Purplehood wrote:I generally dislike making generalizations, but here I go...
After 24 years in the Military (both Marines and Army) I have not yet changed my opinion that the majority of Career Officers (Field Grade and above) are very liberal. The General is simply another example of that. They are simply a part of the overall elitist attitude that the unwashed masses are not worthy of the same "privileges" that they enjoy.
I am sure that there are exceptions, but I never came across them.
I honor and respect your long and dedicated service, truly, Purplehood. While I may be one of those you are talking about, I must say that my own 24+ years of service gave me just the opposite opinion. Until I came aboard this forum I had never encountered a group of persons more conservative and extreme right wing than the career military officer, of all grades up to and including flag. As you say, Purplehood, I am sure there are exceptions, but I never came across them. While I have not served
in all the services, during my career I served
with each of them save the Marines, While during one tour, living barely outside the gate at Quantico, many of my closest friends were senior-grade Marines. We never came to blows over politics, but we came close, and I never wanted to fight with a Marine.
I am not saying that either of us is right, or that either of us is wrong. I note that we both carefully used the word "opinion," to our mutual credit, I would say. I respect your opinion, but mine differs. Perhaps our respective observations as to this issue were affected by observing it from different perspectives.
My point on this when starting up this thread was actually to insure that all our members recognize that our ability to responsibly own and use firearms is under a attack now like we perhaps have not seen before. Our response to that attack may have to be done differently than by regurgitating our own talk to each other and that of the NRA, or, even worse, threatening insurrection, rebellion, seditious conspiracy, or advocating the overthrow of our government.
In the news today was another instance which confirms, to my mind, that the attack is growing, and our response could be fatal if not modified. It must by now be obvious to all that my legal position on the Second Amendment is not "any gun, any time, any place, regardless of other factors present at the time," but I must admit that I am becoming concerned about all the many broad statements coming out of Washington and elsewhere recently.
Ex-congresswoman Gabriell Gifford and her husband, Captain Mark Kelley, United States Navy (Ret.), a combat veteran navy pilot, are forming a group which appears to have as its major goal the raising of finances sufficient to be a real opposition to the NRA. Regardless of one's personal views on this, we could all be sorry some day for not adjusting our order of battle somewhat.
“
As a Western woman and a Persian Gulf War combat veteran who have exercised our Second Amendment rights, we don’t want to take away your guns any more than we want to give up the two guns we have locked in a safe at home,” the couple write. “What we do want is what the majority of NRA members and other Americans want: responsible changes in our laws to require responsible gun ownership and reduce gun violence.”
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As Abe suggested above, perhaps I was indeed taunting. If so it is only because I think this forum needs a little taunting. I will go so far as to say that I think the quoted comments of McChrystal, Gabby Gifford and Mark Kelley do not show signs of extremism, at least not until they and others are pressed into extremism by extremism on the other side.
Jim
