Column: Some thoughts from a very vocal minority

One of our fellow columnists, Susan Paslov, recently published an "Open invitation to the silent majority to speak up." She poses some good questions and is understandably frustrated at what she perceives to be apathy on the part of the so-called silent majority.

I hope she doesn't object if a member of the "not-so-silent" majority attempts to answer some of her questions while we're waiting for the silent ones to weigh-in.

Ms. Paslov thinks that those who don't like, trust or understand government represent a vocal minority who tend to shoot from the hip without in-depth, logical analysis behind their feelings. I can empathize with her but I believe that many letter writers who abhor government may have some valid reasons for their thinking and may even represent the unspoken feelings of some of that "silent" majority.

She asked if our education system failed some of us. It's probably failed most of us in the area of economics because I know of very few high school teachers or university professors who are participants in the capitalistic system. They work for the state. She says that government is "us," sort of like Pogo when he said, "I've seen the enemy and he is us...."

It's true that we voters are responsible for government but we don't have much control over our leaders once they take office. And they do change. Also, our choices are very limited.

On a more serious note, I personally think the reason so many folks don't trust government and don't want more government is they remember what happened in Germany in the 1930s and Russia soon after. Hitler was duly elected, albeit in an election which was rigged, as some of ours have been. But he was the overwhelming favorite of the people.

He then abolished elections. He organized his Gestapo to forcefully control everyone. He then created his youth brigades whose children were taught to report their parents to the authorities if the parents dared to criticize the Reich. These things can only happen with a big, powerful central government.

This is what surprises me so much about the Jews. Of all people who should be working overtime to limit the strength of government, it's the people who were persecuted wantonly at the hands of a totalitarian, irreversible government. And yet, the American Jews I know all want compassionate government caring for us from the cradle to the grave, and that means big government.

Maybe it's a throwback to the 12 tribes of Israel when all Jews were looked after by their tribal leaders. But there's one huge difference. In those days, Hebrew tribal leaders were moral, God fearing men. They answered to a much higher order than government!

Ms. Paslov is absolutely correct when she says that trigger locks and waiting periods won't interfere with "rightful" gun ownership. That's really not the problem with the vocal "minority" who resist further impediments on the right to own or bear arms. The problem in their minds is where does it stop? Why don't we enforce the gun laws already on the books?

Every country that has ever been Hitlerized or Stalinized was first totally disarmed. Compromise is not a problem if people can be sure it isn't part of a series of continuing compromises until total civilian disarmament is achieved. Gun abolitionists always want more.

Another factor in fearing big government in the eyes of many of the silent majority with whom I have regular contact are the ways in which Waco and Ruby Ridge were handled. I'm not implying that David Koresh and his bunch of screwballs shouldn't have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, if indeed, they broke any laws. But Big Brother's excessive use of force frightened a lot of people besides the vocal minority.

When I was a legislator, I too became just as frustrated as Ms. Paslov with the passive attitudes of most of my constituents. It was like pulling teeth to get any of them to testify in committees.

I'm even more disillusioned with my contemporary entrepreneurs who won't take time away from making money to run for public office and give to our system something of themselves besides money for all that our system has given them. I guess their egos are afraid to risk losing an election!

I wish Ms. Paslov luck in drawing out some of the silent majority, if, indeed, they really are the majority. I do caution her, however, about convincing herself that all those silent ones think the way she does, even the educated ones. That is an easy trap to fall into.

(Bob Thomas is a Carson City businessman, local curmudgeon and former member of the Carson City School Board and Nevada State Assembly.)