Armed Citizens and the Modern Frontier (from Gunwatch)

[Jumping Frog]

Urban Frontiers; from Gunwatch

http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2013/05/ar ... ntier.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

During much of the United States' existence, a significant portion of the population lived near the uncivilized frontier. The frontier was a place where the laws of civilization did not reach, where Judeo/Christian morals were not in the ascendancy, a place of danger, where travelers must always be on their guard, where savage tribes held sway, a land often as not immersed in a low level of war, either between the tribes or between a tribe and western civilization, and where a man depended on his wits and weapons, and was not able to depend upon the force of law.
. . .

The rise of these multitudes, primarily concentrated in the inner city cores, have brought about an era of American history with a new, urban, frontier.

Once again, most of the country is safe, while those who live next to the modern frontier have to be on constant guard of their lives and their possessions. In the modern frontier, the rule of law and Western Civilization has broken down. A man travels there at his peril. It is once again necessary to depend on one's wits and ones weapons for safety. The tribes of the modern frontier are often at war, and a low state of warfare continually exists with the rest of the nation. As in the past, the level of violent death outside the modern frontier and its borders is quite low, approximating that of other Western civilizations. Inside the frontier, violent death rates are much higher, and approximate that of other societies where the rule of law is not dependable.

I hadn't thought through the analogy before, re: The US from roughly 1585 through 1885 always had a "life on the frontier" that was always beyond the rule of law. Now in modern America, that lawless frontier has moved into the inner cities.

Of course, the difference between the original frontier and the new urban frontier is civilization was constantly expanding and pushing back the original frontier. Today the opposite is happening.

Progressives. Anything but progressive. They should be called "Retrogressives".

[jmra]

Don't ever see myself living in an inner city setting. In fact a development currently being proposed a few miles from me may cause me to move further into rural lands if approved.

[gthaustex]

Interesting read. Thanks for posting this.

[RX8er]

Interesting read and I had not really thought about it much. One issue / change that I see and am real curious to see how it changes over the years is the build up of the inner cities.

[VoiceofReason]

I lived in Houston for the last 20 years because that was where my job was. Very good job.

I retired last July and moved to South Texas. The population is about 50,000 for the county.

We live about 10 miles out of the nearest town. It is great.

[JALLEN]

I realized many years ago that one of the chief causes of problems was that humans are not designed to live in very large groups, like cities. Living in such close quarters seems to tend to make people crazy, uncivilized. My rule, all these past ~40 years, is that if a person of moderate strength can't rip the phone book in two, the town is too big.

Of course, the phone company has sneakily been reformatting the phone books. The one in my mom's house is about an inch thick, but covers several counties, in tiny type, whereas the one we had when I lived here was no more than a quarter inch thick, in big type, too. Of course, then our phone number was 3 digits, and you depended on Mabel down at Central over the drugstore to hook you up.

In San Diego, where I am now moving from, a person of moderate strength can barely carry the entire phone book which has several volumes plus yellow pages. Dropping even one of these volumes on your foot is not advised.

[Dadtodabone]

Great essay. I did like the passage that recognized classic liberalism. We do live in a enlightened liberal Western society. The conservatives are the guys with human chattels whether those be a wife or a slave, who deny basic human rights to those not of their ilk, who's every waking moment is consumed with personal gain without regard for the community, society or nation in which they reside.

Mabel down at Central over the drugstore to hook you up.

I do hope Mabel was connecting you to your party not providing hookups.