Suffering Fools

Centuries ago, Saint Paul told the people of Corinth, "ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise."

That phrase has been used and abused in many ways, by many people. Today some aver that they do NOT suffer fools gladly. I tend to join that group, while adding that I do not consider myself wise. So, what is a fool? Why are we intolerant of them?

I consider a fool a person who does foolish things. I have been there, done that, time and again in my youth. Some times just for fun. Many times unaware of the danger I posed to myself or others. Today I see young people doing foolish things, having fun, and I hope they do no harm.

But those are not the fools we fear. We fear the fools in positions of power or influence who choose to ignore facts of history, thus placing many in harms way. Maybe not physical harm, but harm, no less.

Our nation's current fiscal problems are a classic example. We are repeating tragic mistakes of the past while refusing to recognize past successes.

Today we are again on the brink of a big battle over gun control. Our nation's founders had seen the consequences of an unarmed population with a tyrannical government. They sought to prevent that happening in this new nation by providing protection for the right of the population to be armed. But that right has been twisted until it is now blamed for the actions of a deranged person who became a mass murderer.

As to the original purpose for an armed population, some anti-gun activists insist that people with small arms are no match for a modern army protecting a tyrannical government. Maybe they haven't noticed what happened in Tunisia, Egypt, or Libya, and what is currently happening in Syria. Insufferable fools.

But many of these fools are in positions of great influence, like the national news media; or positions of great power, like the President of The United States and members of the United States Congress.

Their current boogey man is the 'assault rifle', which, like the monster under the child's bed, does not exist. When I attended an Army Infantry Training Center, we employed long rifles with wooden stocks, patterned somewhat after the style of the muskets carried by my ancestor at Valley forge.

In recent years, the Army began using rifles of an entirely different style. They surely have some advantages, perhaps with added features, perhaps just in ease or cost of mass manufacture. But they look different. As may be expected, many private citizens wanted their personal rifles to look like the modern style military rifles. Gun manufacturers complied with this market demand.

Some find the new style rifles scary looking and have dubbed them 'assault weapons'. A traditionalist, I just find them ugly! Whatever your opinion, these new rifles on the civilian market are different in appearance only. No matter. The fools will insist they be banned.  

So, we must fight the gun battle again. Not with our little rifles, shotguns or pistols. Rather, with our pens, our telephones and our emails. But fight we must, or we'll find ourselves suffering at the hands of fools, and not so gladly!