April 18, 2013
Joy-Ann Reid
The Miami Herald

RE: Not so fast – Some comments on your musings on guns in today’s Miami Herald

Ms. Reid,

I hate to be the one to tear asunder your anti-Historical journalistic daisy chain about evil White guys needing the Second Amendment to catch runaway slaves but if I don’t who will?

I shant bother you with inconvenient facts about George Mason or the anti-Federalists or even Benjamin Franklin announcing the product of the 1787 Constitutional Convention to be a Republic “if you can keep it”.

I could dazzle with Rhetoric – not Sophistry, mind you – about Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc but you might consider me to be both an elitist and a devotee of DWEMs. [That’s Dead White European Males] The thought of you thinking ill of me would be shattering.

The reason why I do nothing of the above is because you, as the du jour paradigmatic template of modern American Liberalism – ink stained wench division – are never allowed to let facts intrude with any argument, particularly those that deny your premise. [Premise? – Send a SASE]

It will come as a shock to those who, 238 years ago today, stood “on the rude bridge that arched the flood…and fired the shot heard round the world”. I always thought they were fighting the British. Who knew they were hunting runaway slaves? [By the way, wouldn’t shooting runaway slaves be contra-Logical? They are of no value dead.]

For the record…

#1 – I do not own a gun.

# 2 – My father’s father had 2 uncles who fought with the Irish Brigade. On July 2 they stepped off into the Wheat Field at Gettysburg. One of them is still there “wrapped in his faded coat of Blue”. I mention this because should salve reparations become the law I think I am entitled to a tax credit carry forward to offset any potential liability I may have. There is an interesting monument to the fallen members of the Irish Brigade there. It has a Celtic cross on a pedestal. At the foot of the cross is a sleeping Irish wolfhound. The inscription reads “Gentle when stroked. Fierce when provoked”. There is no mention of slaves, runaway or not.

#3 – I search my extensive vocabulary for words to describe your dishonesty. To cite Vice President Curley Biden you seem to be “a clean, articulate Black person” .I guess looks do deceive. Opinions vary; facts, particularly inconvenient ones, don’t.

Either you are incapable of defending your assertions, in which case you are unfit for your job, or, worse, you will mold the facts to fit your preconceived conclusions.

If I go with the latter it makes you dumber than a box of hammers. If I go with the latter it makes you a smarmy bastard.

I’ll compromise and take both,




KEVIN SMITH
WARRIORBARDIT@BELLSOUTH.NET