Posted on 08/22/2011 6:55:41 PM PDT by blam
The Illusion Of Safety, Government Cannot Protect Us
Politics / US Politics
Aug 22, 2011 - 12:32 PM
By: Dr Ron Paul
Recent incidents of violence in Norway and London have made us understandably uncomfortable here at home, as many fear that a worsening economy will lead to violence and unrest in American cities. This is why Congress must view the economy as its first priority and a matter of national security: unless and until we get our fiscal house in order to foster economic growth, civil society will continue to deteriorate.
The fundamental lesson every American should learn from these incidents is that government cannot protect us. No matter how many laws we pass, no matter how many police or federal agents we put on the streets, a determined individual or group can still cause great harm. Both Norway and England have strict gun control laws, and London in particular has security cameras monitoring nearly all public areas. But laws and spy cameras are useless in the face of lawless mobs or sick mass killers. Only private individuals on the scene could have prevented or lessened these tragedies. And we should remember that theft, arson, and property damage were not the only criminal acts in London--innocent bystanders were assaulted and killed as well. In those instances deadly force used in self-defense would have been fully justified.
Perhaps the only good that can come from these terrible events is a reinforced understanding that we as individuals are responsible for our safety and the safety of our families. This means, frankly, that we must safely own and use firearms to deter or prevent criminal assaults on our homes and persons. It is absurd to think police or government agents can protect 310 million Americans around the clock.
Thanks to our media and many government officials, however, Americans have become conditioned to view the state as our protector and the solution to every problem. Whenever something terrible happens, especially when it becomes a prominent news story, people reflexively demand that government do something. This impulse almost always leads to bad laws, more debt, and the loss of liberty. It is completely at odds with the best American traditions of self-reliance and individual responsibility.
Do we really want to live in a world of police checkpoints, surveillance cameras, and metal detectors? Do we want to imprison every disturbed or alienated individual who fantasizes about violence? Do we really believe government can provide total security? Or can we accept that liberty is more important than the illusion of state-provided security?
Freedom is not defined by safety. Freedom is defined by the ability of citizens to live without government interference unless they use force or fraud against others. Government cannot create a world without risks, nor would we really wish to live in such a fictional place. Only a totalitarian society would even claim absolute safety as a worthy ideal, because it would require total state control over its citizens' lives. Liberty has meaning only if we still believe in it when terrible things happen and a false government security blanket beckons.
The core quote:
“Freedom is not defined by safety”
Yea, this guy is obviously a nut. /s
The Police are a response. How people do not understand this amazes me. There can be no active personal protection. You don’t count. STFU quit wining and start sharpening your sticks.
40 pct of Americans that attend an Appleseed clinic are not effective with a rifle beyond 100 yds. 40 pct aren’t even that good. Many of these folks are military, LEO and hunters. We’ll make you effective out to 500 yds and teach you some little known American history. Come and learn your heritage as marksmen. See my tag.
Repeated media identification of the KKK, skinheads and the catch-all 'domestic terrorist' as militia has projected a strong negative perception of a modern militia that is designed to further subvert and weaken the sovereign status of the American people.
That negative perception is a lie and it is time we openly identify it as a lie.
Part and parcel of militia mis- and dis-information provided by official sources is the hidden message, political leaders know best.
That strategy works so well, some confused citizens still trust the current two political parties, as they function today, will do what is best for our Country even as the political leadership works openly to reduce the citizen's role from sovereign to entitled.
There is no stronger DEFENSIVE force for our families, neighborhoods or towns than a well regulated local militia.
When seconds count, the police will be there in minutes.
I just hope that when the good officer responds, he won’t drop me while I put my sidearm carefully back into its holster. I’m sorry, but if some cop screams “DROP IT” then I’ll be forced to explain that nobody would willingly to drop an expensive and complicated sidearm into the dirt, where it will take hours to clean.
I expect he’ll plug me while I try to make this explanation, but what else can you do?
Call the cops when the job is done and the gun is back in the holster.
Yep that's kinda how that old saying goes.
But in Chicago the people wish the police were only *minutes away*. This is NOT a slam against the CPD, they have a serious manpower (Cops on the street) shortage. So what should be 'minutes' sometimes turns into an hour plus.So Paul is right, but FReepers already know this.I listen to their radio calls with an on-line scanner (like now) and some of the response times astound you when you first here them. After a while you get used to the dispatcher saying, "This one has some time on it" (meaning 'REALLY old call'). Or the Beat Cop responding, "Okay Squad, put it in 'my box'. I'll get to it next" (meaning 'Dammit I'm busy as hell'). To top that off their equipment is crap. From the Patrol Cars to their individual Radios not working (sorta dangerous for the cop).
Yes, this started under Daley. He hated his PD and scrwed them every way he could. Yet he was determined to make 'his residents' targets for every maggot sucking air. Even after McDonald it isn't much better. Trying to get that 'Handgun License' is near impossible.
Ain't that the truth.
You got me to thinking. Knowing and supporting the national talk radio hosts specialty of encouraging citizens to understand and act within the political system to effect change, it occurred to me they could also spend time establishing a rational platform of discussion on the citizens responsibilities of maintaining the security of our freedom.
Not as a force of violent political change but as an organized defense against those the radical left are organizing with the under the radar encouragement of their leaders in power.
For those who haven't yet come across this history and especially for those who think Militia is a scarey word here is a powerful source. http://www.guncite.com/journals/hardcit.html
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