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When It Comes to Protection and Security, Politicians Cannot Be Trusted
Ever Vigilant ^ | 10/09/2002 | Lee R. Shelton IV

Posted on 10/10/2002 6:24:01 AM PDT by sheltonmac

The politicians who claim to be protecting us still don't get it. Sure, they have access to all kinds of "intelligence" reports and sensitive data that we the people are not privy to, but when it comes down to it, they know absolutely nothing about homeland security.

How do I know this? They simply do not demonstrate a working knowledge of the U.S. Constitution, and, unlike most Washington politicians, I have actually read the document they have solemnly sworn to uphold and defend.

While all eyes are focused on Saddam Hussein and the threat he allegedly poses to the United States, domestic security has been slipping. No, I'm not talking about the embarrassment that is federalized airport security. I'm talking about the failure to preserve the right to keep and bear arms.

I know that I have addressed this issue a number of times in the past, but as long as our own government insists on endangering the lives of the very citizens it claims to be protecting, I will not let it go. This is an issue that is absolutely vital to making this nation more secure.

Over the years, our government has been systematically disarming Americans with thousands and thousands of gun control laws. The right of self-defense has been reduced to a mere privilege that is granted only to those willing to jump through the right hoops and pay the appropriate fees. Even then, the government severely limits the options citizens have when it comes to weapon choice. This infringement upon our right to defend life and liberty is a travesty that should outrage even the most mild-mannered among us.

The recent sniper shootings in Maryland and Virginia illustrate the need for a back-to-basics approach to homeland security. It is agonizingly clear that local law enforcement officers, even with the help of federal agents, cannot possibly offer sufficient protection against such attacks.

Now, before you try to make the argument that allowing citizens to arm themselves won't necessarily protect them from someone with the long range capabilities of a sniper rifle, let me point out that it is certainly no more effective to just leave things up to a handful of police officers. Unless you want to issue every civilian a full suit of body armor, establish a mandatory curfew, require everyone to carry identification papers, and see to it that no one wanders from designated travel routes, I suggest that we at least give people a fighting chance.

Armed, law-abiding citizens could be prepared to act immediately if they came upon someone using a deadly weapon to harm innocent bystanders. When you consider that all of these shootings occurred in heavily populated areas, there is a chance that the sniper was positioned near witnesses who may have noticed what was happening but were too afraid to intervene or even report the incident. The first six victims, for instance, were located in mainly residential areas, one right outside a post office. The seventh victim was in a parking lot, and the eighth in front of a school. Given the nature of these attacks—along with the fact that a police officer can only be in one place at any given time—allowing law-abiding citizens to at least have the option of using a firearm in self-defense seems only logical.

"Fine," you say, "But what does this have to do with homeland security and the war on terror?" There is every reason to believe that these shootings are terrorist-related. So far, no possible motive can be established, and the shooter does not fit the profile authorities expect to see in cases like this. That narrows it down a bit: either some psycho is targeting people for the sheer fun of it, or these acts are meant to terrorize ordinary citizens. If a recently captured al-Qaida videotape is any indication, it may very well be the latter.

According to a September report from WorldNetDaily, this video shows terrorists in various training scenarios, including concealing gunmen in the beds of pickup trucks, infiltrating urban areas through sewers and storm drains, conducting home invasions, and carrying out assassinations on golf courses. Considering the 9/11 hijackers were able to kill over 3,000 people with box cutters, I don't think it's much of a stretch to believe that terrorists would resort to using sniper rifles to strike fear in the hearts of Americans.

If we are serious about homeland security and winning the war on terror, we cannot tolerate any action taken by the government that would strip us of the ability to defend our homes, our families, and our freedom. That might be a good thing to remember for the upcoming elections this November. Politicians droning on about making America safe while at the same time refusing to help restore the Second Amendment cannot be trusted.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; Government
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 10/10/2002 6:24:01 AM PDT by sheltonmac
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To: sheltonmac
When It Comes to Protection and Security, Politicians Cannot Be Trusted

What can politicians be trusted with?

2 posted on 10/10/2002 6:25:21 AM PDT by Phantom Lord
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To: ppaul; ex-snook; kidd; Snuffington; Inspector Harry Callahan; JohnHuang2; GeronL; sauropod; ...
Bump
3 posted on 10/10/2002 6:25:27 AM PDT by sheltonmac
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To: ohioman
Shut my "liberal pie hole"? Give me a break.
4 posted on 10/10/2002 6:27:35 AM PDT by sheltonmac
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To: sheltonmac
They simply do not demonstrate a working knowledge of the U.S. Constitution

Thanks for the bump. I would question how many politicians have read the Constitution. Based on the most of the laws and actions out of Washington in the last 100+ years you'd think the Constitution was kept down in the corner of a basement with no stair access and no lights

5 posted on 10/10/2002 6:36:43 AM PDT by billbears
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To: billbears
"...in the corner of a basement with no stair access and no lights."

Kind of like the closing warehouse scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark?

6 posted on 10/10/2002 6:38:47 AM PDT by sheltonmac
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To: sheltonmac
The politicians fundamental DUTY(that terrible word)is to suppress foreign invasion and domestic attacks. If they do not or cannot then it is time for the citizens to do so.
7 posted on 10/10/2002 6:44:03 AM PDT by AEMILIUS PAULUS
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To: sheltonmac
LOL. I was thinking more of the plans for a hyperspatial bybass as described in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

Sorry I've been rereading Adams

8 posted on 10/10/2002 7:07:29 AM PDT by billbears
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9 posted on 10/10/2002 7:40:25 AM PDT by justshe
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To: sheltonmac
Armed, law-abiding citizens could be prepared to act immediately if they came upon someone using a deadly weapon to harm innocent bystanders

Which is exactly what happened in Minnesota when the james Gang attempted a raid on one of their towns.

10 posted on 10/10/2002 11:19:08 AM PDT by dixierat22
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To: sheltonmac
BTTT
11 posted on 10/11/2002 5:29:52 PM PDT by Inspector Harry Callahan
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