Standing Up

The outrage amongst gun-owners over the 2nd Amendment violations could help galvanize resistance to ALL Constitutional violations by ALL levels of government.

Don't argue about WHICH Right to protect! Some people are touched more directly by some than others, and so respond more. Embrace ALL these folks.  We're ALL on the same side, not matter how or why we got there.

You heard few protests over the PATRIOT ACT because it was pushed through without having been read by most of the Congresspeople who voted for it, let alone by the People, and it was passed in a frenzy of post 9/11 hysteria. Further it is a subtle thing that targets individuals quietly.

By the time the TSA appeared at airports, there was substantial learned helplessness as evidenced by the compliant behavior of air travelers.

Both things SHOULD have been stopped in their tracks. However, we can't go back. We have to take action to fix it now.No matter how far you go down the wrong road, TURN AROUND!

What's important is not that some people FAILED to notice when other rights were violated, but that they are personally being touched by a violation NOW, and THAT may in turn sensitize them to the violations that they DIDN'T see or understand earlier. (You could look at the flip side, too. Some people who were wailing and moaning over First Amendment violations have said NOTHING about Second Amendment violations.)

You have to understand that until it happens to YOU, it doesn't seem real or important. You know that guy who said "First they came for the Jews, but I wasn't a Jew so I didn't speak up...?" (I'm paraphrasing). He hit the nail right on the head.

When people finally DO wake up, we need to accept and embrace them instead of castigating them for not having awakened SOONER. If they COULD have, they WOULD have. The Bad Guys play a full court man-to man press game of DIVIDE AND CONQUER --- we damned well better not do it to ourselves.

For WHATEVER REASON a person finally wakes up and joins the fight, I welcome him or her. As Will wrote in Henry V: "...He today that sheds his blood with me, Shall be my brother..."

Liberty & Justice,

sj

 What the Spartans said about giving up their weapons, 

we should all say about giving up our freedom.