An author I liked - Edward Abbey
July 22nd, 2009I used to read books. I still do, but almost always non-fiction except for the Harry Potter books. I know, boring, but I’m one of those people who go through phases.
One of my favorite authors back when I read fiction was Edward Abbey. Hated by both the Right (for environmental extremism) and the Left (for voicing that there are too many God damn illegal immigrants), Edward Abbey is my kind of guy. He believes in open space, the natural world, sex, and Freedom. Anyone want to argue with that?
“The tank, the B-52, the fighter-bomber, the state-controlled police and military are the weapons of dictatorship. The rifle is the weapon of democracy. Not for nothing was the revolver called an “equalizer.” Egalite implies liberte. And always will. Let us hope our weapons are never needed—but do not forget what the common people of this nation knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny.”
-Edward Abbey
Abbey gets it. Guns are the equalizer. I hear liberals say “what good is a rifle against a tank?” I’ll tell you what, Mr. Liberal. You get in a tank. I’ll hide with my rifle. We’ll play a game called hide and go seek. I’ll let others put money on us, and I guarantee you that the people putting money on me will be happy with the results. I could write a separate blog post on how easy it would be for me to kill you, but it will be long and boring and over liberals’ heads because liberals don’t know anything about how guerrilla warfare works.
“The most common form of terrorism in the U.S.A. is that carried on by bulldozers and chain saws.”
-Edward Abbey
This will piss off conservatives. Well, conservatives piss me off. Today’s conservatives are completely unable to see anything past the dollar sign. I don’t want to see the entire America turned into strip malls and suburbs. I just don’t. I think nature is beautiful as is, and the last thing we need are more cities.
We need less people. The world is overpopulated. And yes, I’m for limiting immigration to only taking the best of the best. I’m sick of taking in the shit, the gang bangers, the pregnant teens, near retards, and illegals with diseases. Send them all home.
“It might be wise for us, as American citizens, to consider calling a halt to the mass influx of even more millions of hungry, ignorant, unskilled, and culturally-morally-genetically, impoverished people…Why not [support immigration]? Because we prefer democratic government, for one thing; because we still hope for an open, spacious, uncrowded, and beautiful–yes beautiful!–society, for another.”
Exactly.
America simply was more beautiful when it had 200 million people. It was even more beautiful when it had 100 million people. Now we’re over 300 million people and every year, the population grows. Not from within, but from outside the borders. Americans know how to use this thing called “birth control.” Illegal immigrants don’t. They just breed and breed and breed, then their kids join gangs and tag everywhere and make the schools suck.
I know this first hand. I’ve lived in those neighborhoods that white yuppies are afraid to enter. They’re not pleasant for anyone, and the teachers in those schools burn out within five years, because illegal parents simply don’t take education seriously.
Anyways, Abbey’s books are excellent. I suggest pretty much anything he ever wrote. I like people who think for themselves, and Abbey not only does that, but he can write.
Hey Zombieslayer:
I like your passion and feel that if everyone was like you, this would likely be a better country; however, the devil, as always, lurks in the details and/or margins. I love Abbey too, but his brand of libertarianism was suited for a time and place - and that time and place was in the West. The Manifest Destiny West, where individuals still could own land and we weren’t so darned crowded. I only wish all we had to worry about were “rifles”. The problem with your logic is you reduce it down to where it should be but your lobby (NRA) will advocate for assault rifles, which are completely different, destructive, and horribly scary to those, like me, who live and work in communities where people really do use these types of weapons. I have many more thoughts but not alot of time at the moment. I do agree with you about overpopulation and it disgusts me that it is such a forbidden topic and how we can’t give it out in the schools, where so many of these kids would benefit from it. Furthermore, it angers me how certain “communities” refuse to acknowledge issues like teen birthrates and high school dropout rates.
I have nothing of value to add here. I thought the points you brought up were very well written. Something in my mind rejects it though, and I can’t quite get it out. Bet it’s cuz I’m Canadian. lol…
Marcell - Actually, I’m not an NRA member. The NRA are lightweights.
I’m all for full on assault rifles, but the definition you have for “assault rifles” is the incorrect definition. The REAL definition is fully automatic rifles, which are only legal in Nevada, and NEVER used for crime.
The thing is, even the watered down rifles in California did their job when they were used - they protected stores against looters during the LA riots, which certainly you should be aware of.
As for overpopulation, yes, we need more discussion on teen birthrates and high school dropout rates. Neither are acceptable, but as a society, we think it’s ok. They’re not ok. Both are responsible for poverty and crime, something not politically correct to bring up but I’ll say it anyways.
Xmichra - Damn Canadians.
Your point on overpopulation being the most serious problem is right. Although many politicians must know this, almost none will say a word. Bring back Jesse Ventura!
As far as liberals and conservatives, first on all, among so called conservatives, I don’t believe even a tenth of them know what a conservative is or what a liberal is. Conservatives tend to be easily persuaded and often just plain stupid. Liberals accept the bull society teaches them also, but they tend to be somewhat more intelligent. At least liberals don’t believe global warming is a conspiracy, and they are not dumb enough to think Palin would make a good president. As far as guns, I feel there are too many pressing problems in this nation to give prime importance to the right to own guns.
I believe in the second admendment, but I support any city that outlaws handguns. Handguns are ineffective against armies.
I would use this order of importance of issues:
1. Over population caused maining by immigration. This problem spawns the next to problems
2. Pollution of which CO 2 gasses are the most dangerous as they cause global warming.
3. Nuclear Proliferation
4. Religion and Stupidy which are synonymous
No, handguns won’t do much against armies. They are for personal protection.
I agree with you about overpopulation being #1, but global warming is just another side effect of overpopulation, and it will get worse now that India and China will start driving cars.
Allowing North Korea to own nukes is about as stupid as the world can get, and that’s a direct result of George W Bush being an idiot and Barack Obama being a pussy. Plus, Europeans are all pussies. Every nation there is pretty much useless, as is China.
As for #4, I’m religion neutral. It can be used for greatness (like Martin Luther King, Jr) or evil (like Radical Islam).
I firmly believe that overpopulation is to blame for 99% of the world’s problems! Too bad nobody believes us.
I have to tell you that in yesterday’s election here in Detroit, the city where my mother lives had a proposal to buy the old psychiatric hospital lands from a developer and make it into a park. I was there on Sunday and saw signs saying to vote no because “no more taxes.” I’m happy to say that the park won over yet another stupid strip mall (there are at least two within a mile from there that are empty or very sparsely populated). I just hope that when it becomes a “park” they don’t tear down all the trees.
He was a good writer, but wasn’t he like the intellectual godfather of ecoterrorism? Tree spiking and all that? And I hate that he killed a rabbit so he could feel like part of the cycle of nature, but then didn’t bother to eat the damn thing like any other animal would. He struck me as kind of a nature-boy poseur.