Interview with an Idiot:

[George Hill]

May, 15th, Wednesday. 8:40 AM

I walked into an establishment to do some business and after I conduct my transaction I am greeted by a college kid who is decked out in “Granola Gear”, wearing glasses that look like contact lenses held in frames made of piano wire, and of course the obligatory backpack. He was polite, but smelled of elder berries. For some reason I didn’t like him from the start.
“Excuse me, but I have a question about your hat.”
“Sure” I said as I looked at my watch, making the non-verbal hint that “You should be brief.”
“Is that some fraternity slogan?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, it is… but not for any college clubhouse.”
“Explain?”
Okay, what I can’t communicate is the snobbish air this kid had. He looked like a good kid, clean cut and clear eyed… but he had an attitude that screamed jackass louder than his “I buy outdoor looking clothes and wear sandals, but I’ve not touched actual dirt since grade school.”
“It’s Greek, and says ‘mo-lone lah-veh’ which means ‘Come an get them’.”
He looked like he has some questions, but couldn’t formulate the language to ask.
“That’s what the Spartan King Leonidas said to Xerxes, the Emperor of Persia who came to invade Greece with 600,000 troops. When Xerxes offered to spare the lives of Leonidas and his 300 bodyguards if they would lay down their arms.”
The kid furrowed his brow as he was thinking really hard, and then said “So why do you have that on your hat?”
“Because I am a gun owner, and the message is the same today as it was then.”
“You wouldn’t give up your guns.”
“No, I wont.”
“But…” I held up my hand and cut him off.
“No, no, no butts. I’m a citizen who has served his country, I pay my taxes, I’ve no criminal record, and I even feed a stray cat once in awhile. I may not be a Saint, but I’m still one of the good guys. There is no valid reason for me to give up my guns other than to subjugate me. You and I are not Subjects to Rule – we’re FREE MEN that live in a Democracy.”
He looked stunned for a second, and yet had a glimmer of understanding, but then went and said something stupid. “But the Second Amendment doesn’t say that you can have guns… it says that the Militia can have guns. An organized group of men with muskets.”
This is where it felt like a white hot needle was shoved forcefully through my right temple… “Look, it doesn’t say that… I know where your going on this and your wrong. Who ever told you that is an Idiot.”
“My Professor…”
“Is an idiot.” I held up my hand as he started to open his mouth again to say something stupid. “The militia is defined as able bodied men over the age of 17. That means You and Me… WE are the Militia. Do you know what a Militia is? It’s a group of Civilians that come together to fight. The militia is at all times a group of regular people… until the moment we are needed. You’ve’ heard of the Minute Man? The colonial citizens that at a minutes notice can grab a rifle and join the line… They are ready to go and fight because they have military weapons. They own them.”
He thought he had me here “Yeah, muzzle loading muskets… not Uzis!”
Why is it that the Uzi is the icon of Evil? I’ve got to get one!
“So you think that the right to keep and bare arms is limited to a musket?”
“Yes, because that’s all that was available to the people at the time with that law was written.”
“Okay, that fine… You hold on to that argument. No apply it to the rest of society today and all the other Amendments.”
“So?”
“So?! That means the Freedom of speech is limited to your own vocal range and what you write with a Quill and a bottle of ink on Parchment… and maybe a typeset printing press that can only stamp out one sheet at a time, because that is all that they had back then. That means no radio, no tv, no movies, and certainly nothing on the internet… none of those are protected forms of SPEECH. If the founding fathers couldn’t imagine an Uzi, how could they imagine computers, cell phones, and satellite radio? You limit one Amendment you have to limit all of them.”
The boy looked like I hit him on the head with a rock.
“What part of ‘SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED’ is hard to understand? Look, I’ve got to go.”
“Thanks for talking to me.”
“No problem.” I said and started to walk away.
He called out “Where can I get a hat like that?”
“You have to earn one.”

[Steel]

George-

That was beautiful! Hopefully, this dork will challenge his professor's poorly conceived views.

[Steve Smith]

Sweet. I think you saw an electrical synapse occur right before your eyes.

[falconer]

I'd say that you handled the situation rather well George. Only thing possibly better you could have done is offered to take him shooting.

Changing minds, one idiot at a time.

[SA Scott]

George:

Idiot? That seems harsh. Understanding you got a weird vibe, it sounds from the way he closed the discussion that you choked awake an ignorant sheeple who has absorbed the pablum of propaganda he's been spoonfed all his life with a little castor oil of truth. You planted a seed, that, perhaps, will germinate into an open-minded, freedom-loving American. Maybe I'm reading too much into what you wrote, but if he really is an idiot, and not just misinformed, then we're all doomed.

Very good work on your part in breaking down a wall of intellectual debris. No criticism intended, I'm just being a semantic weenie.

SA Scott

[tl]

I am humbled, as I am rarely that articulate in confrontations / discussions of this sort.

[ronin308]

Good job George! I like that you were forceful and basically read the guy's mind. You headed off his arguements before he had time to really think about them. Nice!

[AC's & 45's]

In regards to George Hill, we are in the presence of greatness.

Well done, I usually run out of words before I call them idiots.

[FPrice]

This thread is a keeper. Good job, thanks for sharing with us.

[Ledbetter]

Another story, opposite ending.

Go into the cigar and tobacco store Saturday morning on my way to go shooting. Wearing my Molon Labe shirt. Ex-cop I know is running the place that day. three guys in chairs smoking cigars.

One says; "What's that mean?" So I tell him it's what the greeks said to the persians at Thermopoli when they were asked to put down their arms. And it means if you want'em, come and take'em.

Guy says to me, "We were just talking about that."

True. And happened in California.

Regards.

[George Hill]

Maybe Idiot was a harsh title to give him... "Ignorant Blissninny" or maybe "Ignorant Higher Education Sheep-like Person"?

[ACP230]

Great story. Two quibbles. We live in a representative republic not a democracy. (I agree that it is much debased, but it is still a republic.) A smaller quibble, it is keep and bear arms, not bare arms. I've seen too many anti-gunner cartoons that play on that idea not to notice. You may flame me as a nitpicker and grammarian whenever ready!

[Bogie]

Uh... George...

I've got long hair.

I wear those little glasses - titanium frames and small lenses, since when I get big ones my head tips forward, and if I don't wear 'em, I walk into doors and try to pick up ugly women when I'm sober...

I buy clothes from REI, L.L. Bean, Eddie Bauer, etc., because they're comfy, and convenient. I also love my browning canvas shirts, but what the heck... Have been seriously considering getting a pair of birks - things get warm here in the summer, and those things are comfy...

I habitually carry a backpack, especially when I have to be out in my neighborhood after dark - I'm near a campus, and the backpack looks semi-student like, and is nice and roomy.

I generally smell bathed.

The person you spoke with was not an idiot. He was just ignorant. Ignorance is a condition which may be cured. Shoulda told him www.thefiringline.com and let him figure it out from there... Looks like you maybe unlocked a door for him... It's up to him to want to open it.

[C.R.Sam]

George smooth.
My keyboard splatted but that's ok.

Sam

[DMK]

"But, my professor said..."

LOL! How many years is it supposed to take before they can think on their own?

[Stoic]

Poor Kid!

Most of this generation grew up in a single parent home devoid of any male influences and laden with politically correct blather. You should have taken him shooting.

[Country Boy]

He called out “Where can I get a hat like that?"
“You have to earn one.”

Beautiful

[Paul K]

Wow! thats really cool!

[coonan357]

hey george did you smell the smell of dust burning off of the kids ol noggin , its fro all the time he wasn't thinking and that thing sat dormant , ok score George Hill 1 - idiot bissninnys 0 !

[Don Gwinn]

Cut him some slack, people. For a Wookie, that was high diplomacy.

[Mike in VA]

Good one, & bless you George.

Tomorrow, I'm taking a young man down to my boat to get the sails on, set the running rigging, and some other routine maintenance. His upbringing is too liberal, I'm going work on the allegory of pirates & privateers, personal responsibility, etc, and try to cure some cranial rectitius.

He's a good kid, just needs to get past grad school crap and smell the breeze.

No AAA on the Bay.

[Dave R]

Too bad he didn't ask what he has to do to earn one.

[Mute]

Guys, read the post a bit more carefully. George did not call the kid an idiot. He said whoever gave the misinformation to the kid was an idiot. I would argue that his assessment was 100% correct.

[Frohickey]

George Hill, I'd buy you a beer if you were in town. ATTA-BOY!!!!

[Ed Brunner]

Well done!