Facing Life’s Adversities
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Don’t stand there all wide-eyed and dazed, do something to support your Gun Rights!
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Get nosey and look into what you can do.
I just spent the past week at my cousin’s farm in Pennsylvania. My Pre-Veterinarian college-age daughter Samantha was shadowing a large animal Veterinarian specializing in cows, the heart of the dairy industry. As luck would have it, the weather was going to be severe with temperatures hovering around zero, with incredible wind-chills to boot.
I’m pretty immune to the cold, but I have to admit, it was pretty damn frigid! I’ve always respected my cousins for their hard work they do everyday, seven days a week, 365 days out of the year. Cows don’t care about excuses! They need to be milked twice a day, no matter what. I remember when my grandfather died my uncles went to my grandmothers house, consoled her — and then had to leave to milk the cows that afternoon some 20 minutes later.
Milking has to be done, no matter how dire the circumstances, no matter what obstacle gets thrown before you, you need to get it done. Such is the life of a dairy farmer.
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Cold Wars
The cold is hard on machinery, especially when the actual temperature is -10 below zero. Tractors won’t start, or, if they do, they get stuck. Pipes freeze and burst, and ice makes things slippery and treacherous to both cow and men. Calves are being born, and it takes extra effort to save them. The unheated barn is cold, but my cousin explained, the cow’s body heat is absorbed in the 100+ -year-old wood structure, making it bearable. Water troughs need to be broke of ice so cows can drink and water pipes are allowed to trickle so pipes don’t freeze and burst. Despite their best efforts however, things go wrong as they always do in life, especially in freezing temperatures.
It’s this adversity that measures a person’s mettle, where you can really see what they’re made of, as if X-raying their soul. Most farmers know this, and methodically trudge on, getting’ ‘er done, no matter what. They take it in stride, there’s no sense getting upset, it won’t help any. Instead, they do what needs to get done, using bailing twine, duct tape and ingenuity to temporarily patch things up for later, until they have time to do it right.
Farmers are masters at dealing with adversity. If you ever get in a tight spot, it’s always good to have a farmer around! They’re a jack-of-all-trades handling the problems life constantly throws at them.
Compass Confusion?
By now, you’re asking yourself, “Okay Tank, you told us a nice story about how tough it is to farm, but where in the hell are you going with this? What direction are you taking us to make this a gun-related story?”
Just as my cousin’s milk their cows day in and day out, facing life’s adversities without complaint, we, as gun owners need to be just as vigilant when it comes to gun rights!
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Fight The Fight
Left-leaning politicians are continually coming up with ways to trim, twist and take away our rights as gun owners. We need to be just as dedicated in thwarting their attempts by protecting our herd, so to speak. Sure we all bitch and moan, complaining, but what good does it really do?
We need to fight the fight to keep our rights. We need to support gun rights organizations at both local and national levels. I’m not soliciting funds by any means, but you need to support the group of your choice with a comfortable donation. Volunteer, or help out in any way you can if donations aren’t a viable option for you.
Pitch In
Even volunteering at your local gun club, setting a good example and talking to people in a well informed, civilized manner is a step in the right direction. Here’s the hard one, at least for me — when confronted by anti-gunners, keep your cool and try to explain your points. While you probably won’t change their minds, you may change the minds of those listening to your conversation. I know it’s hard, but in the long term, I really believe it’s more effective. Let the anti-gunners blow their gasket — as you gain credibility keeping a cool head during your debate.
Face your adversities like a farmer by keeping a cool head. Don’t get sidetracked. Just as the cows need milked twice a day, supporting gun rights needs to be done on a daily basis. What did you do today to support rights? Let’s not get milked by the left on this. We all need to pitch in what we can.
And that’s no bull.
Oh, and one more thing. Read the Gun Rights and Rights Watch columns in Handgunner and Guns. We’re not just preaching to the choir there, we’re giving you grist and solid info to use when you’re up against the wall and need to explain this whole rights issue. Keep a few good talking points on a card in your wallet if you need to — but be prepared to make sense!
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