Substituting feeling for thought

Today’s example:  some people held a “lie-in” to advocate limiting Bill of Rights freedoms around the country, on the first anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre.  The Kansas City Star[*1] :

About 50 people laid down in protest of Virginia’s gun laws on Wednesday. The protesters stretched out on the grass for three minutes, to symbolize the amount of time they say it takes to buy a gun in Virginia.

Similar “lie-ins” were held at campuses around the country.

And if they had continued to lie in place for seven more minutes, they would be getting close to the median time for police to respond[*2] to violent crime.

Ten minutes total, laying on the ground, waiting for the crazed gunman to come over and shoot you in the head.  Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Before you decide that disarming the responsible majority and depending on the armed police to protect you from harm is a good idea, try laying on the ground for ten minutes in fear and silence, with the sounds of a madman screaming and shooting, the sounds of victims crying out and dying around you.

For ten minutes.  Go ahead.   Try it now.  Ten minutes.

Then tell me in good conscience that you really think that surrendering the individual right to self-defense in favor of a government monopoly on armed force is the correct approach to dealing with insane people.