Theos-Talk Archives (June 1997 Message tl00301)

What a surprise I had when I finally had the oppurtunity to browse through
the digests.  It seems I had a lot of catching up to do.  Also, I have a
lot of people to thank for their help.

Estrella:

I think that what you are doing is wonderful.  The only way to stop the
oppression is to give resistance to it.  I admire your perseverence.  I
only wish that our government felt the same way that you do.  But, I
suppose that all of our governments have a lot on their minds.  Your
proposal for media influence is one of which I have argued with my
friends.  The only problem with it is that, right now, we have no
protection if this local militia catches on to what we are doing.  I would
appreciate it, though, if you could dig up that address for the
international magazine.  When the time is right, we are going to bring the
media in on this.  We made one unsuccessful attempt at educating the
media, and would have made more, but we decided that such actions would
jeapordize our safety at this time.  There will be time for that later.


Global concerns:

As Estrella has expressed, the U.S. is not the only place with a problem.
I believe that the reason why militias in the U.S. stand out so much is
that there is not supposed to be any place for oppression here.  The
government isn't "supposed" to be oppressive.  In other countries,
however, the government is recognized as oppressive, and it is quite
possible that people from other "civilized" (laugh) countries overlook the
smaller oppressive organizations.  And America, of course, would NEVER
admit to being a part of it.  I think, with regards to the Americas
themselves, the governments really don't give a damn whether or not
oppression exists within their midst, so long as it doesn't endanger the
government structure or income.

As you say, Estrella, the U.S. populous is one of the most uninformed in
the world.  I don't know much about my own government ( however, I have
learned a lot in the past week ) much less another country's.  Personally,
I want to help annihilate oppression altogether.  It may be impossible,
true, but in the attempt to achieve such a goal, a lot of good can be
done.  If we can't eliminate it, we can at least lessen it a great deal.
If anyone has such a problem in their community, state, or country, let
me know.  You can use my personal e-mail if you wish, at
triaism@modzer0.uafdorms.alaska.edu.  In the U.S. problems such as
oppressive militias are easier to combat due to our right to assemble and
speak freely.  Not all people have that oppurtunity.  Some countries have
very serious punishments for such actions.

On arms control:

When it comes to self-defense, and determining the best way to defend
oneself, there are many factors to take into consideration.  One, are you
protected well enough by those who are employed to protect you?  Two, do
you live in or spend a lot of time in a threatening atmosphere?  Three,
does your community, state, or country's law enforcement have the
resources to help you in a state of emergency?  Four, is an "underground"
market prevalent and well-established in your area?  Five, are their
people or groups of people who have reasons, well-founded or not, to harm
you?

There are others, but I think these are very important.  With regards to
"One", it is very hard to know if you are being well-protected unless you
or someone close to you has needed that protection and did or did not
recieve it in a timely manner.  In the U.S., people normally do not, due
to the exhaustive over-population.  The fact is, criminals have guns NOW,
and guns can be hidden quite effectively.  A law abiding citizen will
conform to gun control laws, but a criminal doesn't really give a damn.
As someone else said, "it's just another crime to add to their list."

"Two", if the news and statistics tell you that your community, state, or
country has a high crime rate, and/or a high count of gun-related deaths,
it is obvious that criminals have guns and they are using them.  It is
also obvious that those who are there to protect aren't getting there in
time.  For you to live or spend time in such a place without having the
resources to defend yourself is not only dangerous to you, but foolish.
Foolish because if you do get mugged, shot, or killed, the criminals have
just had another good reason to keep using their gun.  It worked.  If you
have a gun, and wear it on your hip, you are going to less likely be a
target for their benefit.  In places with little crime, there isn't really
that much of a need for guns and other weapons.  If the U.S. were in such
a state of affairs, gun-control would be a good "preventative".  Gun
control cannot fix a problem such as this, but it can prevent it from
happening again once the problem has disappeared.

"Three", a lot of people don't live very close to a police station, as is
the case with my friends.  They live out in the woods somewhere, or on a
farm, or in an inner-city where the population and crime rates are too
high for a timely response..  In this situation, having a gun is like
knowing first-aid.  It is needed for self-defense in the instance of an
emergency situation.  If a person knows first-aid, and is involved in a
car accident, (s)he will have the knowledge to help the injured until the
professionals can arrive.  If a person has a gun and knows how to use
it, and her/his life is threatened directly (s)he can prevent her own
injury or the injury of loved ones, by attempting a "stand-off" with the
aggressor.  This doesn't mean that the gun has to be used to kill someone.
All it takes is a little practice on aim, and you can shoot an aggressor
in the leg or arm and go hide until the police show up.  The gun is a tool
which can be used for death, but if used properly, death can be avoided.

"Four", this is probably the biggest problem.  In the U.S., it is very
easy to smuggle guns, drugs, and other illegal items across state and
country borders.  They are even smuggled out of military institutions.
These weapons and drugs can be bought by anyone for the right price.  If
the government can't keep their own weapons where they are supposed to be,
how are they going to make sure that no one else has any.  Gun control in
the U.S. right now is a preposterous idea.  With regards to the U.K.
and/or the rest of Europe, I, as an uninformed American citizen, know very
little about its society.  Does the U.K. have an underground market?  If
they do, and I don't mean to make anyone paranoid, then somebody has a gun
or a lot of guns that aren't supposed to.  I don't think there is a
country in the world that does not have an underground market of some
sort.  But as I said, I am uninformed and ignorant, and I only have my own
experiences with which to base my opinions on.  My point is, if you have
an underground market which is well-established as it is in America, then
you had better find out if you need to protect yourself.  And if you do,
then either, 1) get some protection, or 2) move.  And if you can't move,
see "1".

"Five".  This is probably one of the biggest reasons why people own guns
and other weapons.  In general, it sums up the first four factors I have
listed here in that if your life has a possibility of ending, you should
do something about it.  My reason for giving this fifth factor a lot of
importance is this:  Guns are not the only things that can be used to kill
another person, however, they seem to be quite efficient.  Many different
people can find many different reasons to want you dead.  One of the more
prevalent and widely-known reasons for the murder of a person is
prejudice.  Once again, prejudice is a very general term.  There is racial
prejudice.  There is sexual prejudice.  There is prejudice toward sexual
orientation.  Intellectual prejudice.  Class prejudice.  These are big
ones, however, prejudice can come down to what kind of car you drive, or
what color you painted you fingernails.  There was an instance here in
America where a man was shot and killed for passing gas in the ticket line
of a movie theater.  (That probably has nothing to do with prejudice,
however, this was one of the most ridiculous things I had ever heard).

To continue on the prejudice line...for an African-American, there are
many dangerous organizations is the U.S.  There is the Klu Klux Klan.
Fascist militias.  Neo-nazi's.  And a lot of others, I'm sure, right down
to "good christian churches".  And these are just organizations.  Many
people, just personally, hate "black" people so much that they just wait
for the chance to kill one.  The same goes for homosexuals.  The same
organizations listed above apply to them as well.  Transexuals have this
problem.  Hermaphrodites.  Any "non-white" person will find aggression in
the U.S.  And what all of this leads to is fear, prejudice, and aggression
toward the initial aggressors.  Absolutely no-one is safe in this country.
Mainly due to racial discrimination both on the side of "whites" and
"non-whites".  The person standing behind you at the movie theater may
have a problem with you and want you dead.

Last note on gun-control:

As I stated before, gun-control makes for a great preventative, but not a
cure.  The U.S. would fall apart if the same gun-control laws implemented
in the U.K. were introduced here.  It would be a disaster.  I have to
agree that the only choice for the U.S., right now, is to prohibit the
sale and use of the "big guns".  Automatic weapons, etc.  Sure, many
criminals can get their hands on these things for now, but when it comes
to a thief or assassin breaking into your home, a handgun will do the job.
I don't know as of know what the real answer for the U.S. is.  But I have
to stand behind those who say that upstanding citizens should not have
restricted access to tools they may need to protect themselves.  If
gun-control gets any more strict, the criminals will have won.

The militia here in Alaska:

My friend has written another letter about CAMO.  I shall post it after I
send this one.  It basically states what CAMO is and what it is not.

I'd like to thank everyone for their concern.  Estrella, my heart goes out
to you and your country.  Like I said, I reciprocate your concern and will
do what I can to help you.  Just let me know what your status is there.
Liesel, I thank you for your thoughts and energy, it is being put to good
use:).  Chuck, I must say I was quite surprised at the seriousness of your
replies.  If you have any ideas on what can be done both here and
globally, please let me know.  Alan, I really appreciate your advice and
information.  Although I don't agree with your very sensible escape
theory, your concern for my and my friends' welfare has given us a lot of
hope.

Thanx again everyone.
---
Jaqi.