Is it any wonder the Onion stopped publishing? Who can keep up with this? You may recall, a similar thing happened during LaPierre's press conference. At what point does it become a major clue that we need to take immediate action? How about when every time there is a press conference to discuss gun violence, coverage is interrupted by breaking news -- of another instance of gun violence? How much longer before this "ironic coincidence " becomes the "new normal"?
Are we going to sit back and hope something gets done, or wait until nutjobs like Tactical Response CEO James Yeager makes good on his death threat?
“Vice President [Joe] Biden is asking the president to bypass Congress and use executive privilege, executive order to ban assault rifles and to impose stricter gun control,” Yeager explained in his video message. “Fuck that.”
“I’m telling you that if that happens, it’s going to spark a civil war, and I’ll be glad to fire the first shot. I’m not putting up with it. You shouldn’t put up with it. And I need all you patriots to start thinking about what you’re going to do, load your damn mags, make sure your rifle’s clean, pack a backpack with some food in it and get ready to fight.”
The CEO concluded: “I’m not fucking putting up with this. I’m not letting my country be ruled by a dictator. I’m not letting anybody take my guns! If it goes one inch further, I’m going to start killing people.”
The guy's a regular
Rosa Parks. I totally see the resemblance. Hell, the only thing missing from that call for armed rebellion is the salutation,
Molon Labe!
Faced with a public threat to "kill people" from guy who was a police officer and currently trains cops, who has the means to make good on his threat, I have to wonder if anyone is going to ask the Oath Keepers how they feel about their "10 Orders we will not obey.".
For those not familiar with Oath Keepers, they are a coalition of active duty military, current law enforcement, former law enforcement and veterans who pledge the following:
The Oath Keepers feel that their sworn oath to the American Constitution, grants them not only the right, but the duty to refuse unconstitutional orders. The Oath Keepers organization has published a list of orders that they will not obey:
1) Orders to disarm the American people.
2) Orders to conduct warrantless searches of the American people.
3) Orders to detain American citizens as “unlawful enemy combatants” or to subject them to military tribunal.
4) Orders to impose martial law or a “state of emergency” on a state.
5) Orders to invade and subjugate any state that asserts its sovereignty.
6) Any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps.
7) Any order to force American citizens into any form of detention camps under any pretext.
8) Orders to assist or support the use of any foreign troops on U.S. soil against the American people to “keep the peace” or to “maintain control."
9) Any orders to confiscate the property of the American people, including food and other essential supplies.
10) Any orders which infringe on the right of the people to free speech, to peaceably assemble, and to petition their government for a redress of grievances.
I guess if a guy like Yeager starts capping their fellow officers, these guys are going to look the other way. You have to wonder how wedded to the rule of law they are if they will sacrifice their comrades to enable those who violate it by calling for armed insurrection.
6:39 PM PT: Apparently, the response to Yeager's first video was swift. Now he has posted a second video claiming, he has "assembled an army...a quite formidable army" but that "now is not the right time" to "do anything rash".... hoo boy.