Whatever it may be that you believe in...never back down!
Evil is a reality, a very clever and manipulative reality. Always check your facts -
This is a hard piece to write. It is hard to admit when you were wrong, but it is necessary to maintain your credibility. Recently a story broke that many of you may have heard, if not I'll break it down for you in a nutshell. A gentleman was enjoying his meal at a little family owned restaurant in Decatur, Illinois when he was approached and asked to turn his shirt inside out because the rifle depicted on the back was upsetting some of the other customers. The shirt in question was the "Freedom Delivery System" shirt designed by us at Cold Dead Hands. The gentleman politely refused the request, finished his meal, paid his bill and left. The story was picked up by other pro gun rights groups and eventually brought to our attention, since it involved one of our shirts. Regrettably, we shared the story with our nearly 3/4 million fans before doing our due diligence. Those who are familiar with the story know this part, but now (as Paul H***** used to say) The Rest Of The Story.
"A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." ~ Mark Twain
After some further investigation, conversations with the gentleman in the t-shirt, as well as the staff and owners of the restaurant, it now appears that the person who made the request was not associated with the restaurant at all and may have merely been an arrogant and presumptuous customer with a burr under his saddle about guns. The restaurant caught in the middle of this "gun battle" is the Garden Family Restaurant - Decatur, Illinois. It is owned and run by a family of Armenian immigrants who fled Communist oppression for freedom in America. As immigrants with first hand knowledge of the atrocities of Communism, they are very appreciative of the rights and freedoms that America affords its citizens. More so than many natural born Americans who tend to take their freedoms for granted. The day before this incident took place, the owner had made a large donation to a veterans charity drive. He employs veterans as well. According to his daughter, they do not even have a "No Guns" sign on their establishment and remember this is in Illinois. From the owner, his daughter and even one of the servers that I spoke with, the very thought of asking someone to turn their shirt inside out because of a picture of a gun was ludicrous. The owner even went so far as to say that if a customer had complained to him about such a thing, he would have asked the complaining customer to leave.
From the beginning, when he thought it was an employee making the request, this gentleman said that the opinion of one or two people should not reflect on the entire establishment. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned here along those lines. We have become so polarized in this "us against them" battle to protect our rights and freedoms that we are quick to chastise and paint with a broad brush when instances such as this arise. In this case it seems that a single pretentious ass was able to turn a significant portion of pro-gun, pro-American patriots against a pro-gun, Pro-American family business simply because we advocates did not do our homework. That is a recipe for self-destruction if you ask me. So, what do we do now?
Well, we at Cold Dead Hands have made arrangements for gentleman in the t-shirt and the owner of the restaurant to meet face to face to bury the hatchet and possibly see if they can determine who it was that put the match to this powder keg. We are also working with the restaurant to rehabilitate their reputation and are making plans for a very public display of their support for gun rights and ALL the rights that Americans enjoy. We refuse to allow the actions of a single pompous busybody to infringe upon their pursuit of happiness and the American Dream or to detract from our advocacy for the liberties that are the right of all Americans. Don't be surprised if you stop by the Garden Family Restaurant in Decatur, Illinois and see the entire staff wearing Cold Dead Hands t-shirts.
"It is only when the people become ignorant and corrupt, when they degenerate into a populace, that they are incapable of exercising their sovereignty. Usurpation is then an easy attainment, and an usurper soon found. The people themselves become the willing instruments of their own debasement and ruin." ~ James Monroe
- See more at: http://www.colddeadhands.us/blog/ctl....0EZiFNAr.dpuf
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