Common Sense

Life has gotta be easy, if you plan things right.

Take the barnacle, for example.

A lowly marine crustacean which early in life picks a spot, and anchors itself to it, and settles down for a long productive life, of doing - nothing!

Maybe it’s true, what the Buddhists say. That reincarnation is the pattern, and that you advance from one life to the next based on what you do in that last life (don’t hold me to this as truth, I am not an expert on Buddhism; simply assume I’m right…).

In that case, a lot of modern Americans are liable to see their next turn in life as being a barnacle, or something similar.

Do-nothings clinging to their ignorance, apathy, and laziness?

What other life-form would be more appropriate to come back as?

Ah, the quality of life of the barnacle. Never go anywhere. Never do nothing (ignore the double negative - it simply sounds right ). Never be anything, but what you are, a barnacle.

I’d have to say, looking at my modern fellow Americans, it’s about spot-on as a future career move.

What else can you say about a group of beings who, on the deck of a sinking ship, fanatically keep their eyes shut, and just as fanatically cling to their deck chairs?

Right about now, what are you thinking?

Shaking your head?

Muttering to yourself, “that’s not what America is about”?

Saying or thinking, “that’s not what being an American is all about”?

I feel your pain.

The world’s greatest tradition, a heritage of freedom unique on the planet, liberty won by the sweat and blood of a generation only two hundred years ago - and it’s all been turned into pearls - pearls thrown into the mud before unthinking, unappreciative, self-centered, TV-dominated, worthless pigs?

(”Com’on, Fred, don’t hold back - tell us what you really think!” )

If you’ve been to an Appleseed, you know what we are trying to with that program.

If you haven’t been to an Appleseed, all you know is the poor words I can use to describe it.

And learning directly, seeing for yourself, doing it yourself, is ALWAYS better than hearing about it, second-hand.

Appleseed is many things, to many people.

For some - or all - of them, it’s about HOPE. Of being able to think we do have control to shape the future, that we can stop the ship from sinking - not only stop it, but repair, put it back in good order, and hire a good captain and crew to keep it that way - and to steer around icebergs, in the future.

For others, it’s about NOT BEING ALONE, any more. It’s seeing and meeting fellow Americans you didn’t think existed any more, which leads to HOPE for the future - and an end to personal despair.

For still others, the ones longest associated with the program, Appleseed is a machine for taking barnacles and changing them into Americans - that’s gotta be a pretty powerful gadget - and a VERY worthy one, indeed. Right?

Let’s see, the choice is between being a barnacle, and an American.

Hmmmm…

Hold up a minute, I’m thinking…

Tough one…

You only have to look around you, to see just how tough the choice is.

Millions of barnacles; only a few Americans.

Shameful - in a century where “shame” no longer means anything.

And to think, some of the barnacles think they’re smarter than the rest.

They’ve figured out how to crawl or slither to a safe haven, under a rock.

Ask ‘em - they’ll tell you - they’re Americans.

I don’t think so.

But my opinion doesn’t count.

It’s the opinions of the Founders which should count.

They’re not around where we can ask ‘em, but we know what their opinions are, because actions speak louder than words, and the one thing they did not do, on April 19th, 1775, was run off and hide. Nor did they close their eyes, and cling to deck chairs.

So, I doubt they’d see any reason to allow their worthless progeny to run off and hide. Whether physically crawling into a cave, or mentally shutting out reality by closing your eyes and clinging to that deck chair.

Yes, it’s a shame there’s no time machine, so we could go back and bring the Founders to current-day America, where they soon would be picking up sticks, and trying to beat some sense into those walking barnacles who are willing to make eight years of bloody fighting for Liberty nothing but some words in a history book.

Maybe I should do it - invent a time machine. I’d call it “Fred’s Revenge” - it would be steam-powered, of course - and large enough to accommodate thousands of Revolutionary War veterans - we’ll need every one of ‘em.

How’d you like to look up, and see Thomas Jefferson, stick in hand, heading toward you, with that look on his face your father used to have, when you’d stepped in it, big-time?

That look of contempt, disgust, anger - maybe even, just a touch of despair…

Or Alexander Hamilton, who faced the enemy over the open sights of his cannon, who said at Monmouth Courthouse, “if we must die, let us die here” - think he’d be willing to listen to a bunch of your worthless excuses for being a barnacle in life?

Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to face John Paul Jones, he who, on the deck of his sinking ship, asked to surrender, said “I’ve just begun to fight!”

Maybe you can talk him out of the beating you so richly deserve. “Just begun to fight”? You don’t even know what the word “fight” means - and currently, have no intention of finding out.

But I’d be willing to bet, J P Jones will be happy to show you, while entering in the history books yet another magnificent saying, “I have not yet begun to beat!”

Ouch!

But hard lessons are good lessons, they say, and not easily forgot.

And, frankly speaking, it would be an honor to receive a ‘wakeup’ beating from a Founder.

It’s so unfortunate that it’s not liable to happen (unless I can get that *&#@ time machine to work!).

So, we have to do it ourselves.

Worthless, 21st-century Americans, quite a few of us with metal body jewelry - and somehow we have to figure a way to bootstrap ourselves up from useless - but good-looking (how could we not look good with all the tattoos and jewelry?) - barnacles to worthy Americans.

Sheesh, and we already have a way to do it. Appleseed.

In a way, the transformation will amount in quality and worthiness to the act of winning Liberty, two hundred years ago.

In a way, it will be another American Revolution - that change in the hearts and minds of Americans which took place two centuries ago would be replicated in a century and amongst a people hardly conceivable to the Founders.

And we will have done it all, ourselves.

Albeit with a tip of the hat to the original Americans, the Founders, who provided us with an example, a standard - one unmatched anywhere else on this planet.

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

And all you have to do, is come to an Appleseed?

Which gets easier and easier, every year - as Appleseeds multiply across the landscape?

400 this year; 800, next.

There’ll be one within driving distance of ya.

And you owe it to yourself, to that sleeping inner American, to get to one.

To find out for yourself. No reason to listen and rely on Fred, when you can see for yourself…

And bring your friends, neighbors, relatives, family, co-workers - as many as you can. So they can be part of the transformation, too.

After all, when you go back home, an honest American, and no longer a barnacle, wouldn’t it be nice to have a few other such around you, amid all the barnacles?

[Comment] I’ve attended one Appleseed and I see how Appleseed could be part of solving our nation’s crises. Appleseed may even be the tipping point in the fight to halt, or even reverse, the ever growing infringements on our right to bear arms. However, I don’t see how Appleseed can change the values and minds of a significant number of citizens. Creating riflemen does change minds, but probably only slightly, in most cases. We need a complete overhaul of all major institutions in the nation (schools, media outlets, courts, legislatures, etc.) to teach and honor values that perpetuate liberty. Perhaps, in time, changing schools and families would be enough to begin to trickle the joy of liberty out to all the other institutions.

Nonetheless, you’ve motivated me to participate in your plan, but I’d like to hear more about how creating riflemen can significantly alter the values of the nation. I just don’t see a strong connection between creating riflemen and, essentially, creating libertarians (with a small “l” so I don’t necessarily mean the party, though that would help a great deal). [end of Comment]

Glad to hear from you, and glad you’ve decided to participate.

Sure, “changing schools and families” would prob do it - but how do you do that?

We’re doing it, by changing the people who underlie schools and families.

Here’s an expanded version of an article I recently put in Shotgun News as an explanation of the concept of how marksmanship can save a nation:

Can marksmanship ’save’ a nation?

It sure can!

Particularly, the way Appleseed teaches it.

Even if you piddle with the definition of ‘save’.

Certainly, in a physical sense, it can be the difference - witness numerous instances in this country’s history, right from the first, when a single well-aimed shot turned history around - and many well-aimed shots earned our freedom, and helped us keep it, down thru the centuries.

Japanese admiral Yamamoto supposedly explained the Japanese failure to invade this country by opining it wouldn’t be healthy, as behind every blade of grass would be a rifle.

That may not be the real reason for the absence of any intention by the Japanese to invade the continental US, but if the war had turned out differently at Midway, who knows how far Nippon was willing to go? “Victory disease” creates a fever of grandiose plans, and they may have tried it…

But we don’t face, at least at present, any serious threat from a traditional foreign invasion.

So what about the other dimension of ‘saving’ - of creating a moral change which would result in a stronger country?

In my mind there’s no question on that score: marksmanship can ‘save’ this nation.

Learn how to shoot, to become part of the American tradition of the Rifleman, and you will become a different person. An American. Not a couch-sitting, complaining, sleeping, worthless Doofus Americanus…

That alone would be worth it - all that personal improvement.

Yet reflect that a nation is only as strong as its people make it.

And you begin to understand: Anything which makes Americans better and stronger has the power to ‘save’ a nation - if it makes a stronger America, morally.

“Getting off the couch” to come to an Appleseed is the first step on the road to self-improvement. The skills you learn will be lifetime skills.

The stuff you learn about your heritage will be lifetime motivation not to let that heritage down - or let it die.

The people you meet at AS will become life-long friends.

Your current friends? You’ll feel the need to get THEM to an Appleseed, so they turn into worthy Americans, just like you. It’s tough to hang around unworthy Americans - bad for your karma, and leads to contempt, despising, and worse. So, yes, you’ll want your friend to be “Appleseeders”, too…

For some people, Appleseed is about HOPE.

In the face of the coming future, you can argue anything which gives you ‘hope’ is worthy for that reason alone - and deserves your support for that reason alone.

But for some Appleseed is a much-needed shot-in-the-arm with the message YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Yes, there are other Americans out there. Honest, concerned, off-the-couch-bailing Americans.

Yes, it’s possible, by all working together, we can stop the ship from sinking.

Yes, there’s a plan, a program, a strategy to save this nation - and all we need to add to it is the efforts of all our shoulders.

Heck, we even have the gall to set a timetable for measuring our progress…

Do we require guarantees? Do we need to know, before we start to push the wagon, that we can get it out of the rut? Or save the sinking ship?

Only if we think we are better than the founders…

Who picked up muskets and went for the redcoats, with NO assurances, no guarantees, no promises of any kind - only the shining goal of liberty, and the dark image of a darker future lying before them.

So, we don’t need guarantees. We see the task, we step up, and, knowing the stakes, bend every effort, to get the job done.

Simple as that.

This is a program YOU want to make a success.

The founders (John Adams in particular) clearly pointed out the American Revolution was a revolution in thinking - a revolution in hearts and minds.

What is Appleseed about, but creating that revolution once more?

We (re)create it by exposing our fellow citizens to a history and heritage which the mere exposure to makes them quickly understand how precious that history and heritage is, and the value and need to make sure it doesn’t disappear on their (our) watch.

Sure, you better help us out!

It’s the only hope most of us have for changing the future.

The ONLY hope.

The only HOPE.

Here’s an easy thing you can do, to help make Appleseed the success it needs to be: Make a list of all your friends, relatives, co-workers, neighbors - everyone you know. Systematically go down the list, talking to each person about Appleseed, and the need to go to one of our 400+ locations this year (maybe you’ll show up at your first Appleseed with a carload - that’d be great). Time is short, and it’s not on our side. We have a nation to save…and a nation waiting, which needs saving…