Livingston, a graduate of West Point and former Army Ranger, was trained in medicine at Johns Hopkins. He has written books and spoken about many things, including suicide and grieving. I contacted him Saturday afternoon for commiseration and told him about my sense of resignation — those things that seem to be in the American blood, guns and violence as a solution. Livingston agreed we’ve been on the wrong track for too long.
“Anyone who believes that they need to go about the world while armed has proven their cowardice,”
via Expecting the horrible is the American way – baltimoresun.com.
Which is the reason cops and soldiers, including Army Rangers, go about the world carrying a can of wasp spray and a bag of Cheetos.
Hat tip to @SFDB via Twitter.
He’s right! I just looked out my window and the sky is filled with rainbows & gumdrops. I’m putting this darn gun back in the safe. From now on I will depend solely on the goodwill of my fellow man to protect me.
As hard as I try, I can’t compare myself to a cop patrolling the streets or a grunt out there hunting the Taliban in Afghanistan.Quite frankly, it’s a disservice to both professions to equate us to them and the mission that they have. While I don’t necessarily agree with the words of this career military officer, I understand what he’s trying to say.
IMO, of course.
Assuming you don’t live under a totalitarian state, cops and grunts are simply one of the means by which you carry a gun.
You agree we are cowards?
As one of them and having done the mission, Livingston’s words are his opinion and shouldn’t be accepted as the word of an “expert”. I highly question any former or current military person that promotes the idea that we do not need what is protected by the constitution. It makes me wonder if they were even paying attention when they took their oath, or maybe they had their fingers crossed as they spoke it.
There are two types of people in the US, those of us that are willing to defend it and those that are not. Professional affiliation has nothing to do with it.
“You might think I’m a pacifist
Bring ’em home, bring ’em home
But that is wrong I must confess
Bring ’em home, bring ’em home.
If a foe invaded this land of mine
Bring ’em home, bring ’em home
You’d find me out on the firing line
Bring ’em home, bring ’em home.
I am convinced that the world will be saved by men
willing to fight for their homes.”
Goodnight, Mr. Seeger, wherever you are.
” proven their cowardice”
Really? I never knew I was a coward. I wonder if the good doctor has ever been assaulted? I was once, there won’t be twice if I can do anything to prevent it. Including going armed.
Seems our Doctor was a John Kerry type officer:
“He attended the U.S. Military Academy and upon graduation as an infantry officer was trained as a parachutist and an Army Ranger. He served for two years in the 82nd Airborne Division before attending medical school at Johns Hopkins from which he graduated in 1967. He interned at Walter Reed General Hospital before volunteering for Vietnam where he served as the Regimental Surgeon for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. He was awarded the Bronze Star for valor. While in Vietnam he registered a public protest against the war and subsequently left the Army.”
Makes me wonder, who volunteers for war and then quits? I’d love to see the citation for that BS as well. Did it come with a “V”? He was a regimental surgeon for an armored Calvary command. pffft.
I bet he was a REMF.
I would rather be a live coward than a corpse.
I would rather be a live felon than a corpse.
I would rather be alive. Whatever it takes.
Somebody is veeery mistaken about the definition of “coward”.