Rifle behind every blade of grass

[Max's Dad]

Occasionally I come across the quote attributed to Yamamoto with regard to a mainland invasion that the expectation of a deer rifle behind every blade of grass was not worth the cost. True or not, I find this quote comforting.

Usually printed as, "You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass."

What other cool quotes with regard to US firearm ownership do you guys know of?

 

[dmazur]

While Thomas Jefferson wrote quite a bit about the "right and duty to be at all times armed" and similar concepts, he also wrote his nephew a letter which described what he believed was the ideal form of exercise -

"...I advise the gun. While this gives a moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body, and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun, therefore, be the constant companion of your walks."

Now why can't this concept be more widely adopted?

 

[Hatterasguy]

Not American, but this is one of my favorites.

"The Swiss are well armed and enjoy great freedom."
Machiavelli

 

[LibShooter]

I ask sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people except for a few politicians.

- George Mason

The philosophy of gun control: Teenagers are roaring through town at 90MPH, where the speed limit is 25. Your solution is to lower the speed limit to 20.

- Sam Cohen (He's a scientist, I think)

 

[Beelzy]

"From my Cold Dead Hands".........Charlton Heston, a man among men.

 

[Max's Dad]

love the liberal solution to 90mph speeders!

 

[Max's Dad]

While Thomas Jefferson wrote quite a bit about the "right and duty to be at all times armed" and similar concepts, he also wrote his nephew a letter which described what he believed was the ideal form of exercise -

"...I advise the gun. While this gives a moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body, and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun, therefore, be the constant companion of your walks."

Now why can't this concept be more widely adopted?

dmazur can you point me to some of jefferson's letters on the subject?

 

[memphisjim]

i thought mao ze dung said that

 

[hak]

feast, ye! (with footnotes, too!) http://www.guncite.com/gc2ndfqu.html

 

[Max's Dad]

Thanks hak!

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards." - Clair Wolfe

Seems like the more the politicians ignore American citizens the more appropriate this one becomes.

 

[Max's Dad]

do you recall approx when wolfe coined the phrase?

 

[hirundo82]

1996 according to Wikipedia.

 

[Autolycus]

I have never heard of any attributable source for the quote that the original poster mentioned. I think it is just a piece of internet lore and WW II lore as well.

 

[9mmepiphany]

"The Swiss are well armed and enjoy great freedom."
Machiavelli

an interesting side note to this: this was during a time when the Swiss were the mercenaries to the world and have even fought on both sides of some conflicts...that's why the Vatican is protected by the Swiss Guard

 

[JoeSlomo]

an interesting side note to this: this was during a time when the Swiss were the mercenaries to the world and have even fought on both sides of some conflicts...that's why the Vatican is protected by the Swiss Guard

Nah...

They're the only ones they could get to wear those silly uniforms.

 

[wishin]

They've got us surrounded again, the poor bastards. -- Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.

 

[TexasBill]

love the liberal solution to 90mph speeders!

You think the liberals did that? Hate to bust your bubble, but it was conservatives who clamped down on things like teenage speeding and rock and roll. It upset their naps or the cows wouldn't give or something like that.

 

[TexasBill]

Nah...

They're the only ones they could get to wear those silly uniforms.

Yeah but they get some nice guns: SIG P225 pistols, H&K MP5A3 submachine guns and the SIG SG550 Assault Rifle. And they've got a pretty good track record of not losing Popes.

I remember when I was over in Switzerland in the mid-1960s: the country was celebrating its 675th anniversary of independence. They hit 700 years in 1991.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

I think it is just a piece of internet lore and WW II lore as well.
__________________

It certainly didn't originate on the internet because my history teacher quoted it in the '70s. Quite a bit before Al Gore invented the internet.

 

[erichtmobile]

“A Canadian is sort of like an American, but without the gun”

- Pierre Burton

 

[Birdmang]

Yamamoto did not say that.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Yamamoto did not say that.

While it is certainly possible to find documentation that proves he did say it,it is absolutely impossible to prove that he didn't say it.

 

[kanook]

Americans have the right to bear arms

Canadians have the right to bare breasts

Tough choice

(T-shirt my mother got me while visiting back home.)

 

[HOV]

love the liberal solution to 90mph speeders!

Once again...

I find myself disappointed at the use of the word "liberal" here again. A true liberal by definition wants to preserve individual liberties, including the right to own and carry a firearm.

The gun control advocates are the ones who wish to reduce or remove an individual's right to bear arms. They may be liberal or conservative in philosophy, Dem or Repub in party affiliation, but nothing describes them better than "gun control advocates".