is in the White House the wingnuts start throwing tantrums and having violent fantasies of treason?”
Hmmm, my immediate response was, “Why are you so angry? Why are you insulting me? And why is it every time conservatives stand up against anti-gunners they are labeled in the rudest terms as “violent revolutionaries?” (And, just for the record, April 19th isn’t “Timothy McVeigh Day” it’s “Patriot’s Day”. You know, the 235th anniversary of Lexington-Concord. But he probably didn’t know that.)
But it’s not just the far-left that hates me. I get insulted by the far right as well. It seems there are lunatics living on both fringes. Several months ago I was on a radio talk show and a man called in with scathing remarks. He ridiculed me for organizing the Second Amendment March. “What do you mean you’re marching on DC without guns!” He called me a coward for not invading the Capitol. Of course, I was brave enough to give my full name, and that was more than he did. My immediate thought was, “If you think an armed march on DC is necessary, then go for it! I’ll watch from here.”
For the next 6 months I’ll be on pins and needles, terrified that some people won’t wait until the November elections to right the wrongs being perpetrated against the American people by the far left. A small minority, like the Hutaree, will see this as an opportunity to make all their violent fantasies come true, falsely believing that the American people will rise up and join them in a bloody, John Brown-like revolution. Unfortunately, anyone promoting the Second Amendment will have their reputations publicly tarred and feathered along with the nut cases like Hutaree. It’s much easier to blindly sling mud than to do the research.
I have a big problem with violent overthrow of the government: the wingnuts in charge right now, the greedy, money-grubbing politicians, the dishonest, selfish jerks in Washington DC; they are there because the American people put them there. And I will not rise up in a bloody, murderous revolution to overthrow a government that was legally and constitutionally elected by the people of their own free will.
Yes, America screwed up! And now we must pay the price for our lazy, self-righteous lack of vigilance. Did you recognize the quote at the beginning of this article? It was actor Mel Gibson, from the movie “The Patriot”. There is another quote from that movie that seems appropriate these days.
“Why should I trade 1 tyrant 3,000 miles away, for 3,000 tyrants 1 mile away?”
But yet, it seems, we’ve done just that. Now, instead of one “unelected” tyrant in England, we have 3,000 “elected” tyrants right here in America. It no longer matters why we elected the present Congress and administration; that’s backward thinking; it’s history. What matters now is “How do we fix it?”
The American people will not support a bloody, violent revolution to overthrow duly-elected politicians. That’s not the American way. Of course, if they start door-to-door confiscation of firearms, then that’s a whole new ball game. But they haven’t done that, indeed, nothing like that.
However, if cooler heads do not prevail, if the violent whackos go nuts and start a war against the US Government, then the government has all the excuse (and public mandate) they need to pass more draconian gun laws. The wisdom of Ben Franklin aside, when push comes to shove, the sheep of this country will give up essential liberty to ensure their safety. And most Americans are, indeed, sheep.
I leave you with one final quote from “The Patriot”. It is the opening line of the movie.
“I have long feared that my sins have returned to visit me, and the cost is more than I can bear.”
My fellow patriots, as a whole, we chose Barack (may-my-tongue-turn-to-sand) Obama for President, just as the people of Nevada chose Harry Reid, and the citizens of California chose Nancy Pelosi. I don’t like that, but I’m stuck with it, at least until November. Until then, stop fueling the fires of violence and start supporting grassroots, nonviolent efforts to remove these jokers from office.
America’s supreme sin was to vote for tyrants. That sin has returned to visit us, and the cost is more than we can bear. But we’re Americans. We’ll bear the consequences, then in November, our penance will be complete along with their reign of tyrannical terror. In the meantime – stay cool!
Editors Note: Skip is the founder of the Second Amendment March. The national March will take place April 19, 2010 on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Please join us.
-Mike Piccione
