Phoenix Bird

AFTER THE FACT - BACK IN TIME

I was appalled on the day after elections in 1998 to hear that Chuck Schumer had been elected US Senator from the State of New York. Anyone who's been involved in gun control issues over the years knows Schumer's reputation as a rabid anti-Second Amendment dog. His ousting of Al D'Amato (somewhat controversial but always a champion of the people) does not bode well for the State of New York or its residents. Schumer has that New York City anti-rights mentality that's so repugnant to upstate residents as to have spawned several attempts to divide the state into two sections more accurately representing the chasm of ideological stance that exists there.

As I continued to listen to election results, struck by the apparent ennui of a nation complacent in its economic obesity, I was reminded of Benjamin Franklin's admonition to the people: "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." In electing Schumer and his ilk, we invoke the deterioration of liberty and welcome the tyrant with open arms.

I've heard an unconfirmed report from some Australian friends of ours that the latest round of national disarmament includes all bladed weapons save plastic butter knives; this in spite of the increase in violent crime following the confiscation of firearms from private citizens. The more we hear, the more we wonder exactly what the rationale is in removing the capacity for self-defense from law-abiding citizens, for surely it is only that group which will disarm!

In the words of Thomas Jefferson, "No free man shall ever be de-barred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain their right to keep and bear arms is as a last resort to protect themselves against tyranny in government." Does the disarming of free men herald the advent of tyranny? Perhaps; however, waste not your tea and sympathy on your Australian friends. Rather, use their experience to make one of the most important decisions you'll ever need to consider: where will you draw the line?

I wonder in the midst of this deer hunting season how the hunters are enjoying the fruits of their complacency. I remember their smug confidence during the Brady hearings as they abandoned their fellow gunowners under the false assumption that the little slice taken from RKBA would only affect those of us who owned high-powered exotic rifles replete with extended magazines, flash suppressers and synthetic folding stocks. The hunters acquiesced when they should have joined forces with the militias, with the so-called "sport shooters", with the veterans who had used those weapons in war and often made them the implements of exorcism in peace. As I mourn the further loss of our inalienable rights, the other part of me screams "We told you so!!!" into the confused faces of those who traded essential for.... nothing but more unconstitutional laws. As we all know, the Congress giveth but never taketh away (unless forced by some Supreme Court renegade) when it comes to usurping liberty.

Watch carefully, my friends, and never let the ball be dropped again. We stand on the brink of disaster, amidst warnings of Y2K-related shutdowns, Stock Market crashes and subsequent recession or depression. Do not allow those in power to overpower your common sense again! The time to decide where to draw the line is before you are no longer able to reach that very spot. We'll see you at the 2000 polls, the Good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise......

-Arjay

BACK