The Rifleman  

Maybe some of you can relate to this story I heard recently.

I called an old friend - his state doesn’t matter - and in the course of talking asked about Y (his name doesn’t matter), an active shooter, a heck of a rifle shot.

Only to be told Y is no longer coming to rifle matches, because “he’s gone into hiding”, and doesn’t want anyone to see him with a rifle/gun. He doesn’t associate with any of his friends. He’s gone hermit, for the duration.

Now, I know Y. He’s an ex-serviceman, a veteran of one of the Gulf Wars, as brave as anyone.

Yet he seems to believe things have already gone to H in a handbasket - or will soon - so hence the going underground, and pulling the welcome mat in behind him.

Bottom line: He’s already given up. He’s not willing to fight to protect his country, the Constitution, or, seemingly, anything else. Hiding is his answer.

It’s possible you know people like him - or at least people who talk about ‘retreating’ - maybe you are one of them.

But this man took an oath, long ago, to protect and defend the Constitution - and that oath had no expiration date.

(For an interesting new development about this on the ‘net, check out oath-keepers.blogspot.com)

Now, I can’t say for sure, but believe Y was in the Marines.

Yet now, when his country needs him, he’s off to hide.

Let’s see, AWOL in the face of danger?

It would clearly be cowardly to run in the face of the enemy - right?

Would it be cowardly to run - before the enemy even shows up? (Actually, I bet Y believes the enemy has shown up - or is about to - which is why he took the action he did - you don’t hide unless you think danger is imminent.)

Y is not stupid.

As I said before, he’s not a coward - he’s as brave as you or I - maybe braver. He’s proved it, on active service in a theater of war.

Yet his action is - let’s face it - cowardly. What other word would you choose for running and hiding?

Focusing on saving his own skin, and to devil with the rest. (Let’s be generous, and allow he has taken his family to what he thinks is shelter, by hiding.)

If we were all on the deck of the sinking Titanic, and he pushed his way into a lifeboat, women and children be d-mned, would that be a cowardly act?

If he pushed his way onto a life boat, while others are trying to save the ship, would that be a cowardly act?

I suspect a brave man would do something different. Would prob seize any opportunity to try and save the ship - since there are not enough lifeboats.

Maybe “brave” is the wrong word to use. Maybe “determined” would be a better word.

A determined man would ‘fight the good fight’, would buy time for the women and children to board the lifeboats, if nothing else.

But a determined man would give his utmost to save the ship - because he doesn’t give up in advance.

He may even give his life.

What is “manly” about giving up without a fight?

Where is it written that it’s the “cool” thing to do - to hide?

Where would we be today if people better than us had not refused to run and hide on April 19th, 1775?

A brave man, an intelligent man, but a cowardly act.

Were I to penetrate his retreat and say that to him, no doubt he’d be insulted - angry, even.

What do you think? Would he be right to be angry?

What would you feel if you turned out way back on Battle Day, April 19th, 1775 - and your neighbor refused to turn out - instead, went off and hid to save his hide? Or, gathered his family, and fled to the woods? Would you think more of him? Would your respect for him be increased, or decreased?

There’s lots of Americans willing to travel this same road - to not fight, but to hide. To run for the woods. To push their way onto a lifeboat, rather than fight to save the ship.

Enough of them do it, and the ship WILL sink.

It takes the efforts of a lot of people to save the ship. Every set of hands not bailing, every person who chooses to run for the lifeboats is one more lead weight making the ship sink faster.

What kind of craziness is going around?

What makes people who are normal, mostly, give up the essence of what it means to be an American, and choose to hide?

What’s happened to our fellow Americans?

Maybe 21st-century “me-ism”? The “arrogance of ignorance”? The “me-first” attitude?

Maybe no hope?

But ‘no hope’ is not an excuse to hide. “Hiding” is simply living your life in a self-made prison.

We have these words, from the American half of British-American Winston Churchill:

…if you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed, if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not so costly, you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance for survival.

There may be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no chance of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.

If you will not fight.

If you will not fight for the right.

If you will not fight, if you will not lend your efforts to those of your fellow Americans, you aid in bringing on the very future you fear. You increase the odds of defeat, of losing something won over 200 years ago on many battlefields by men and women who are clearly your betters.

And since you will not fight, you have made a decision that’s contrary to everything being American stands for: You are saying - with action, not with words - and action is far more emphatic than words, it is better to be a slave, than risk your life fighting for liberty.

John Paul Jones knew and understood what Americans were about. And what they stood for. So did George Washington - and so did Benedict Arnold.

But do you?

Clearly not.

After the Rev War, patriots, the ones who fought, ran the ‘traitors’ - the Tories - out of the country. You can hardly blame them. Why let the ones who were against you enjoy the benefits of all you fought for?

If there’s one iron rule on this planet, ever since this country was born, in all the generations since: If you’re born on this planet, and you want a happy, safe life, get to America.

But no longer.

The last ship of freedom is about to sink. And brave men are running and hiding, unwilling to save it.

T’is a shame…

If you care, if you don’t want that ship to sink, join with us in Project Appleseed (www.appleseedinfo.org) and help us save a sinking ship.

Brave men, cowardly acts? The Founders must be shaking their heads…

The Appleseed Project has it's own radio show now and we invite everyone to join us Tuesday Nights at 7:00PM Central time. God bless America and watch over us and guide our hands in this as our cause is just. Scout

Every day we hear about more legislation eating away at our second amendment rights. Are they coming to take your guns? Some would if they could, but the Appleseed Project is doing it's best to educate and bring new shooters into the shooting community. Join us tonight as we discuss the program and what vwe are doing to insure that hey never come to "Take the Colonial powder stores". Scout

America is surrounded by countries who despise us, some actively seeking our downfall by any means possible on a daily basis. Inside America, we face the same type of dedicated enemies but these are Americans, they are trying just as hard to destroy our country, from the inside. Tearing apart the constitution and shredding our liberties any time they have the chance. Did you hear that? How does that sound? What are you doing as an American to safrguard your country, You rights and liberties? Because if the answer is nothing, as it is for most Americans, then you might as well be flyiing the enemies flag in your front yard. Start getting used to the chains of slavery and bondage too, they are forging them for you right now. This week we will talk about women and Appleseed. With an upsurge in the number of women becoming members of Appleseed, look for some real work to get done now. We will also start getting ready for April 19th events across the nation. Please join us Tuesday nights at 7:00PM central.

Death to America. The phrase has actually become a cliche and can be seen quite often as humor on TV and T-shirts etc., but make no mistake about the underlying seriousness of it, this phrase remains a fervent mantra upon the lips of millions of our enemies and neighbors and has even become fashionable gibberish for American liberals to spout in their anti American tirades.

Death to America!!!

Let's think about that for a minute. Death- to -America. What exactly does that mean? Are we talking about death to all Americans? or just some? Or are we talking in a more abstract way about death to the idea of America? And what is the 'idea' of America?

I am quite sure that many of the people and governments shouting this phrase mean just that. Death to all Americans, and would not hesitate to do just that, with a smile from ear to ear. Osama Bin Laden has stated for the record that he intends to kill six million men women and children in America in revenge for America's involvement in the Middle East. Goodbye New York, or Houston, or LA.
 
Now if Bin Laden accidently went over the six million mark and wiped out all Americans worldwide, I have a hard time believing he would be saddened by his overreach. I am sure he would be overjoyed and there would be a worldwide "Osama Day" which would be celebrated much like Thanksgiving and Christmas all rolled into one.(Remember back before we killed all the "Evil Satans" and took over the world and installled Sharia law? Getting harder and harder to find a good infidel to kill now on "Osama Day")

It is sad that not even the humor of the above is a joke. We have millions worldwide that hate the Americans and the idea of America. Let me make sure you got that, MILLIONS!, hundreds of millions. Perhaps Billions. I hope the scope of this is sinking in with you. We are surrounded by our enemies. And not just surrounded, we are actually being eaten alive from within by Americans (by place of birth only) who wish us just as much evil as our enemies abroad. People who will stop at nothing until they have reduced this nation to a beggar state, on our knees before the UN begging for table scraps. These are people who have some kind of short circuit and self hate that makes them truely hate America and wish for her destruction.

What can you do about this? How can you even make a small difference in what is going on outside and inside your nations borders? Become a part of a bigger plan. One man alone is not going to fix anything, but one million men, Rifleman, standing together have a much better chance at solving some of our problems and of safeguarding our liberty. Think about this and then contact us at appleseedinfo.org
May God watch over and guide our hands in this as our cause is just.
Scout