Confederates, Cowboys and Colts
Embryo Parson Posted on Thursday, September 1, 2016 at 03:06PM UPDATE: Fr. Chadwick responds below. I will leave this article up in order to provide the necessary context.
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Yesterday, I missed a curious sentence in the first paragraph of Fr. Chadwick's response to my 8-28 article, "Catholicism, Liturgy and Manliness."
It reads,
It is easy to come up with caricatures of the idea through bogus military orders in the Confederate states in America and modern cowboys with their small artillery in wait for some future conflict.
Now that, fair readers, is in all probability a cheap shot taken at yours truly, The Embryo Parson. Fr. Chadwick not only reads this blog, but he is a Facebook friend, and through both sources has likely gleaned the following about me:
1) I come from a long line of Southrons, the vast majority of whom fought on the side of the Confederacy during Mr. Lincoln's War. My half-Cherokee great-grandfather James Southerland was one of those ancestors. After the war, he joined United Confederate Veterans, an association of soldiers formed shortly after the war to honor the service of those soldiers who survived that conflict and those who did not. The successor organization to the UCV is the Sons of Confederate Veterans, an association of descendants of those who were non-commissioned soldiers in the War Between the States. A similar organization, Military Order of the Stars and Bars, honors the service of commissioned soldiers. I have been open on my Facebook page about my membership in the SCV, and recently I posted something about an officer in North Carolina to whom I am quite possibly related. I noted that if I was able to confirm my relation, I'd be eligible to join MOS&B.
It seems Fr. Chadwick has mistaken these historal organizations for "military orders". They are no more so than are the Sons of the American Revolution. Nor do the "Confederate states in America" (sic) exist anymore, except in the minds of the most extreme Neo-Confederates. The Confederacy was formed in 1860 and was destroyed in 1865, something that was lamented by Lord Acton and other Englishmen at the time, by the way;
2) I have also been vocal about the right to keep and bear arms, about the fact that there is almost certainly a "future conflict" coming to both North America and Europe, and about the role the RKBA will play here in the states when it comes. I happen to have made a meager scholarly contribution to the body of legal scholarship supporting what has been called the "standard model" of the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which model was more or less recently affirmed by the United States Supreme Court in the Heller and McDonald decisions. Hoplophobic critics of the "standard model" sometimes refer to it as the "insurrectionist" reading of the Second Amendment, but in so doing they simply shoot themselves in the foot, if you'll excuse the pun, for all the constitutional history of the right to keep and bear arms -- a history that finds its origin in English (ahem!) common law -- is supportive of the proposition that the right to arms is guaranteed, in large part, to enable the civilian populace to effectively wage "future conflicts" in a 4th-Generation-style insurrection. Fr. Chadwick may wish to join millions of his countrymen and American liberal-lefties in eschewing such a proposition, but the historical and constitutional facts speak for themselves.
3) It goes without saying that I myself own a number of small arms for this very political purpose. My rifle of choice is the Colt LE-6920 M4, a carbine version of the evil, dreaded AR-15.
All of the foregoing, in Fr. Chadwick's overactive mind, makes me a "cowboy." Now, it's to be expected that someone who "detest(s) the notion of 'muscular Christianity'” will likely join the liberal-lefties in using the term "cowboy" as a pejorative term. For such people, the cowboy's virility, independence, willingness to suffer all that the particular line of work dishes out, and his noble code of honor are apparently things to be held in contempt. But I for one will accept being in even some remote way identified as the "cowboy", even though I am nowhere near as manly as he. Chadwick should take a trip out West sometime. I would be glad to introduce him to some real cowboys up in Wyoming. I think he'd receive quite the education. ;>)
Now, having written all this I suppose I could be wrong about the meaning of Fr. Chadwick's words, but if I am he is more than welcome to disabuse me of this interpretation, and I will accordingly delete this blog article post-haste. If he does not, however, then he stands duly corrected here about Confederate history organizations, what a "cowboy truly is, and the reason why Americans (including many cowboys!) have long been fans of Colt firearms.
Moreover, I will more than look forward to commenting (again) on whatever "caricatures" he may choose to "come up with". ;>)
Reader Comments (9)
Actually, I am not taking a “cheap shot” against you, because I have never met you and know almost nothing about your life and interests. I did not write my article with you in my sights (forgive the metaphor) but some of the men I have come across or read about. I have nothing in the historical opposition between Yankees and Confederates. I am English and am neither.
As regards firearms, I am increasingly concerned about the situation in Europe with rotten politicians and ever-increasing immigration. If civilians had arms and knew how to use them, many lives would be saved. Each Swiss man has his military arms and ammunition at home and can be mobilized for war in less than an hour. We seem to be heading towards civil war, and the police and military here in France are fed up with the present politics. Fundamentally, you and I agree, but I am not American. What would be more European would be a compact automatic pistol in a back holster or under the jacket fairly high up the torso. I agree with the point saying that criminals are armed – illegally. The solution is not to forbid honest citizens from carrying a gun, but to trust those who have not been convicted for a violent crime.
I have the impression that some Americans like to put on a “macho” show like in movies. I stand corrected if this tendency is not real or a small minority of “race supremacists”. I intend now to refrain from discussion of Americans, but rather to wait until November and see the outcome of your presidential election. Naturally, if Trump wins, it will cause a snowball effect in Europe. The French election, which will hopefully rid us of Hollande, will certainly be influenced by a Trump victory.
I am not a “liberal leftie” though I remain influenced by many things of the 1960’s. However, I dread an equal and opposite reaction to the philosophical roots of European politics in the early twentieth century (I am not talking about Hitler). Perhaps the return of authoritarianism would be a good thing so that we can fight against it!
Yes, I think a visit out in a State like Wyoming would be an interesting education. I think I would enjoy horse riding, as I usually learn new things quite easily. I also enjoy outdoor life. I admit that my image of the cowboy is the Clint Eastwood or John Wayne movie. Movies always exaggerate something of the reality.
Manliness? I think it is sufficient to be a man, not a “super-man”. Though I am an outdoor person and like to be active, I am not interested in the idea of “Muscular Christianity” to which I was introduced at school, albeit using other terminology. My philosophy of life is more Romantic, artistic and attracted to contemplative life. If such diversity has to be stamped out, then I have no place in such a world.
I will now bow out of this discussion gracefully. We seem to be best walking our different ways.
You must be away from home. You can modify your article when you want. I have nothing against you or anyone, but I notice that you do twist the meaning of what I write. Namely, I don't recognise my thought in your representation of me. Perhaps it is mutual with my stereotyped understanding of feuding Hillbillies and blunderbusses... As you want.
Nor do the "Confederate states in America" (sic) exist anymore, except in the minds of the most extreme Neo-Confederates.
I would add political progressives - who see racists lurking under every bed - to that list.
"I will now bow out of this discussion gracefully. We seem to be best walking our different ways."
Hello, Fr. Chadwick. Well, as evidenced by subsequent remarks you've left here, at Fr. Munn’s blog and in a new article at your own blog, you must have an unconventional notion of what "bowing out" means. ;>) Moreover, this isn't the first time you've told me that we need to "walk our different ways." That was your conclusion at the last dust-up between us a year or so ago, a conclusion with which I agreed. In fact, I more or less quit reading your blog then, and it wasn't until you told your Facebook friends that you had posted some new articles, one of which was a response to one of my recent articles on muscular Christianity, that I began walking your way again. I likely wouldn't have even seen this article had you not brought it to my attention, so you only have yourself to blame.
This, of course, means that you also have a very unconventional notion of what "walking our different ways" means. But be assured that if you write critically of my articles at your blog, you will receive a response at mine. I now find myself compelled to wade through your articles to see if there's anything else I missed in the last year or so.
That friendly retort being offered, I am happy to say that I am generally in agreement with what you posted in the initial comment above. We do seem to agree that a civil war is brewing due to the suicidal immigration policies our Masters have implemented, and that it accordingly may prove very important for civilians to be armed. Not too many Englishmen agree with that proposition, it seems, but it warms my heart to see that you do.
I must confess, however, that I am having a hard time not seeing disingenuity in your response about the statement with which I took issue, and my skepticism is only further fueled by your mordant comment about "hillbillies and blunderbusses". That being said, Our Lord enjoins us to give our offending Christian brother the benefit of the doubt, so this I will do.
Pax.
Dear Father Deacon, I fear that it is I who must bear the responsibility for Fr Chadwick not "bowing out". I blogged my own (somewhat limited) views on the situation referencing both yourself and Fr Chadwick. He therefore had good reason to comment on what I'd written and found sufficient value to refer to it in the comments on his blog, presumably for the benefit of his readers getting as much of a panorama on the issue.
I rather fear that it is my fault in inadvertently disallowing him from letting the matter lie and causing further unrest between us all, for which I fully apologise.
Thank you, Father Jonathan. I have finished with this subject. However, Deacon Little has encouraged me to inform myself about a movement in which I had absolutely no interest. There are some quite profound studies about "alpha" and "beta" males in humans and other animal species. I leave the subject with a saying from my paternal Yorkshire "There's nowt so queer as folk".
Answering the comment beginning with a quote from me and “Hello, Fr. Chadwick”, I appreciate your conciliatory tone. From Fr Jonathan’s intervention, I turned from a polemical perspective to considering the subject rather than persons. I never intended any personal attack against you on the subject of guns or aspects of American culture.
My view of the immediate future is very uncertain. There seem to be apocalyptic signs to which our response to God needs to be one of hope in spite of the prospect of the destruction of our western culture like the demise of the Roman Empire. St Augustine reacted to that situation, and we tend to go the same way faced with our own concerns. I had a long discussion with a priest here in France who sees things in very dark terms: we are being suffocated by uncontrolled Muslim immigration and the globalism of our political elites and oligarchs. Trump in America, Le Pen in France and Norbert Hofer in Austria, along with Putin and his allies would break the stranglehold and reboot the political debate on a better footing.
Regarding arms, as things are in Europe, citizens can obtain a licence to own and carry weapons, but the law is very restrictive. One can get into serious trouble for being armed illegally. Personally, not owning a gun, I tend to stay away from potentially dangerous situations like hot districts in cities. However, danger is always present on transport systems. Travelling is always something that makes us vulnerable. Perhaps when things heat up, we might find authorities turning a blind eye to citizens packing a piece if they are not on the side of the “enemy”. But this is not so presently. Perhaps we might find ourselves like in France in 1940 with the Occupation. Anyone found with a gun was put in front of a firing squad! Then it’s the catacombs. We are already there.
Perhaps our civilization is called to die, and we would be smothered by an unholy alliance between the oligarchs and the Caliphate, a new meaning given to Erastianism. We might see the beginning of a new dark age lasting for centuries if we are not all blown up by nukes in World War III. The vision is dark, and centuries of western culture would simply be trashed, would disappear as though they had never existed. As Christians, we know that we are mortal and have hope of better things than this Vale of Tears. You can only fight what you can hope to overcome by your own strength. If the enemy is stronger, you have to negotiate with it or run away.
My thinking might lack coherence, because I don’t have all the answers. Also, we guys are not all the same. Some are made for leadership and combat. Others are made to contribute to the quality of life in different ways. We all need each other, which is the nature of family and society. I ask your indulgence for my unusual and ironic humour, something inherited from my father. I tend to satirise and fail to recognize that the other person doesn’t “get it”. It has never been my intention to insult you personally.
Indeed, I bid you peace too.
Haven't seen much posting lately, hope the move to NC went well.
We need to get together sometime.
Some posts coming soon.