Opinion
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)-“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Benjamin Franklin
While the original meaning of the famous quote from Mr. Franklin is taken somewhat out of context today (Franklin was writing about a dispute overtaxing the Penn family land to raise money for the French/Indian war), his original words do ring true when we speak of ceding our liberty to the government for some sense of security in the context with which we use them today. Many of us will never cede our freedom in the pursuit of temporary safety and believe that if we do, we don’t deserve either.
To frame it in perspective, think of the indignity suffered by law-abiding New Orleans residents during Katrina being yanked out of their homes at gunpoint by government troops using the backdrop of tragedy to forcefully confiscate private arms. Think of the search for the Boston bombers as government troops went door to door pulling people from their homes, conducting illegal searches in direct violation of their formidable 4th amendment rights. Think of power-hungry Socialist governors using media coverage of a virus, forcing private businesses to close and putting millions of Americans out of work. Not only does this threaten our economic survival but our constitutional right to bear arms during a time of media-driven hysteria, as well.
As the dinosaur media continue doing irreparable harm to the bedrock of our society by sowing the seeds of panic and fear over the coronavirus with incessant headlines and coverage worthy of a biblical apocalypse, the true nature of some politicians becomes evident. None of these events in and of themselves, a storm, two terrorists, and now a virus, are the reason people were yanked from their homes, shut down their businesses, or lost everything they had. On the contrary, it is the decisions made by a man or woman who has overstepped their legal and moral authority in their quest for power using the cover of these events to do so.
I’ve been discussing this with my listeners for the last few days and as we move deeper into the week, we’re watching the usual suspects, mostly liberal socialists such as Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York and Governor Murphy in NJ, use the hysteria to shut down their states. Nothing new here, really. I’m damned glad I don’t live there, under their rules.
I’m not the only one that feels this way, so please allow me the disclaimer that I am not insensitive to anyone who has contracted this virus and may in the future. I’m aware that I or someone in my own family may fall victim to it. What I am referring to is the actions taken by two potent entities in America, government and corporate media, which are dominated by and sympathetic to the actions taken by totalitarian state governors such as the ones mentioned.
To this end, I was pleased to see a column early this morning on another one of my sleepless nights by a man I have been critical of in the past, Judge Andrew Napolitano. His work, titled “Coronavirus Fear Lets Government Assault Our Freedom In Violation of the Constitution,” powerfully reminds us of the abuse of our 4th, 5th and 14th Amendment rights by these power-mad totalitarians saying,
“Add to all this, the protection in the First Amendment of the right to associate and the judicially recognized right to travel – both of which are natural rights – and it is clear that these nanny state rules are unconstitutional, unlawful and unworthy of respect or compliance.”
“Today the fear of contagion gives government cover for its assaults on freedom and poses a question the government does not want to answer: If liberty can be taken away in times of crisis, then is it really liberty; or is it just a license, via a temporary government permission slip, subject to the whims of politicians in power?” – Fox News
As gun owners, we’ve been witness to the actions of men like Cuomo, Murphy, and just about every other Socialist (formerly known as Democrats), for years. They’ve been attacking our natural right to self-defense their entire careers. Now, as the mainstream dinosaur media play into the hands of these extremist zealots by sowing the seeds of panic and fear, we are proven right, once again. That there are men and women, when provided the opportunity, will pursue their agenda in direct violation of our God-given rights and, in so doing, care nothing about the ramifications of their actions so long as it feeds their quest for power.
Eventually, they must be stopped.
About Mark Walters
Mark Walters is the host of two nationally syndicated radio broadcasts, Armed American Radio and Armed American Radio’s Daily Defense with Mark Walters. He is the Second Amendment Foundations 2015 Gun Rights Defender of the Year award recipient and co-author of several books, Grilling While Armed, Lessons from Armed America with Kathy Jackson and Lessons from UnArmed America with Rob Pincus. Follow Mark and support Pro-Gun media.