Remembering Straightarrow

I sent an email to David Codrea at War on Guns about the passing of our friend Charles Sawders, aka Straightarrow. He thought my brief personal comments should be shared.

I bet that through the years he published more words on the internet, commenting on blogs, boards and elsewhere than most bloggers have posted in that same timeframe.

I liked him for his blunt, to-the-point personality, and his words reminded me of my dad.

That's the best compliment I can give any man.

And it is.

When I started Between Two Rivers almost a year ago, Charles came from War on Guns and decided to stick around. He shared his comments and I've been reading though them recently, some are humorous, while others make you think. On July 8th, he left what would become his last comment here and is a typical example of his writing. Regarding the McDonald Ruling:

No matter how many lawsuits are filed and even won against crap like this, the Daleys of the nation will replace the defeated law with another just as egregious, requiring another lawsuit. In this way they can extend this fight for centuries. No! That is not hyperbole, centuries.

This will only be settled when unpleasant ramifications are visited upon the abusers. Since we have no expectations, realistic or fanciful, of these ramifications being supplied by the justice system we have only one way to settle this issue peacefully. That is surrender. Let them have their way. That is the only avenue to peaceful resolution.

If you find that to be anathema to your rights and our nation then the only way to settle this to its proper conclusion is force.

Anything less will not work, because the tyrants lose nothing, even when they lose. Force will change the solution to that equation and as things now stand, it is the only thing that will.

Damn, there is power and vision in those few paragraphs. As Straightarrow, he could have chosen to have his own blog and I'm sure it would have been successful. But I think his influence was much wider because he visited each of ours and gave us comments like this. I'm convinced he improved this lowly blog.

I regret never meeting Charles, the person, having known him only by his written words. Words of encouragement and chastisement, humor and wisdom, and the occasional disagreement.

If any of his family or close friends should ever visit here, please accept my thanks for sharing him with us.