After considerable thought, here is my reply to the comments posted at "A criticism up for discussion."

As of this morning, there are an amazing 91 comments at my invitation for criticism last Friday. Before I begin, I would like to thank each and every one of you who commented, especially the ones who were harshest on me. All of you, for the most part, care deeply about the subject and that alone is humbling. What I write is important to some people. No writer can ask any more than that.

Let us begin with Warrior Class' initial indictment:

As bad as this scandal is, it has taken over your blog. You used to inspire us, but you have lost your balance over this rather minor trip of tyranny that is but a blip in the over-all loss of our freedom.

Our country is sinking fast and we need to be reminded where of we came. The American revolution was started because the Brits tried to take our weapons. The Texas revolution started for the very same reason.

It matters not what is their pretext or rational, war has been declared on the America we once knew and the government is arming our enemies.

You can push this if you want, but the bigger issue is gathering the people behind us. I think you have now lost them.

Remind them who they are, where they came from and where they can go, if they will gird up their loins and take back their country.

If I may mention it, there is this immutable truth: Although some folks thank Gaia for it, there is only one of me. I know of no process to clone me or to put more hours in the day. I do what I can with what time and effort I can muster, day in and day out. Because of my health and chronic penury, that time and effort is not perhaps what some would like -- it is not what I would like -- but it just is. I must take time to visit the doctors and those doctors require co-pays. This more than anything else is the central fact of my existence these past several years. As both situations are of my own making, I do not complain nor do I seek excuse, but I hope you accept it as partial explanation of how my time is spent.

The heart of Warrior Class' indictment is that I am spending what time and effort remains to me after that on the wrong things. I suppose my principal disagreement with WC is his characterization of the Gunwalker Scandal as a "minor trip of tyranny that is but a blip in the over-all loss of our freedom."

This is both true and false. It is true in the grand sweep of history, but untrue when viewed from this instant in time. Indeed, the Gunwalker scandal has provided us with the first real possibility in my memory to strike a strategic blow at the plans of the enemies of the Founders' Republic.

There is much naysaying in comments -- I will not be uncharitable and call it defeatist whining as some do -- about how "Holder will never go to jail" or "this will make no difference" or "it will all be covered up." Some think that it has become an obsession that, like Captain Ahab and Moby Dick, will doom me. One long-time reader and friend put it this way:

Hang in there, Mike. Had I the coin I would gladly drive the 800 odd miles one way to shake your hand. Put what you want on the blog. I am just concerned that if Issa and Grassley both wimp out and nothing comes of all your hard work it will be devastating to you psychologically.

My reply was as follows:

From my perspective, Gunwalker is a mission to deal damage to the legitimacy, morale and organization of the enemies of the Founders' Republic. It is part of the larger war in which I enlisted in a long time ago. Even if it "fails" in terms of justice, it has already succeeded beyond my wildest imaginings in terms of damaging their legitimacy, morale and organization. An enemy on the defensive is not attacking, thus this buys time for the rest of us to prepare, train, organize for whatever comes. Don't worry about my psych status. I will stay in the fight.

So you see, it is not about whether or not the Gunwalker Scandal succeeds in putting Holder or anyone else in prison. Viewed as a political operation with military import, it has already succeeded. Admittedly we are beating the enemies of the Founders' Republic over the head with an instrument of their own invention and not our own. Like the execution of all sound military strategies we have seized the tactical mistakes of our opponents and made strategic gains with them.

To that end, we have made allies who do not share our beliefs much beyond the desire for truth and simple justice. They, too, now come to this blog, and I view that as a success as well. We are changing the preconceptions that they had about Constitutional militias. This is a goodness thing, in both the short and long terms.

In the middle of the comments pouring in, I asked a long-time friend what he thought. "You have to ask yourself two questions. First, are you making a difference? Are you succeeding in the mission you set out to accomplish?"

The answer to that, I told him, was an unqualified "yes" for the reasons set out in my email reply above.

"The second question is," he continued, "can anyone else do what you are doing at this time and place and do it as well?"

That answer to that question, I leave to you, gentle readers.

I will continue to try to do everything as best I can, but the Gunwalker scandal is a strategic opportunity for those who seek to block the enemies of liberty and to restore the Founders' Republic. I will not stop attacking on that front until the mission is over or I am dead.

Mike
III