Oh, The Irony

The Roanoke Times editorial page does a pretty good job of heaping ridicule on a York County (Virginia) school board meeting attendee for (legally) packing heat for the occasion.

Can't leave home without it

A parent wore his gun to a school board meeting just because he could. State law should change.
The Roanoke Times

It takes an awfully big chicken to admit such a fear. But as Chet Szymecki told The Daily Press of Newport News, he dare not stray as far as his own lawn without a gun for protection.

He knows not when he might need to draw his sidearm. Take the York County School Board's Sept. 26 meeting, for example. Syzmecki didn't know whether his comments about a proposed cellphone tower would draw opposition ugly enough that he'd need to call upon his .45-caliber Heckler & Koch to mediate a dispute. One never knows when a handgun will, well, come in handy.

The public can hardly expect Szymecki to swagger into a school board meeting without his holstered shootin' iron at his hip. (link)

This ain't bad writing. Especially for the Times. Kinda smart-allecky. Biting. I like it.

Of course, what the author doesn't realize, after having piled scorn on Chet Szymecki for his being fearful to the point that he feels the need to strap on some iron before leaving the house, the columnist expresses a similar irrational fear - of Chet:

The rest of the commonwealth should just stop being so selfish in desiring protection from those who can't seem to adjust to living through the day without strapping on lethal protection [my emphasis].

So Chet's a chicken for having an irrational fear and, in highlighting that weakness, the Times author reveals an irrational and completely unfounded fear of Chet.

Wisdom. It should never be left to amateurs.