CBS's "The Unit" portrays concealed carry in a positive light

I've become a regular watcher of "The Unit" on CBS. It's an interesting look at both the lives and missions of men in a top-secret special forces unit (based on Delta Force) and the lives of their women at home. I think this lends depth to both the characters and the stories in each episode.

Last week CBS ran two episodes back to back--"Unannounced" and "Exposure." I taped both of them because I had a meeting in Birmingham. We finally got around to watching them last night, and I was pleasantly surprised by the way the first episode ("Unannounced") turned out. Around three-fourths of the way through the show, Kim Brown (Audrey Marie Anderson) is at the radio station where she works, and her boss Rory (Gale Harold) notices that she has a gun in her purse. She explains that her husband Bob (Scott Foley) got it for her, and got her a concealed carry permit. He claims that he "doesn't believe in them"--that he's "a poet" and not a fighter--but doesn't pursue the issue any further. Near the end of the episode, a young private shows up at the station after having spoken to Kim on the phone while requesting a song. They are the only ones in the building, and the soldier assaults Kim, attempting to rape her. Rory shows up before the grunt can do anything; he gets Kim's pistol out of her purse and rescues her from the would-be rapist. No shots are fired; the assailant leaves the building, but is apprehended by the police--who tell them that he was suspected in several rapes and a murder.

It took me a minute to realize that Hollywood--and CBS, of all networks--had just presented guns in a positive manner! Mike (the radio station guy) is not a military man, and would have been no match for the soldier/rapist without the gun. He used it to save Kim without firing a shot--which is a lot like what often happens in real life: the mere presence of a gun in the hand of an confident citizen is often enough to dissuade a would-be criminal from carrying out his intentions. I am very pleased to see such a depiction on mainstream, prime-time television. I sure hope it's not the last time.

Go to the movies and see United 93. Go today. Don't put it off, thinking you'll catch it on DVD. Go as soon as you can. We went to see it last night...I thought it was very well done. It's very tense; even though you know the ultimate outcome, you're drawn into the passengers' plight--hoping against hope that they can disable the hijackers and land the plane. The heroism of those passengers is inspiring, especially contrasted with the cowardly acts of the terrorists on that day.

I'm dismayed that some people are saying it's "too soon" to make a movie that has anything to do with the events of 9-11-01. I think those people would rather pretend the whole thing never happened--not because of the pain of that day, but because they don't want to acknowledge that there really is evil in the world--evil that sometimes strikes out unprovoked against innocent people...evil that masquerades as a peaceful religion even as it perpetuates a culture of division and death.

The righteous anger of the American people that was stirred up that day has faded...melted away under a constant stream of self-loathing second-guessing by those who have a fundamental distrust of America...they may claim to love her, but they certainly don't take pride in being American citizens. But I digress.

I urge you in the strongest possible terms...Go today and see this movie. Remember that fateful day. Remember that there are still people in the world who want nothing more than to see the destruction of our great country. Have you forgotten already?