If you had to choose...

...between being hated or being ignored - you can only have one, but you must have one - which would you choose?

Once upon a time there was this uber-troll - it's the only fair designation - who went by the nym Gunkid. If you spend time on gun forums, you've heard of him. Gunkid's actual name was known to the community, but I don't remember or care what it is. Gunkid's claim to fame was that he could disrupt even the most draconian moderation: He could bring any forum anywhere to its knees during his stay. I've watched mods frantically ban one Gunkid sockpuppet after another, several times a day. Gunkid was a lunatic: He made outrageous, idiotic claims about guns and suppressors and SHTF scenarios (If you've ever heard of a 'tactical wheelbarrow,' that's a Gunkid reference.) and just tied up the boards for days. It was a hoot. You couldn't really say your forum had arrived until it had suffered its first Gunkid infestation. And it would, too - that ol' boy got around.

Moderators hated him. I suspect most posters had a sneaking, almost guilty affection for him. I know I did. I mean, c'mon - he's disrupting what is essentially a recreational distraction from work - on the boss's computer - when you're being paid to work but aren't doing it. It's hard to get too self-righteous.

When Gunkid was around - wherever "around" happened to be - it was all about Gunkid. And I guess that was the whole point, because nobody made it any secret that they were laughing at him. And I don't recall him ever posting anything that wasn't laughable. He would have to have been every bit as delusional as he came across, which is too delusional to function more than a few minutes in society, not to understand that he was a laughingstock. And I often wondered at first; what was the point of that? I'd have hidden under my bed for a month if I ever got a reception like that and knew I deserved it, but he sought it out. He did it incessantly.

The point, I suppose, was that people were paying attention to him. He didn't know how to be respected in the way he wished he deserved, so he settled for becoming this ridiculous internet legend because at least then he wasn't being ignored. He couldn't make a positive difference, so he settled for being a disruptive influence and seemed to find it just as good.

Gunkid has come to mind several times in the past few days. I think he's helping me to understand the motivations of politicians and bureaucrats. I mean, here's Pelosi & Co. busily finding ways to shove their "health care" takeover down our collective throat. The simplest economic logic demands, and recent history in one place after another proves, that it will be a disaster. But they're doing it anyway. And it doesn't matter how many times this proposal or that is voted down - it doesn't matter how many near-riots they cause in how many "town hall" meetings: Their minds are made up. This is the way it's going to be.

Not because it's the right thing to do. Not because it makes any sense on any level. No - they're doing it because they can, and because it will by god have an effect on the lives of everybody here. For good or ill people will remember their names, boy.

I finally understand. Nancy Pelosi is Gunkid in a skirt.

...which is a mental picture I could have done without this early in the morning. I'm gonna go walk the dogs now.