Whenever Massad Ayoob weighs in on a matter, I always just sort of assume he’s wrong*. So now I hate the SAF, even though I didn’t when I woke up this morning.
—
*Because cops.
Will Blog for ISP Time, Glaucoma Meds, or Cheap Booze.
Free! (and worth every penny)
Scary Manifesto that keeps getting pushed down on the sidebar by filthy capitalism!
They say that Louis XIV had the inscription Ultima Ratio Regum cast into all the cannon of the French Army. It means “The Ultimate Argument of Kings,” and that always struck me as one of the most honest and up-front things any ruler or would-be ruler ever said. “We can dress it up prettier than this, but when it comes down to the unvarnished truth this is what it’s about: You’ll do as I say or I’ll send my goons to kill you.”
I thought about that for a long time. If there’s an ultimate argument, it seems only logical that there must be an ultimate answer. For years I thought the ultimate answer must be the bullets in my rifle, but it never seemed quite right. I’ve got bullets – he’s got frigging Cannon Balls. I mean, if there were three hundred million rifles throwing bullets at him, then maybe. But we all know that’s not going to happen. So if there’s an ultimate answer to his ultimate argument, it sure as hell ain’t bullets.
It finally came to me – and that’s when I abandoned the city and most of my stuff, and gave all that was behind me a good stiff Randian Shrug.
The ultimate answer to kings is not a bullet, but a belly laugh.
Our Founder
Our Late Editor
Little Bear 2009-2018
Our Late Cattle Wrangler
Laddie the Amazing Torso Boy 2011-2020
Blogroll
- 357 Magnum
- 5 Acres and a Dream
- 90 Miles From Tyranny
- A Day in the Life of a Talk Radio Blogger
- Adaptive Curmudgeon
- Armed & Non-Violent
- Bayou Renaissance Man
- Bill St. Clair
- Borepatch
- Carl Bussjaeger
- Claire Wolfe
- Commander Zero
- Dio's Workshop
- Eaton Rapids Joe
- Forgotten Weapons
- Freeholder
- Home on the Range
- Instapundit
- Irons in the Fire
- James Zachary
- Kent McManigal
- Nails and Sawdust
- Never Yet Melted
- Resistance Library
- Say Uncle
- The Price of Liberty
- The Smallest Minority
- The View from North Central Idaho
- The Vulgar Curmudgeon
- The War on Guns
- The Zelman Partisans
- True Blue Sam
- View from the Porch
- Weer'd World
- Wendy McElroy
- You will shoot your eye out
- Zendo Deb
Previous OPSEC Violations
Ayoob is perfectly happy to have government control where it suits his own agenda. And yes, “cops” is as good a reason as any to distrust him. But his “reasonable” remarks here managed to totally ignore the issue JPFO members have with the whole deal… the secrecy, the stonewalling and the obvious disconnect with reality if one looks very far into other organizations SAF has swallowed.
I’m amazed that anyone but cops read Ayoob. Ever since his bizarre defense of the hero cops of Hurricane Katrina, and his lies asserting I said things I never said — and refusal to address the questions I did ask him — I’ve ignored him as just another statist, copsucking thin-blue-gangbanger. He’s just coasting on the excellent training books he wrote a long time ago.
He frothed at the mouth to take up for that team of swat/thugs that killed Jose Guerena, a decorated Marine down in southern AZ a couple of years ago. I remember the big brewhaha on Backwoods home Magazine. He got stupid in his defense of what happened down there even though nothing was found (except a dead marine) in that home.
I lost all respect for him that day, and have to question anyone’s credentials that use him as an expert on anything.
I wonder if there is such a thing as an unintentional quisling for that is exactly what Massad Ayoob is, a quisling unintentional or otherwise.
Can’t we all just get along.
All this infighting is not productive, save it for the anti’s.
Harmony Hermit — How do you suggest achieving the harmony?
Sure, we could have gotten along by saying nothing as the board (to cover its own mismanagement) handed JPFO over to SAF.
Or we could have achieved harmony by the board saying, “Oh, we have real JPFO people who have a plan? Then let’s postpone the deal with SAF long enough talk!” That would have been nice. We tried. But the board wasn’t having it. Wouldn’t even acknowledge that our idea existed.
So … What’s your suggestion for having peace in the valley?
Harmony Hermit’s idea of getting along involves “JPFO” caving in ( AKA compromising ) on the things that separate it from SAF, while there side (ALSO READ AS HIS/HER SIDE) gives up nothing. Then when dealing with the anti’s….. then all of a sudden the SAF will “compromise” our rights away.
That’s all compromise is with this “rodney king” bunch. Screw that notion.
DON’T GIVE AN INCH!
I was pretty much done with ayoob after Katrina and definitely done with him after the Guerena murder.
I distinctly remember wondering when we’d hear from Mas on this one. Sadly, I figured this is just the response we’d get.
I have to give Ayoob props for all the things he taught me (years ago now) about saving my life, and the dynamics of fighting, and even a lot of useful minutiae about guns and shooting. Nothing can take that away, and it’s probably fair to say that the only person who has taught me more about those topics is Jeff Cooper.
But the much-(self-)vaunted “no BS” badge he loves to lean on, falls apart completely at the Blue Line. And the implicit statism behind that behavior perfectly explains his apologia for Gottlieb now, and the legions of similar defenses before him, of the likes of Bill Ruger (AWB), NRA (GCA ’68), and…my god, all those cops and Feds whose bullets and Tasers and batons and fists and scrums of backup were so ignobly attacked without cause by people who we later found out weren’t doing anything wrong.
It’s absolutely impossible to remember them all. But there they are. And Mas is already against your next example of police-state-thug observation, in case you were wondering. Whatever it is.
I’ve tried to rationalize this away before. You know, maybe he kept his real opinion under wraps for continued access to behind-the-Line intel…maybe he feared the threat of retaliation for betrayal from within…or maybe, some day, we will start to see stories from him of “the bad apples”.
I know, I know: pull the other one.
But I’m with you, Joel. It has got to the point where if it’s in any way related to the topics of the police state or the use of politics to achieve political liberty…it’s just best to tune him out completely, because there’s nothing there.
Harmony Hermit, no.
Not when Ayoob defends murderous govgoons, and lies about people who present him with uncomfortable facts.
I merely dislike Gottlieb. But in the areas where SAF excels (litigation), I’d still work with him.* But Ayoob is the enemy of liberty.
===
* My objection to the SAF/JPFO deal is that SAF has a proven track record of screwing up “umbrella groups” not directly related to their area of expertise.
Ayoob is the primary reason I won’t subscribe to Backwoods Home magazine. I’d like to support Claire, but I’ll be damned if I’ll pay to have Ayoob’s filth put in my mailbox.
I took a peek at Ayoods apologia for anal rape and torture after a man was subjected to multiple anal probes for “clenching his buttocks” following a traffic stop.
It’s worthwhile to contrast it to Ken White’s careful analysis
What Is The Quantum of Proof Necessary for Police to Rape and Torture you in New Mexico?
Thinking people like Ken White start by explaining the basis for their choice of the words “torture” and “rape.” He cites the uncontested facts and the applicable statutes. He then offers a link to the victim’s side of the story, but proceeds to eviscerate the claims of the thugs using their own words. White then goes on to explain what is truly terrifying about this incident.
Ayoob does none of this. He provides no links at all in one post, and one link to a tabloid-style report to the effect that the victim had previously been charged with drug “crimes” in the other post.
He creates facts whenever he needs them. In this case, Ayoob created a claim that the rape and torture were caused by the thug’s concern for their victim’s health. Ayoob, with no mention of where he learned this, claims that the thugs came to believe that their victim had shoved a potentially lethal dose of drugs up his own butt. The thugs’ invocation of the magic words “investigative detention” override the victim’s right to refuse unwanted medical “treatments.”
This after-the-fact lying to justify behavior by fellow thugs is very common behavior. It’s easy enough to spot it in this case, because Ken White showed and linked the complete warrant application. There isn’t a single word about concern for the prisoner’s health. It is a straight request to search a man’s anus for contraband for the purpose of gathering evidence of crime. Period.
Ayoob the thug doesn’t need support of his testimony. When he walks into a courtroom, his partner-in-crime “judge” presumes that every word he says is true. If two non-thug witnesses contradict one another, the judge or jury has to decide who is more credible. But if a mundane disputes a thug’s testilying, the judge will take the cop’s version as presumed true.
The summary is that thug Ayoob defends anal rape and torture because he is following orders and well-established procedure and that makes it OK. Judges, politicians, and other violently unstable psychopaths have told Ayoob that it is OK to torture, rape, beat, cage, and kill people if they have prohibited plants, so Ayoob beats and kills. He also concocts elaborate and fantastic lies to cover up the crimes of his fellow thugs. They call this “professional courtesy.”
Ken White looks at the facts, explains the law, and sums it up well:
Quote
I’m not afraid because police officers violated David Eckert’s constitutional rights by raping and torturing him because they thought he might have a trivial amount of drugs.
I’m afraid that they might not have violated his rights as defined by the courts, because we have allowed those rights to wither away out of fear and indifference.
end quote
Decide for yourself who is the more credible and useful source of information and analysis.