Reformulated Aphorism #10: Friends and Enemies

I've criticized our federal government repeatedly, and with malice, for pursuing a foreign policy illuminated by:

My enemy's enemy is my friend.
- Chinese/Arab proverb

And I silently applauded - or really smiled ear to ear - when I heard that the macrobreweries were distributing malt and/or barley to the microbreweries, because there was a shortage. It was probably self serving, because maintaining a beer percentage in the alcoholic-beverage segment was their most-likely goal. But I was delighted, no less.

Within the firearms "community" (really segment), there are many contentious arguments, usually highlighted by caliber and safety parsing. But there is a general espirit de corps, though there are some insular accuracy and hunting fundamentalists. And there is a growing understanding that for the gun culture to survive, us gray hairs (I've got one or two) need to embrace "Gun Culture 2.0" with their oft (at least I'm told) gaming origin. Of course, more comfortably for some, we need to embrace the next generation - yes, the children. And there has also been much talk about taking a friend shooting, to let that person demonstrate to themselves that shooting is fun and not scary (with safety protocols in place, etc.).

All of this lovey-dovey crap is signaling a desire for us to be inclusive of all members of the gun culture. So in that spirit, I have discovered a reformulation of the aphorism and proverb above:

My friend is my enemy's enemy.
- CR Cobb