No Longer Self-Evident?

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.  They are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.  That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it and to institute new Government......

--The Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America

July 4, 1776

  

It wasn't that long ago that the truths mentioned by our founding fathers were self-evident.  They weren't up for debate.  We knew that we were endowed by our Creator with these rights.  The  government worked for us, not vice versa.  Somewhere along the way we lost sight of these truths.  We have allowed the government to grant us our rights.  The problem with the government granting rights?  The government can also rescind the same rights.  The government no longer derives its power from the consent of the governed (us).  The government   creates power for itself, if not through legislation, through regulation.  And we, the people, are allowing it and in many cases, even encouraging it.  

If our form of government is destructive to the people's unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (property), and it is our right to alter or abolish that government, how we do we achieve that alteration or abolition?  That is where the first two amendments to our Constitution come into play.  

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Without the right to peaceably assemble, speak freely, and petition the  government; and the right of the people to bear arms,  it would be impossible to secure a free state or ensure the other rights granted by our Creator and guaranteed in the Constitution.  Without free speech or an armed populace, how can the people control the government as it grants itself more and more power?  We can't.  When we lose the rights guaranteed in the first two amendments, all other rights are granted at the whim of the government.  I don't think anyone, right, left, Republican, Democrat, or Libertarian are prepared for that eventuality.  Yet that's where we are heading at a breakneck speed now.  

When guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns.

--Edward Abbey

Do Dyslexics Support the Right to Arm Bears?

I was going to put a photograph that I received in an e-mail above this post, but I can't find it!  It was of a yard sign that said something like:  My neighbor wants to take away MY right to bear arms.  Out of respect for his beliefs, if you attempt to rob or harm him, I pledge to take no action on his behalf.

One of my favorite authors is Edward Abbey.  Being a writer and former U.S. National Parks Service employee, you would think he would be the average tree-hugging progressive.  Reading his books, it's not hard to get a clear picture of where he stands on most issues.  "Leave me alone!!!!"  Probably with a few more colorful adjectives thrown in.  Desert Solitaire is one of my favorite books.  In it, he proposes doing away with all vehicle access in national parks.  If you have been to Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon during peak tourist season, you might think Abbey has a really good idea.  His point was that you can't really experience the wonder of the Grand Canyon from your air-conditioned car.  And I think he is right.  Now parks are having everyone park at the entrance of the Grand Canyon and ride a shuttle to the popular points.  It's not what Abbey meant (seeing the park afoot or on a bicycle), but it has alleviated the traffic that rivaled that of Dallas at rush hour.

That's not what this was going to be about.  Not sure where that came from.  One of my all time favorite quotes came from Edward Abbey - "If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns."  That's scary to think about.  History shows that the first step to a dictatorship is to disarm the average citizen.  Progressives have been trying for my entire life, and probably longer, to take the right to bear arms from Americans.  That darn Second Amendment!  Whew, thank you founding fathers!  

I truly believe that this goal is part of the health care takeover.  Because of the Constitution, progressives can't take away firearms by law.  But make it a health issue, and maybe then they can get it through. 

My sister reminded me of a childhood experiment that she, Bobby, and I conducted.  We had moved into a new house.  In the garage, we found a toolbox with a chisel, the head of a shop hammer, and a handful of .22 shells.  Being curious kids, we wanted to see what was inside a bullet.  So, I held the bullet between my thumb and forefinger and held the chisel with my other hand on the bullet.  Bobby then tapped on the chisel to open the bullet.  We never got one open, just flattened a bunch of them.  My mom caught us and saw what were doing.  She told us to "Be careful!"  That was probably a good response.  If she had panicked, we probably would not have given up as quickly as we did.  Looking back, maybe we did need some federal government oversight!  

So, it's easy to see that the wise government employee is only trying to protect us and our children from our own stupidity or curiosity (the two seem to go together, huh?).  After taking away our guns, it is much easier to take our cars, knives, bats, or anything else that could possibly hurt us.  I picture a future where we all walk around in people-sized hamster balls.  That would keep us all safe, from everything but our government.