The Young Conservatives of Texas printed a humorous Top Ten Gun Safety Tips flyer and is now in threat of being disbanded by Lone Star College–Tomball (What the hell kind of college name is that? Did the college get married and change its name?). The Volokh Conspiracy has a discussion of the First Amendment implications, but if you look at the top ten list there, you may note that another issue is at play here: Plagiarism!
That’s right; the list is taken from my Top Ten Gun Safety tips t-shirt (in stock now!), with a few minor edits (for some reason, #4 is missing the punchline). I’m guessing the most controversial one is #10 “Always keep your gun pointed in a safe direction, such as at a Hippy or a Communist.” Now, a lot of people have crticized that line because it doesn’t use the preferred spelling of “hippie,” and I don’t really have a response to that. But do some people think it constitutes an actual threat?
Come on! This isn’t “dead baby humor” trying to be offensive. This is straight up conservatives like guns and don’t like hippies and Communists humor. It’s about as mild as “Why does the chicken cross the road?” for this site. It’s actually making fun of conservative bravado in a way, so you could actually call it quite nuanced — except that makes it sound gay. Anyway, I even remember one Simpsons episode that made jokes about shooting hippies (and graphically depicted it — it was awesome!). Hippies aren’t even real people. They’re just made up. As for threatening to point a gun at Communists, that’s like threatening to point a gun at Nazis. Reagan killed them all in the eighties anyway.
Anyway, Brian S. Nelson speaking on behalf of the Lone Star College System responded to FIRE’s free speech claim saying:
“The mention of firearms and weapons on college campuses – and in specific LSCS – Tomball – brings fear and concern to students, faculty and staff ‐ which translates into a ‘material interference with the operation of the school or the rights of others’.”
So basically you can have the First Amendment and the Second Amendment but don’t try to combine the two into one freedom peanut butter cup and talk about guns, because that’s verboten. So, I guess that can’t even talk about Heller in their Constitutional law class. Really, is our freedom of speech limited by what can scare sissies? In America, the last people we’re ever supposed to be concerned about are sissies. If it were up the sissies, we’d have the queen on our money right now. I hate that woman. I don’t want her anywhere near my money.
Anyway, just for the the Young Conservative of Texas, here’s a rewrite of item ten:
“Always keep your gun pointed in a safe direction, such as at a Hippy or a Communist or a college administrator.”
Then again, that’s kinda repetitive. Of course, this could be some brilliant ploy by the Lone Star College system. They’ll have a meeting for anyone who felt threatened by the flyer, and then they’ll shoot all those people for being Communists (or hippies). That’s the Texas I know.
Looks like someone needs an SCCC chapter…
After nearly a year of college, though, I fully confer with the edit on #10.
“…such as at a Hippy or a Communist or a college administrator.”
That is quite possibly the most redundant statement in the history of IMAO.
a Hippy or a Communist or a college administrator.
As I have some experience dealing with college administrators, I must concur as well. Logically speaking however, not all hippies are college administrators, not all communists are college administrators, but all college administrators are communist hippies who have an innate disdain for both the First and Second Amendments.
I’m sure talking about killing babies or the president is most likely protected speech and encouraged.
“Really, is our freedom of speech limited by what can scare sissies?”
Classic. Almost as good as this line from Ann: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1334907230381574365&ei=u3X9SIiYBISKqQPfpc0B&q=fagot+ann+coulter
I miss the daily Edwards, Clinton, and Thompson posts. They were nowhere near as depressing as the BHO nightmare.
“The mention of firearms and weapons on college campuses ….. brings fear and concern to students, faculty and staff .”………………Wow. I never realized that the students, faculty & staff at LSC-T are such “‘wussies-with-a-Pee”
And; “The mention of firearms and weapons……..translates into a ‘material interference with the operation of the school or the rights of others’ Cool! so I can shut down a whole pseudo-college just by mentioning firearms & weapons? “Sticks and stones. Can break my bones. But talking about firearms will shut down Lone Star College-Tomball”
“That’s the Texas I know.”
Damn straight. What happened to the Lone Star State? It must have been all those immigrants from New Orleans.
FrankJ:
are you sure you want to take a swipe at Queen Lizardbreath II? Remember, it was the Brits that burned down our whitehouse. Maybe it would be best not to irritate the Brits. Don’t worry about Tony Blair tho. Cause like W told Buck the Marine, he’s not a furriner, He’s gay.
Muslims are outraged!!
Wow! Look upon Texas ye Conservatives and despair. This is what happens when you don’t punch hippies enough. They turn a once proud state soft. It used to be where everyone had weapons. Who would have thought the state would get to the point where a Texan would have issues with jokes about guns.
Side Question: Does anyone know if Texas has gotten soo bad they do that crappy communist vehicle inspection every year like most of the east coast? You know, where if you have rust on your fender they force you to pay hundreds of dollars to fix it before you can drive.
It seems to me that instead of being offended and frightened by law abiding citizens with guns these “rainbow warriors” should be concerned about illegal aliens with knives, drug dealers with guns and anybody who would vote for Barak “Hussein” Obama.
As usual they are a day late and a dollar short, totally divorced from reality and their ears are full of sand (from sticking their pointed little head in the sand).
Liberals-Gods constant reminder of the mendacity of man.
I wonder if the administrators are from Austin.
It also sort of throws water on the whole pro-abortion, pro-legalize-pot crowd, who equate what is legal with what is moral. If it’s constitutionally protected in the bill of rights, than it must be extra-special-moral, right? So much so that penumbras are hallowed. Oh, unless it’s a conservative using the first amendment or anyone other than Janet Reno’s stormtroopers, Weather Underground members, exercising the second amendment.
So…….Texas is gay.
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I can’t believe that there are conservitives in Tomball, it’s a liberal oasis (or trashheap)
1. Give every muppet a gun: check
2. Declare that it is ok to shoot communists: check
3. Label Obama a communist: check
Ignoramus have taken over the conservative movement.
“Obama hatez merika and he stole ma Nike Ayers!!”
“Always keep your gun pointed in a safe direction, such as at a Hippy or a Communist or a college administrator.”
Frank, you forgot “or any random faculty member.”
And in other news, my heart is weeping for the Texas that once was…
#16, now, now, even though they’re almost all still liberals, the science and engineering profs actually do know something useful. Nothing about economics or foreign policy, but something useful nonetheless.
#17 – Dave, okay, I’ll bend a little. Son-in-law is astrophysicist. Knows the chemical composition of rain, but not how to get out of it. Voting for Nader, probably, poor boy. Ah, well…
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Since this post was written a lot of progress has been made across the country to modify concealed carry laws so college and university students can carry (with a valid permit) on campus. Since the minimum age to get a ccw permit is 21 in most states, the majority of students still would not be able to carry. One of the biggest objections to this change has been from people claiming that students are not mature enough to handle a weapon, but at 21 they have all rights of adulthood and should be able to protect themselves on campus in the same manner as they would off-campus.