My Country

              I’m not sure just how to begin this article other than I have been struggling with this issue for several years. To put it simply, “What in the world is happening to my country?”

A growing concern based upon a government run amok is very disturbing. In an attempt to keep up with all the scandals coming out of Washington DC, I admit that my head is spinning. Of the many stories emerging about government overreach and abuse, we are being treated to a litany of activities that are in clear violation of our laws – namely, the U.S. Constitution.

It probably became an unsettling issue for me when the current administration pushed hard for The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which was signed into law on March 23, 2010. It has been euphemistically called “Obamacare.” Then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said Congress needed to pass the bill before they could read the bill. What?! The promises of this bill for all Americans is grandiose, and at the same time frightening in the scope of its reach into our lives. The early talk of “Death Panels” was quickly pooh-poohed as being the ridiculous scare tactics of conservatives. Now we are three years removed from the passage of this bill (a bill I took the time to read in its entirety in 2009), and it’s showing evidence of having government officials making decisions regarding what health procedures you would be authorized to have. An overriding concern with this universal healthcare bill is the requirement for all Americans to be covered. The laws of the United States say that we the people cannot be forced to be a part of such a policy if we choose not to.

The 2^nd amendment came under attack after a number of violent shooting incidents took place across our land. Remember your U.S. Government class from high school? The 2^nd amendment says, “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” There has been a certain hysteria associated with guns and gun ownership. The opponents of gun rights paint anyone with a gun as a potential homicidal killer. They particularly like to point the finger of accusation at former military personnel – especially if you are a combat vet. The desire on the part of the anti-gun crowd is such that they immediately label a shooting suspect as having formerly served in the military. Later, when a background check is actually conducted, it is frequently discovered that the person never served in the military. I had some firsthand experience with this back in 1989 while stationed at Naval Communication Station in Stockton, California. A man drove to an elementary school in Stockton and began shooting children and teachers on the playground before turning the gun on himself. My wife and I unknowingly drove by the school within minutes of the shooting, but we quickly cleared out of the area because emergency vehicles were racing in from all directions. I turned on my car radio to catch the news. Sure enough, the shooter was 24 years old and a Vietnam veteran. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! This was 1989! Vietnam ended in 1975, and our last combat troops left Vietnam in January of 1973. Do the math. This guy was born in 1964!

Millions of Americans own guns legally and have no intention of using them for anything except for their designated purpose which is determined by the individual: hunting, collecting, or self-defense.

The Founding Fathers understood only too well the need for both a well-regulated militia for the security of a free state, and the need for individuals to have the right to keep and bear arms. Back in England they were not allowed such freedoms. Few people argue against the need for a militia (or what we today call “the military”) to defend our nation against enemies. The problem comes with personal possession and ownership of guns. Individual ownership of guns makes our nation virtually impossible to conquer by foreign enemies. Any country that would want to make the attempt knows full well that we are a well-defended people. If our own government should succeed in disarming the populace, we would be virtually defenseless against enemies both foreign and domestic. And that’s why the 2^nd amendment states unequivocally that this right is not to be infringed – meaning no one is to encroach upon the right in a way that violates stated law or the rights of another individual.

This simply cannot be allowed. The Constitution is not to be tampered with – period.

I will continue this train of thought in future articles.