Brandon Smith at Alt-Market.com posted an interesting article a few weeks ago about how local leftists tried to keep him from setting up a gun and preparedness club. It’s worth a read, particularly as he makes two important points. No matter how conservative an area may be, leftists always 1.) run the local newspapers, and 2.) are firmly entrenched in local government.
Anyone who has had the misfortune of having to deal with government authorities can probably vouch for this, as the petty tyranny of city and county governments can in some cases be worse than anything that state and federal bureaucrats try to throw our way. And unlike state and federal bureaucrats who may be hundreds or thousands of miles away, local tyrants live among us and can make our lives a living hell on a daily basis.
There are a few important takeaways from Smith’s article that conservatives need to take to heart, and three steps they need to implement if they want conservatives to have any success.
1. Organize
Smith points out that leftists are better at organization than conservatives are. Part of this is due to the collectivist mindset that exists among the left, rather than the individualist mindset that dominates conservative though in this country. We’re witnessing this today in Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, and many other cities where Antifa is running riot. Antifa’s organization in many ways rivals that of state actors, with classification levels, communications strategies, aid for arrested members, and multiple levels of redundancy.
Conservatives need to organize similarly, otherwise they risk getting shoved aside. We can’t rely on legacy organizations such as the NRA either, which because of its financial corruption risks being dissolved by the State of New York. We need to found new grassroots organizations run by principled conservatives, ones that can respond quickly when the need arises, and ones that support their members.
2. Observe
Conservatives also need to keep their ears to the ground regarding what is happening at the local level. You can’t assume that because the electorate continues electing Republicans that you’re going to continue to have conservative policies. Especially with migration from California, Illinois, New York, and other high tax states, liberals are moving out to other areas of the country, where they quickly get involved in local politics and drown out the voices of locals.
Don’t let that happen to you. Don’t rest on your laurels. Stay vigilant and keep local governments accountable to the people.
3. Engage
Keeping people throughout your area politically savvy and engaged is crucial. Many people don’t vote or don’t pay attention to politics because they think, for whatever reason, that it doesn’t affect them. That’s how states like Virginia have gone from solid states for gun rights to being on the verge of one of the most restrictive gun bans in the country in just a few months.
Elections matter, and even if you only cast a vote as self defense against liberal Democrats, it’s better than being ruled by those Democrats. More rights have been lost over the years due to apathy and indifference than to any other reason.
If you value your right to own guns, your right to raise your children the way you see fit, the right to keep the fruits of your labor, and the right to worship God, take those rights seriously and defend them vigorously. Our forefathers fought and shed their blood to protect those rights, and we have become slothful in defending them. If we don’t stand up now against further encroachments, there’s a good chance we may have to shed our blood in the near future to defend those rights once again.