A Few Of FR's Finest....Every Day....01-17-03....Armed Females and the Second Amendment

dansangel; Billie

[dansangel]

A Few of FR's Finest.....
......Every Day

FR is a Treasure Trove of talented, compassionate, patriotic, wonderful people who gather every day to discuss the latest news and issues; salute and support our military and our leaders;  tell a few jokes;  learn a new word;  write poetry;  pray for those in need;  and congratulate those who are deserving. Thank you, Jim Robinson, for giving us the vehicle in which we can express ourselves.

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   I can remember lurking when there were only a few regulars who posted, and now there are over 60,000 who have registered for posting privileges. The forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest November 11, 2001

So many people have written me since my original Veteran's Day Tribute, asking how they, or a loved one, could be included in that tribute. Since I can no longer add the photos to the body of the thread, I've been including them in additional posts as I received enough to make another collage.

Still that doesn't seem to be enough. I think there's never been a better nor more appropriate time to keep the faces of our own Veterans and Active Military in front of FReepers--every day! That's why I wanted to do yet another Daily Thread .....ABOUT FReepers .....and FOR FReepers. But not only about our Military FReepers; for all FReepers! Wouldn't it be nice to get to know a few of the other FReepers as well? That's why, in addition to seeing FR's Finest Military Personnel every day, I thought it might be fun to feature a different FReeper (or FReepers) each day. If you would like to be pictured, or know someone who would, please FReepmail me and we'll turn the spotlight - on YOU - for the day!

And do let me know if you'd like your picture added to the groups of Veterans/Active Military below. I will keep this page updated, and continue to add them to the comment section of the original Veteran's Day thread as well.

<

TOP:  g'nad, AgThorn's son Justin, SLB, AgThorn's son Brett.
MIDDLE:  fish70, razorback-bert, CheneyChick,Leroy S Mort, Mark17.
BOTTOM:  Terry's Take, Taxman, DinkyDau.

TOP:  ValerieUSA's son Grant, SK1Thurman, kd5cts, RangerVetNam,
dansangel and .45man's son-in-law Tony
BOTTOM:  rangerX, Old China Hand, Trish, Howlin's dad, Mustang

TOP: ohioWfan's son, MamaBear's father-in-law, MamaBear's dad, ladtx
MIDDLE:  The Mayor's niece, M.Kehoe, Beach_Babe's son-in-law
BOTTOM:  deadhead's dad, HiJinx, Severa's hubby, viligantcitizen's granddad.

TOP:  spectr17, RightOnline, SERE_Doc, Tet68.
MIDDLE:  FutureSnakeEater, RightOnline's wife, CIApilot, Clamper1797
BOTTOM:  usmcobra, onedoug, DiverDave, Joe6-pack

We now have eleven groups of veterans/active military; we will post each group of three or four twice a week, with thumbnail/links of the remaining seven or eight groups on each thread. Click on any of the thumbnails below to see the group full-size.

         

GROUP 1A: TOP: Logos, SwedeGirl's hubby, Neil E Wright, FallGuy, 1John, Sneakypete MIDDLE:  T'wit, COB1, LadyX, Dick Bachert, 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub BOTTOM:  YankeeinSC, Delta21, JoeSixPack1

GROUP 2A: TOP:  Bosniajmc, AFVetGal, Archy, A Navy Vet MIDDLE:  4TheFlag, Aeronaut, 68Grunt, Xinga BOTTOM:  Codger, AAABest, Clinton's A Liar, Duke809, dcwusmc

GROUP 3A: TOP:  mc5cents, Norb2569, LBGA's son, VanJenerette MIDDLE:  Jim Robinson, KJenerette, davidosborne, KG9Kid BOTTOM:  gwmoore, Equality7-2521, SAMWolf

GROUP 4A: TOP:  porgygirl, Phil V., MudPuppy, NorCoGOP MIDDLE:  RaceBannon, OneidaM, rdb3, jwTexian BOTTOM:  USMC Vet, TheMayor, Vineyard, rhododogma

      

GROUP 9A: TOP: Q6-God, Scan59, Mama Bear and JKPhoto's son, ofMagog. MIDDLE:  Big'ol_freeper, JustAmy's great uncle, Prodigal Son. BOTTOM:  JustAmy's husband, JustAmy's brother-in-law, JustAmy's brother.

GROUP 10A: TOP: dakine's wife, MeeknMing's dad, Auntbee's nephew, MilitiaMan7, AlasBabylon. BOTTOM:  Joe Brower, Temple Owl, Temple Owl's wife, dutchess' dad, Aomagrat.

GROUP 11A: TOP: ladtx #2 son; DiverDave's twin Don; petuniasevan and husband poorman; Mustard; ladtx #1 son. BOTTOM: AlamoGirl's brother Floyd; AG's dad; AG's brother Jim (inset); WVNan's husband; ladtx' Aunt Eva.

                     

Armed Females and The Second Amendment

"A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

Anyone who has gotten to know me on Free Republic knows that I am a staunch defender of the Second Amendment. Along with that, I am very vocal when it comes to women defending themselves by training with firearms and carrying concealed.

My Beretta 9mm Custom Carry

My Taurus PT111 Millenium

It is a well-known fact that women are typically attacked and harmed by males in greater numbers than by other females.*

*US Department of Justice Criminal Victimization in the United States, 2000 Statistical Tables, Table 38. Personal crimes of violence, 2000 Percent distribution of single-offender victimizations, by type of crime and perceived gender of offender http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cvus0002.pdf

It is also a well-known fact that women, due to physiological differences, are not as strong as men. Women have attended personal defense classes in droves in order to protect themselves against assaults by men and in many instances these skills have paid off. It is quite common to read stories in the newspaper or hear stories from acquaintances affirming that competently trained women have successfully defended themselves against rape or bodily harm.

dansangel at the rifle range (first time!) with FreedomPoster's Mini-14

There are several points to consider, however. What if the intended female victim is elderly and in frail health? What if the intended female victim suffers from arthritis, multiple sclerosis or some other condition that compromises strength and agility? What if the attacker comes armed with a knife or, more importantly, a gun? All of the hand-to-hand combat types of self defense techniques in the world will not help such a female victim.

This is where access to "the great equalizer," also known as a handgun, comes into play. What the gun-grabbers do not want you to know is that in many circumstances, merely brandishing a handgun has stopped an assault from happening. The reason this is not common knowledge is because the "Brady Bunch" along with the liberal media strive to keep it from public knowledge. Just knowing this, however, could convince a woman that having access to a gun in the event of an attack is not such a bad idea.

An armed female, however (or anyone for that matter), needs to understand that although one may not need to fire a gun, one must be ready, willing and able to do so in a situation where imminent bodily harm exists. This is a rule of gun ownership that goes hand-in-hand with the cardinal rule: "A gun is ALWAYS loaded. If you point the barrel of a gun at something you must be willing to destroy it."

Returning to the issue of women arming themselves for self-defense, a common argument that is heard during discussion of this is that "women are nurturers, not killers." This is true. No argument there. Following this line of thinking, however, is it not "natural" for a woman to want to preserve life? In a situation where a woman's child, spouse, sibling, friend or parent is in grave danger, wouldn't that woman want to do everything possible to preserve the life of a loved one?

FreedomPoster (foreground) with .45MAN who is trying out the Mini-14, too!

Being a woman, I can safely say that if an attempt was made by an armed assailment to harm my daughter, my husband or any loved one, I would be 1) very grateful for the fact that I have my gun at my disposal and 2) would not hesitate to use it. Likewise, if my own life was at stake, the same two previous conditions would apply.

Another common and credible argument that can be heard is that it is dangerous to have a firearm in a household where there are children. This is true when the household contains children that have not been educated to understand and respect guns. Paxton Quigley, author of "Armed and Female" has several viable suggestions for the safety and education of children.

One of the suggestions she makes is to take a child to an outdoor range and set up a plastic gallon jug full of water. Tell the child that the gallon jug represents a human head. One very well-aimed shot center mass from a medium caliber handgun or rifle will make the jug explode. That is a visual that is bound to leave a lasting impression on a child as to how lethal a gun really is.

In addition to taking the first step to becoming armed, it is absolutely essential that a woman take a gun safety course as well as an armed self-defense course. .45MAN and I took a personal armed defense class run by David Blinder here in Atlanta this past November. It was by far the most valuable practical training that either one of us has had. Not only was there plenty of range time in which defensive skills were learned and practiced, there was classroom time in which the local GA laws governing the taking of a life in self-defense were thoroughly discussed by an attorney who was once a Florida State Trooper.

It is my hope that if you are a woman who is contemplating becoming armed for self-defense, this thread will help to convince you that it is the right decision. No matter how you were brought up, the facts are out there to support the validity and practicality of being armed and female. I was brought up in a liberal, gun-hating home. During my conversion to conservatism, I became the victim of a crime against property. That was all of the convincing that I needed to decide that becoming an informed and trained gun-owner was a natural extension of my conservative conversion.

I have never looked back.

The following links are just a handful of Websites available for insight and information:

Armed Females of America
Keep and Bear Arms
Second Amendment Sisters
Liberty Belles
Women Against Gun Control
A Guide To Concealed Carry Laws in Participating States

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 01-13-03 tgsltakoma 01-14-03 Name That FReeper 01-15-03 Pippin 01-16-03 JohnHuang2 Essay

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me an FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[humblegunner]

I smiled sweetly and thanked Smitty, trying not to laugh at their stunned looks...:)))

Somehow I have no trouble at all visualizing that. ;-)

[ST.LOUIE1]

Boy Louie...you certainly are testing some of our finest female shooters today....better watch your step...especially when your out walking in the woods!
Wolf jackets are becoming quite the rage I hear, especially around the firing range!Well, gee whiz!!! You'd wear my fur???? Shame on you!!! : (

And dansy and I made up so your plot to split us apart didn't work (right dansy?)!!!

Oh???? Well, just try huggin' on Louie too much, and we'll see how "made up" you two really are. : )

...but just because its Friday and your our special Louie
{{{{{{{{Louie}}}}}}}}}}

Awwwww.....you can be sweet.....sometimes. : )

(but don't you ever accuse me of being whiney again!!!!!!)

Ok, I won't, as long as you're not. LOL

[LadyX]

Just happened to think that when that happened I was 30 years old - as in the picture on my Profile Page.

That was taken at the Squadron Christmas Party that same year!
I was 5' 4 1/2" and weighed @ 118 at the time.

No Amazon Mama, but I was strong and capable.

[ST.LOUIE1]

Hi, gunner!

Er....is it just me or are the ladies a bit snippy in here today?

Just because they own a gun they think they can take shots at the guys.

And threaten to de-fur a wolf. : (

[LadyX]

Hmmm - two photographs are not showing, so their source must have vanished?

At any rate, a smaller version of it is in the collage above, that Billie created.

[Mixer]

"Curious George" and "Where the wild things are" are two of my absolute favorites.

[humblegunner]

And threaten to de-fur a wolf

Now that's just plain mean!
Some of my best friends are wolves...

[ST.LOUIE1]

And threaten to de-fur a wolf

Now that's just plain mean!

Sure is! I think I'll put in a call to the PETA folks.

Some of my best friends are wolves...

Sure glad to hear you say that.

[dansangel]

I smiled sweetly and thanked Smitty, trying not to laugh at their stunned looks...:)))

Decide with your mind you can do it, ladies, and you can, with ease and confidence.

LadyX, I have two words for you...."You ROCK!"

{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}

[humblegunner]

Sure is! I think I'll put in a call to the PETA folks.

Nahh, they would just set up some half-dressed chick in a cage outside your house..

On second thought, you may be onto something!

[dansangel]

Yes...we DID make up, finest sistah!!

{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}

[dansangel]

"standing on the corner listening to the honks as cars drive by"

Those lyrics work for me...LOL!!

Be safe and be warm! Be sure to give us an update!

{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}} to all of you!

[dansangel]

Geez!!! Sure impresses me! Great shootin'! : )

Thank-you! No one was more surprised than me when I saw the target afterwards!! LOL!!!

[Fiddlstix]

Howdy you ole Texacan.

Howdy J

[Fiddlstix]

Hi, Guys and Gals! Hope you are all having a terrific day! It IS Friday - that should help!

Thank you, Billie J

[WVNan]

Yes, I'm not worried about the surgery and I will have it done when they get "ripe". It would be nice if I could not be near-sighted. My Mom had a horrible experience with her surgery. I didn't know she had cataracts and when I found out I took her to have the first one removed. Because she had dementia so bad, she moved during the surgery and the cataract dropped back into the viscus, and the surgeon was not certified to go in after it. So, we had to let her heal and then I had to take her to a specialist for radical eye surgery. It was so hard to keep her still and keep a patch on her eye. It was one of the worst experiences I've ever had the first night after surgery. She never really got over it. So I won't wait until I have dementia, LOL.

[WVNan]

(but don't you ever accuse me of being whiney again!!!!!!)

Well, that's not as bad as being called a snitcher, which is what he accused me of being.

[Molly Pitcher]

Hello ladies!

First of all, dansangel, from an SASer who loves to go to the range, thank you for the thread today!

Second, again I had problems with this particular thread, and it occurred to me that browser incompatibility might be the issue.

Then I got busy, and forgot about it, LOL!, but over dinner husband agreed.

We both normally use Netscape, but to post this reply on this thread, I had to use Explorer.

[dansangel]

Hi {{{{{{{{{{MP}}}}}}}}}}

Thank-you for your input as an "SASer"! maybe you can convince WVNan and dutchess to get their acts together and get some range time in! LOL!

Glad to hear you figured out the download problem. I have never had much luck with Netscape. I am strictly an IE user!

Lots of {{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}

[LadyX]

Could our Florida upbringing be responsible for our stance and fortitude, dansangel?

The result of the constant struggle to figure out all the invaders from other states?!
{{( "We will not be assimilated and become them!" }}}
LOL

Living west of Melbourne, 5 miles beyond us panthers roamed in as close as South Indian Field, and alligators were in the canals all around us.
(My older sister shot a wildcat in our lemon tree by the house.)
The yard on any given day could yield black snakes, coral snakes, or diamondback and ground rattlers, so the .22 rifle was always at hand.

One day after school, walking down to the canal a 1/4 mile away, I spied a 'log' lying in the sand road near the bridge.
As I got closer, the 'log' had moved - uh oh!
More than half the distance back to the house, getting the rifle was not an option timewise.

Knowing if I did not deal with the diamondback rattlesnake then, it might get me or my dog another day, and I remembered a 4' stake half the thickness of his 6" diameter girth - and my only choice.
Had to go through a barbed wire fence ahead of his advancing path to get it and come back to the road, standing there poised to strike him.

The 'him' was advancing slowly, and in my haste and zeal, I miscalculated his speed and struck with the stake at a point that left a full foot of hissing head swinging at whatever was tormenting his now coiled body!

With no help likely to come along, I prayed hard and rose the club to hit him as hard and fast as I could.
I could have modeled for the Joan of B.C. comic strip, hitting him furiously until he stilled.

It took a long while to drag that heavy form home, and stretching him out beside the driveway, he measured more than 5 feet long.
When my boyfriend, originally from Illinois, came to get me for a date an hour later, he nearly passed out, seeing it!

That earned for me the nickname 'Snakecharmer' from a fellow at school.