By Mark Walters
USA – -(Ammoland.com)- You know, I used to tell my employees a few years back, when writing a sensitive email or replying to one, just sit on it.
Write it then stick it in “drafts” for a day and return to it for another proofread later.
It might save your ass. I can’t count how many times I’ve done that then wiped my brow thinking how lucky I was for not hitting the “send” button. I’ve had people thank me for giving them that advice.
The point I’m making is when you respond to a sensitive situation or topic when your blood pressure is up or you are upset, your response is usually emotionally dictated rather than rational and isn’t that the epitome of liberalism, feeling–not thinking?
When it comes to the loss of Bob Owens, it’s hard not to let my emotions invade my space.
Days have gone by, and I’m still trying to process the fact that he is gone. Like many of us in this community, I too had just seen Bob days before at the NRA annual meeting in Atlanta. The evening before the convention kicked off; I had the opportunity to introduce him, Jenn Jacques and Stephen Gutowski to my wife and kids for the first time when a group I was with ran into him and his party at a restaurant in town. Bob hugged me and among other things, apologized for not being able to give me more radio time as he was working on his book. I reminded him, as I had in previous conversations, that no apologies were necessary and when the book was finished we would discuss it on air.
That will never happen. The finality of his action has begun to sink in.
Look, I am angry about what he did for a lot of different reasons. That is normal. I am upset the community lost such a vocal champion; I’m upset we all lost his wit and wisdom, and I am angry that he was capable of doing such a thing. I do not understand it and never will. However, I am also very grateful. I am grateful for the very things that make me angry. I am grateful the community had him as a vocal champion, agree or disagree with some of his work. I am thankful that I was able to share his wit and wisdom, albeit not nearly enough. I am grateful for the short on air time we had and being able to share his thoughts with anyone listening.
Now to the “other side.” Bob willfully put himself in the public eye and as such had drawn the angst of the rabid, militant, hateful, vile, despicable, left wing, sanctimonious lunatics who claim some moral authority over the rest of us. I learned a long time ago not to “feed the trolls” but I gotta tell you, it’s getting difficult. I expected, and I’m sure Bob would too, the response from those who hate everything he stood for, which is essentially everything you stand for also. I will resist identifying those people by name (I’ll leave that to others) as it’s what they want, however seeing such hateful rhetoric directed at another human being as I am witnessing now is not surprising considering the source.
I’m talking about the comments from some of these animals on Bob’s Facebook page, Twitter accounts, etc. Certainly, some are fake accounts but nonetheless, fake accounts run by real people, if you can even call them people.
There is no such thing as the “tolerant” left. There has never been. The left tolerates only that with which they agree. If they disagree with you, they will leave no stone unturned coming after you, especially after you pass and can’t respond. Cowards, plain and straightforward. What they don’t realize is, they only strengthen our resolve.
They remind us that we don’t need to react the way they do for one simple reason. It is not necessary for us to “impose” our will upon people. Freedom already belongs to those who choose it. It doesn’t have to be forced upon us. Freedom is the natural state of the universe. While we have to fight for it from those who hate it, it only has to be grasped by those who seek it, and there are more of us than there are of them.
That’s why they hide behind phony accounts, masks, and anonymous internet screen names. They are desperate, and desperate people do and say desperate things.
That Bob’s death is bringing out such hateful rhetoric from these monsters is proof that Bob was winning, that we are winning. It is proof of their moral bankruptcy.
While Bob won’t be around to witness our continued winning streak, he certainly contributed significantly to its success. He was a fierce fighter, and a true warrior on this battlefield of rights and I’m honored to have known him. Please donate to help his family.
https://www.gofundme.com/the-bob-owens-memorial-family-fund
About Mark Walters
Mark Walters is the host of two nationally syndicated radio broadcasts, Armed American Radio and Armed American Radio’s Daily Defense with Mark Walters. He is the Second Amendment Foundations 2015 Gun Rights Defender of the Year award recipient and co-author of two books, Lessons from Armed America with Kathy Jackson (Whitefeather Press) and Lessons from UnArmed America with Rob Pincus (Whitefeather Press)
I suspect that the people who speak poorly of those who have killed themselves haven’t had to deal with it very much. In 22 and 1/2 years I had a number of my fellow coworkers commit suicide. This even with yearly training in dealing with those who have expressed such ideas and easily available and secret counseling for all staff. One of those was a friend who shot herself in the head four months after I retired. There were issues and she chose to leave. That was four years ago and I think of it almost every day as I… Read more »
Well said, Roy D. I think we all know at least one person who went down that dark road. There is always the regret of not having done… something.
I absolutely do not support making fun of the death of a person.
Not me. Paranoid much?
It appears one of our resident trolls is using another pseudonym. It appears to be the one who’s affectionately known as the CO2 producer.
Is there any way that ammoland (a great site BTW) can ban this POS?? He adds nothing to any intelligent discourse. I nor anyone else have any use for this moron clogging up an otherwise great placw for exchange of ideas.
Moderators??? Please don’t let one or more trolls ruin your site.
Hello VT Patriot, he has been blacklisted, while we are tolerant of most liberal sh*t talk, we will not allow our friends to be dragged through the mud in death. Personal attacks are violation of our TOS.
Than You Sir. I think most of us will appreciate this.
Thanx again.
While I personally agree with you, censoring ANY viewpoint, is just that. It’s a slippery slope. Is someone we take a vote on and decide to call a troll the one to be censored? Should that choice be left up to one person rather than a vote? We support the 2nd Amendment, it supports all the others. No matter how vile a creature, it is allowed to spew its filth. Case in point.
@ OldVet I appreciate the thought, and trust me, the troll irritates me as well. I’ve suggested not feeding it in the past. What prompted my comment was that the oath I took was to defend The Constitution. It didn’t have an expiration date, and it didn’t say only the parts I like. That would make me a “Progressive”, and since my family thinks I’m only slightly to the right of Attila, that’s not me. Given my druthers, I’d have it toss its hat.
Dave, it wasn’t just one vote, who appreciated his vitriol? It’s one thing to have a differing view, it’s entirely different when the comments are meant only to incite, which is what he was attempting to do, and did to many. When speech is “hate” speech or meant to incite others, including to violence, it is not wanted and could even be illegal. We, as peaceable members of society, don’t need to have someone like that posting such hateful vitriol and hyperbole – it serves no purpose.
Man Jose… You’re.one sick, hateful, petulant, jealous individual aren’t you…
I was just wondering if he left a note?? My sister took her life the same way without a note or anything. It leaves a hole in ones heart for them.
yes, on Facebook. A self promoter to the end.
Back to your third world country of Mexico jose.
So sorry to have learned about Bob’s passing. But nuch of this advice is so relevant to trolls. When one of these moronic, self serving, brainless idiots shows up on any of our pages, I suggest reading it, getting a few laughs, then move onto something of value. There is NO VALUE in their posts, so don’t feed them. To do so, even with a well written rebuke, only heightens their sense of ‘importance’. Don’t feed them don’t reply, let them think they have everyone stunned into submission and they’ll hopefully move on. The old phrase of ‘peeing into the… Read more »
My first wish is he didnt feel the need to end his life. My second wish is if he couldnt be stopped that knowing how much negative press this would get that he chose some other method if he had to end his life.
The ‘tolerant’ left is only tolerant of the things they they support and promote. Everything else has to be stamped out, burned, quashed or killed…in the name of tolerance…
Bob “Pinocchio” Owens was a real tolerant person. Give us all a break.
Wing nuts on the left will wade thru the blood of children to try to get their sick ideas out there. They have no shame whatsoevere. They are all scum from Obama on down!!
Hippybiker, your post is demeaning to scum, but I agree 100% with your sentiment. The Left is like a pool of scum, it only thrives in unsanitary conditions.