The serendipitous landing of links

I have long since stooped being surprised, other than pleasantly so, by the seemingly odd coincidences that have been occurring in my life the last few years. I simply take them as evidence that there is a power beyond me using me for its own ends, whatever those ends may be. No, I don’t pretend that it is God, nor to I pretend that they are positive ends. The Universe isn’t that clear to us mortals.

Today I had two links come in over the transom. The first was from Mountain Man, and addresses what many of us Southerners see as the truth about Abraham Lincoln and The War of Northern Aggression. This is a subject which has recently been renewed in the public consciousness when NC Rep. Larry Pittman decided to note what many Southerners believe and had the temerity to do it out loud and on social media.

I don’t bring this up to restart the discussion on what is the “truth” about the late unpleasantness. I’m bringing up to point out something–this country still bears unhealed scars from our last civil war and the essential nature of that war, over 150 years after its conclusion. A civil war, by its nature is the most bitter of all wars, given that it is fought between neighbors on home ground over strongly held beliefs. It is a kind of war where the battles will be carried on far past the point of good sense. I think it would be reasonable to say that no thinking person wants to have another one.

The second link was something from Michael Bane on his Facebook feed, where he noted this post from Gabe Suarez on the new enemy, the so-called anti-facists, or Antifa. While they are currently just slightly beyond the joke category, we’re probably about one good shooting from some serious problems–and these hyperactive children are learning how to shoot. While they may look distinctly amateurish now, as far as I’m aware there is no political limitations on becoming a credible marksman (or as I’m sure they would require me to say, marksperson). There are definitely none on the purchase and ownership of firearms.

As a nation, we’re not in a good place and we haven’t been at a good place in a while. I don’t see any indication that we’ll be at a good place any time soon. This means that those of us on “our side” are going to need to keep our eyes and ears open, our wits about us and double down on our deployment of common sense. While we might be tempted to go to one of these Berkeley-like demonstrations in order make sure our voice is heard, discretion is the better part of valor and always has been. Stay home.

Our efforts are better put into the same things we’ve always done–training, prepping and building our communities. Let the fools argue with the idiots in the streets and confuse television audiences about identity issues. Stay focused and as the man has so often said, stay frosty.