Thursday, June 18, 2015

Reflections on the Patriot Tribe

by | Jun 18, 2015


As I write this, patriots from all over the country are traveling to Washington State to send a message.  They are coming to what may be the largest event of its kind in American history, to make a statement that will stand on its own for generations to come.  They are coming resolute, brave and fearless.  They are coming to train, to network, to partake in the humbling honor and grave responsibility of being part of the few who choose to stand in defense of Liberty.  Before an event, I am always filled with a sense of wonder at it all.  It never, ever gets old.  As an old, dear friend of mine said to me a few weeks ago, “How blessed are we to be given the opportunity to fight for Liberty?”  We are blessed, indeed.
I think about the people who I call family in this cause, the ones who I train with, eat with, argue with, and would without hesitation fight and die with.  Contrary to what the average American may think, the people who I call family are not uneducated white trash with a penchant for anarchy and gun crimes.  My tribe is made up of some of the most amazing minds you’ll ever meet, people who have honorably served Liberty—some of them since I was a child.  They are trainers and teachers, always willing to share their knowledge and their skills.  They are family folk, who love their children and their spouses.  They are builders and engineers, mechanics and healthcare workers. They go to work, pay bills, go to their kids’ school events, fix their sinks and mow their lawns.  In other words, in many ways they are just like you.
What sets them apart—and what should scare the living daylights out of the tyrants—is this:  That is not all they are.
They are also brilliant tacticians and strategists, and eloquent writers who can inspire people to action with their words.  They are farmers and survivalists who can thrive in nearly any environment, no matter how rough the terrain or lean the resources.  They are prepared for any disaster, and have a plan for nearly any possible situation they may find themselves in.  They are intelligence professionals who are experts in things that you would rather not know about and should hope you never have to face.  They are former Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps.  They are everything from herbalists to pilots, radio operators to plumbers.  They are well-trained…and they are still always training.  They are not rich, but they offer what they have to the cause.  They are self-reliant, and regardless of political, racial or religious differences, they are bound together by the basic idea that we were created free, and must remain free at all costs.
They are also quite literally the most incredible marksmen I’ve ever seen.  Of course, the difference between them and the feds is that my tribe has never taken innocent life…and never will.
This is my tribe.  These are the people who I stand next to at rallies, the people who are traveling across the country to be here, the people who I spend day in and day out working with in this amazing and terrifying fight we are in.  I think of each of their faces as I write this, of each of their skillsets and their fortitude and their absolute balls.  Male and female alike, young and old, of all races and all walks of life.  I am so humbled to know them and be counted as one of their number.  I think of their kids, growing up strong and resolute like their parents, and it fills me with hope.  I think of the man whose face I see across the dinner table every night, and I love him even more because I know in his heart burns the exact same fire that is in mine.  All of us, united by Liberty no matter the cost.  I think of the sacrifices that so many have made in the last few weeks and months to make this Arms Expo a success…and trust me, there were so many.  I say that not because these people want recognition—although the people I worked with these last few months certainly deserve every accolade that could be thrown their way—but because I want readers to understand how much we love this cause, how much we are willing to give in its defense.
We are often castigated and ridiculed for our blunt manner, and I am especially singled out for my seemingly rude attitude toward those who choose to write letters instead of stand, or who do things “differently.”  Perhaps now is when you expect an apology for that.  I’ll be honest: You’ll never get one.  I see what my teammates have given up and continue to give in support of this cause, and I can tell you right now that 99% of you will never know the true cost.  I see the stress, the lack of sleep, the severe health issues that they endure because of it.  I have been there for the quiet 4am mornings when, after a sleepless night spent with too many cigarettes and too many pots of coffee, we all look at each other with the sobering realization that we may not come home from the rally that day.  I know about the financial struggles for those who have chosen to fund liberty activities out of their own pocket when they couldn’t afford to.  I’ve seen them hug their kids goodbye knowing it may be the last time they see them.  People laugh at that because so far nothing has happened, but the truth is, we never know if this rally is the one they start shooting at.  We never know if this time is the time when they decide to arrest us all. For my brother Anthony, this time is already here.  If the federal government has its way, his wife Maria will face running a farm and raising five children alone.  Where will you be?  Arguing on Facebook?  Running around in the woods and going to “meet and greets”?
Believe me—this post is in NO way a treatise on why some patriots are better than you, so spare me the hate mail.  What this post is meant to do is give you some perspective.  People read my articles or Facebook posts and they think they know me.  They call me a bully and far worse.  They call Anthony attention-seeking and arrogant.  They do everything possible to discredit us and tear us down.  None of that bothers me because I know what you do not.  I see what the others in this fight go through in order to keep fighting.  The bottom line is this: Membership in this tribe costs something–not because we say so, but because that is the nature of the tribe.  Liberty is bigger than ALL of us, and as elitist as it may sound, truly standing in its defense by default will cost you.  It will affect your friendships, your relationships, your job.  It will change your financial situation, and it will affect your sleep, your health.  But it is so incredibly worth it.
Every day I watch people give everything they have for this cause.  Everything.  So when you tell me in a Facebook message, firmly ensconced in your easy chair with your laptop, that what YOU do, in your little social media groups and Zello “meetings” and letter writing is “just as important”, please forgive me when I laugh in your face.  Come stand next to me at a rally, defying tyranny in front of a sniper team just waiting for a go order to blow a hole in your face, and then I’ll take you seriously.  Go stand in front of a federal judge as they deny you every right you have in a court of law, like Anthony is doing today.  Show up at the Arms Expo this weekend and defy unconstitutional law with us.  Choose which bill to pay this month because you don’t have enough cash to pay them all and still continue to support the fight.  Stop typing and put some damn skin in the game, because the people I see in this cause have everything on the line.
This weekend, my tribe will all stand defiant against laws that seek to control, to strip us of rights inherent in our very existence as human beings.  What will your tribe be doing?

Via http://www.patrickhenrysociety.com/reflections-on-the-patriot-tribe/

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