On the Illusions of Sleep...

Gazing at the horizon,
On a cold winter's day,
Finding no comfort,
In the place where I lay.

Shadows whisper softly,
And the mist, it creeps in,
Waiting intently,
For the end to begin.

Born of my mind,
These phantoms and sights,
From my own inner quandaries,
Do they find their might.

But feebly they linger,
As a pinprick appears,
A tunnel surrounds me,
As the end slowly nears.

The light grows intensely,
And drives the shadows afar,
Mist slips away slowly,
And I wake with a start.

The Righteous Fight: A Poem

Here am I
Attempting to disassemble the system of lies
Which the world has put forth in front of your eyes
Proselytize
Is perhaps the word I seek
To place you in my frame of mind
Christ said of the meek
They shall inherit the Earth
Though He spoke not of the weak
For there is an intrinsic worth
In the humble and bold
And as for me I will hold
Fast and steady to the truth I seek
Though the future looks bleak
I will not hold back
But rather keep on track
Gaze steady and strong
I will dive headlong
Into the darkness before me
No call to attention or warning
The darkness trembles before me
For with me I carry
The Light of all Lights
In whose truth and whose might
I shall not lose sight
Of the righteous fight
Or the truth for which I stand
For I am no mortal man
But strengthened in Christ
In whom I can do all things
Fly on eagle's wings
Soaring to heights
I could never imagine
I'm filled with such passion
I will never be quiet
I will lead forth a riot
An invasion of faith
An army of love
To stand against hate
My strength from above
This battle we fight
Will be won in due time
Never lose hope
And never lose sight
Never lose faith
For our strength is in Christ

A Hard Look at the Heart of American Freedom

Starting within the next couple days I'm going to start a series of articles on my opinions, thoughts and ruminations on the first 10 amendments to the Constitution - better known as the Bill of Rights.

I'm going to explore the history of each and attempt to discover why the founders of this nation thought them all so important, as well as how they apply to you and me today. It's been a long ride, this great country of ours, and the political, technological and social landscapes have changed dramatically over these many years. When the First Amendment was drafted, there was no television, radio or widespread print media. When the Second Amendment was devised there were no semi-automatic firearms, machine guns or even modern smokeless powder for that matter.

Time has had quite an effect on this country and her people, but the freedoms set forth by the Bill of Rights are still just as relevant today as they were well over 200 years ago. So check back every now and then for my articles on our most precious freedoms, starting with one of the most important: our Freedom of Speech, Religion and Assembly.

Harassment of the most heinous form

Do you remember the name Lori Drew? You should; she was a big deal a couple years ago. Here's a recap if you don't remember, or you can skip a couple paragraphs to today's story. She created a fake Myspace account making herself look like a boy who was interested in a girl named Megan Meier. Well she twisted that situation until she basically crushed 13-year-old Megan when the "boy" started dissing her. Megan committed suicide shortly after.

We're talking about a 49-year-old woman who conjured up this ruse which caused a 13-year-old girl to take her own life. 13 years old. I want you to think about that. We're looking at a 7th or 8th grader maybe; a girl who felt she didn't have many friends and was put in a situation where she thought someone was genuinely interested in her. Than poof, no more interest, just disrespect. From a woman old enough to be her mother.

Well, my friends, it's happened again. This time the culprit is one Elizabeth Thrasher. At 40 years old she becomes the first person arrested under newly-enacted "cyber-bullying" laws in Missouri. At 40 years old she posted pictures of a 17-year-old girl, along with her e-mail address and phone number, claiming that she was looking for sexual rendezvous. The reason? Get this: revenge on her ex-husbands new girlfriend.

Allegedly, the girl is the daughter of Thrasher's ex-husband's new girlfriend. Thrasher and the new girlfriend have apparently had several disagreements, so it would seem that her actions were for revenge of some sort. So let me spell this out: a 40-year-old woman posted a 17-year-old girl's personal pictures and contact information on Craigslist soliciting sex, in order to get back at her ex-husband's new girlfriend.

This girl then found herself receiving unwanted emails and voice messages with sexual advances. Some insulted her. According to a Fox News article, she was even threatened with rape.

A 40-year-old woman soliciting unwanted sex on behalf of a minor to get back at someone in a catfight. Absolutely absurd. She's lucky the consequences of her actions weren't so drastic as in the Meier case. She should be absolutely ashamed of herself. It's immature, stupid, and morally reprehensible for a middle-aged woman to take out frustrations against her rival's daughter to begin with, but to do it in such a heinous manner is nigh-unforgivable. She faces up to four years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine.

I doubt you'll ever read this, but this message is for you Elizabeth Thrasher. You're one sick human being and you need to take a long hard look at how low you've stooped to pull a foolish stunt like this. Grow up, get a life and have fun in prison.

For anyone out there who's even thought of trying anything like this; put yourself in the shoes of a 17-year-old girl suddenly receiving unwanted sexual advances and harassment from middle-aged perverts. Think about how frightened and sickened you'd be, think about what your friends would think if they saw that listing. Think about trying to explain to your friends, parents, teachers, your boyfriend that it wasn't really you. According to a Fox News article, she was even threatened with rape. This is the kind of thing that could ravage someone's life for years to come.

So if you're out there and thinking about harassing someone like this, or in any way for that matter - don't. Don't be that guy. Lori Drew and Elizabeth Thrasher got their kicks harassing teenage girls, one to the point that she committed suicide. A 13-year-old girl with 3/4 of her life still ahead of her, gone in a flash. A 17-year-old girl harassed ad horrified by perverted old men. Kids caught up in situations they weren't even a part of. Victims of feuds between adults; adults who should know better than to be so stupid.

Harassing others may make you feel powerful, but no one else thinks so. Everyone else thinks you're weak and foolish because you couldn't solve your own problems without stooping to the level of bullying someone who couldn't defend themselves. Just don't do it. There's no excuse, there's no taking back the abuse that a 17-year-old girl took, and there's no bringing Megan Meier back to life.

Awaken, you who sleep.

I gaze at the horizon, stained crimson with the glow of a summer sunset, and hold on to hope. The hope that someday the people of this world will lift their eyes and set their gaze upon the future and all that we could be. The hope that we will step forth from the ashen remains of what we once were and begin life anew at the feet of our Maker, in the world he molded with mere words.

The time is now, my friends. Let us rise to our feet and cast off the sordid veil from our sleeping souls so that we may cast His light upon the world. Arise, O dreamer, and join in the ranks of the purified. We will let no stone cry out for us; nay, should any mountain stand in our way we shall cast it into the sea.

We are the children of the Most High, sanctified by the blood of the Son. Though we be but men, we carry with us the shining splendor of His grace and majesty. Our quest is to bring message of His forgiveness and hope that will wash away the pallid shroud of sin. No longer shall we be imprisoned by the desires of our flesh.

Come the day of reckoning we shall stand tall in the face of our adversaries with His truth as our mightiest weapon. We will not falter; nor will we let victory slip from our grasp. We are warriors sanctified by His sacrifice, and we shall not allow the sins of this mortal world to even slow our stride.

Awaken, you who sleep. The dawn of a new day is breaking, and He paints in the colors of the sunrise a portrait of glorious victory.

Update: It seems someone from the Christian Crew's artistic group ACE took it upon themselves to make a song to kind of go along with my writing. Available here. Thanks Vivi!

Society's Priorities

Just once I'd like to see the mainstream media get their priorities straight. Yes, you can see it coming already, this one's going to be a rant people. It's the big news that everyone has been talking about for two weeks now: Michael Jackson died.

Big deal.

Granted, the man was a music legend and was known to contribute to quite a few charities, but he was also a very strange individual. Not only had he said on multiple occasions that he enjoyed sharing a bed with young teenage boys, he refused to give up the practice saying it was one of the most loving things you could do for a person. He had plastic surgeries that, pardon my being blunt, made him look like a walking freak-show. His career was pretty much over, and he had mountains of debt to pay off. He was 50 years old and died of either natural causes, or a drug overdose.

According to a Yahoo! News article, on July 6th ABC, CBS and NBC spent 20 times more time talking about Jackson than they did the 7 US soldiers who gave their lives in Afghanistan. They gave 20 times more attention to a creepy, self-possessed possible child molester who died than they did 7 American heroes who gave their lives to protect the people of that nation. Where are your priorities people?

It's not even just this one time; news about soldiers almost always takes a backseat to everything else and it drives me insane. The Jackson memorial service was a huge extravaganza with dozens of big-name celebrities. It aired on 19 networks and drew over 31 million viewers. Congress even held a moment of silence for him.

Where's the moment of silence for the soldiers? Does the fact that soldiers die more often than celebrities make their deaths any less meaningful? If the media is going to shower that much praise and respect upon a man with such obvious and appalling flaws while they practically pass soldiers off as statistics they had better start getting their priorities straight. I'm disgusted.

Readers, tell me who you think deserves the kind of memorial service Jackson got: a washed-up, self-absorbed child molester or an American hero who died to protect innocent lives?

My opinion in short: Michael Jackson died. Get over it and go thank a soldier.

Manifesto of a Spiritual Warrior

Matthew 5:5 states "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" The Greek writers chose the word "praus" for meek, which means "strength brought under control." Christ did not intend for believers to be timid and passive, rather he wanted us to be strong, but humble and graceful at the same time. And so with this I choose the life of a spiritual warrior and make this my creed.


First and foremost, I will love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. This is the greatest commandment and one I will keep above all else.

Second, I will love my neighbor as myself, showing the compassion and understanding I would want granted to me.

Third, I will learn to love myself, but will not show pride. I am created, loved and saved by the Lord most high, and I will respect and love myself as such, because I know that no man can show true love to anyone else if he has none for himself.

Fourth, I will heed and hold to the commandments laid forth in the Scripture. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but with His help I will do my best to present myself with shining moral character and humility. I will avoid impurity at all costs, and with the help of He who strengthens me, will stand as an example of righteousness.

Fifth, I will follow His calling in my life, and play my part in His plan with humility and thankfulness. In this way I will help to spread the Gospel to the far corners of the earth, and to the dark places in my own city.

Sixth, I may have both much to learn and much to teach, so I will fellowship with and encourage my fellow believers in their walks. Matthew 18:20 states "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." For followers of Christ there is spiritual strength in numbers.

Finally, I will carry His light with me and shine it in the darkest of places. I will stand against injustice and strike down untruth. I will carry with me the full armor of God to defend myself against attack, and I will carry His Word in my heart as a weapon to cut the enemy down. The Word of God in my heart shall make me a mighty warrior indeed, but I will also carry myself with humility and grace.


Fear me, O Darkness, for I am come, and with me the Light of Lights. Gaze upon me and despair, O Evil; see in my eyes the fire of your undoing. Your requiem carries o'er the air and I bid you come. Come and feel the sting of my blade. So say I, a warrior of the mightiest breed. One whose strength, love and righteousness flow straight from the Word of God.

Preventive Detention

I hear it all the time. Democrats lavishing praise upon Obama and seeking to blame most any problem in America on the Bush administration. They praise Obama for promising to close down Guantanamo, for the bailouts and stimulus, for his plans to withdraw troops. They cut down Bush for sending troops in the first place, blame him for our economic woes, and curse him for the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo.

Well my liberal friends, here's a wake-up call. How do you feel about the "Obamessiah" (pardon the term, I'm trying to emphasize the unending, blind praise that Obama seems to get from his supporters) proposing a plan that would allow the United States government to detain anyone, anyone that they deem a threat to the nation's security? Unlikely you say? Wrong. It's called "preventive detention" and it would allow the government to detain individuals that it felt were a danger to society, but without evidence. We're talking about an indefinite imprisonment with no trial, no evidence, not based on past crimes, without bail.

Does this sound familiar? It should. Let's look at a few similar examples. Joseph McCarthy and the Red Scare. He and his ilk detained anyone they thought might be a communist, and forced them to rat out other supposed communists. How about the American detention of Japanese Americans during WWII? Here's a doozy. The Nazi Gestapo. Pretty horrifying to think of, no?

Alright, pop quiz time. How many of the first Ten Amendments to the Constitution does a policy like this tear down? By my count, no less than four, but possibly six depending on your interpretation of the 9th and 10th. Let's examine the four though.

The Fourth Amendment:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The Fourth Amendment is a pretty important one, being the one that prevents the government from searching or detaining us without a warrant. Obama wants to circumvent that and detain "dangerous" people... well, just because. Kiss this amendment goodbye if he has his way.

The Fifth Amendment:
No person shall be held to answer for any capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Another important amendment. This one says the government can't hold you for a crime without actually charging you with one, and that you can't be detained for any length of time without due process of law. Looks to me like Obama's "preventive detention" gives this one the shaft too.

The Sixth Amendment:
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district where in the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

This one's very important. I'm seeing a pattern here, one almost begins to think the framers wanted these "amendment" things to all be important. Weird thought huh, who would have known. Anyway, another shafting here.

The Eighth Amendment:
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

And the last (also important) amendment I'd like you to look at. This one's iffy actually. I'm not sure if it really counts as "excessive bail" since there's really not any bail at all.

There you have it. Quite possibly one of the most ridiculously unconstitutional ideas I've ever seen. While they're at it the government might as well take all their property, quarter troops in their house, turn them into slaves, tell them they can't practice whatever religion they happen to be a part of and call the whole thing a big "Let's burn the Constitution" party. I can't figure out if they'd serve alcohol though, since one amendment banned it and another repealed that. I think that little conundrum would melt their poor little brains. Maybe they'll just serve punch.

Obama says "...going forward, my administration will work with Congress to develop an appropriate legal regime so that our efforts are consistent with our values and our Constitution." I'm amazed he even has the gall to utter the words in conjunction with a proposal to practically tear down the Constitution. In no way can the idea of "preventive detention" be considered Constitutional.

Mr. Obama, I doubt you'll ever read this, but on the off chance you do, I want you to consider this an open letter to you, and a man-to-man challenge for everyone to see. I want you to show me beyond a shadow of a doubt that this kind of policy falls within the precepts of the Constitution, not violating it in even the smallest way. Then, assuming you do pull off a miracle and prove that such a policy doesn't infringe on anyone's rights, I want you to tell me how you figure you have the right to do such a thing. The Constitution lays down the authority of the government very specifically, and I don't recall reading anywhere that it has the right to detain individuals indefinitely, without cause, charges, warrant, trial, or due process of law.

And for all you Obama supporters: how do you like Dear Leader now?

Spiritual War

This is one I wrote several years back.


Spiritual War

The cold iron grip
Of pain’s embrace
Takes its toll on my life
It wears on my face

I push though the hurt
Only to find even more
The darkness envelops
This inner spiritual war

The demons, they cause me
To stumble and fall
But I get up and fight on
And push through it all

Battle rages between Satan
And God the father, my Lord
As I draw out my weapon
My Bible, my Sword

Enemies throw fiery darts
And shoot arrows of hate
But I block them with ease
With my shield of Faith

And now I advance
With Sword in my hand
As the enemy tries
To make one final stand

But they'll fall to my blade
And this battle will pass
Into the Lake of Fire
Will the demons be cast

The Fallen One has fled
But the war is not won
Until to Earth He returns
Christ my Lord, the Son

My life will go on
Till that final day arrives
The day that my Lord
Reaches down from the skies

But what’s this I hear
I've expected that sound
The angels cry out
The heavens resound

Christ Jesus is coming
To take away his own
I cry out in joy
I’m finally going home

But that means one more thing
One final Great War
In one-thousand years
Battle cries will soar

But today there is peace
In the realm of the Lord
We think not of battles
Nor prepare we for war

Now for one-thousand years
Peace and worship have ruled
But it draws ever nearer
That final spiritual duel

When suddenly, vibrations
In the ground and the air
The Great War has come
Our warriors prepare

The heavens now quaking
With warriors cries
Satan’s minions will fall
And no longer darken the skies

For days battle rages
And victory draws nearer
His minions falling quickly
Satan cowers in fear

Now comes a white rider
With eyes all aglow
Satan crumbles before Him
Hewn down by His sword

Into a lake of fire
The Deceiver is cast
For an unmeasurable time
Will his punishment last

God in Heaven will reign
Forever the Lord
For it’s finally over
This great Spiritual War

Beneath a Sky of Black

Beneath the sky of black
A fragile mortal stands
Weary, alone, and frightened
His gaze glides o’er the sands

Time has lost its’ meaning
His life has lost its’ way
He battles with emotion
But emotion has its way

His eyes stream crystal waters
As a sob escapes his throat
His sadness overwhelms him
On another sob he chokes

Alone among a thousand
With his tortured dreams this night
So many all surround him
But none will ease his plight

With fear inside his heart
And hatred on his mind
He screams at God for answers
But answers doesn’t find

For desires of flesh are what he wants
Forgiveness what he needs
But mortal doesn’t know this
And on his sin he feeds

This mortal once was strong
A force with which to be reckoned
In control he thought he was
But then his demons beckoned

He attempted to appease them
And so offered them a token
But beneath that sky of black
This mortal then was broken

Miss USA

That's right, Miss USA. Probably not a subject you'd expect me to write about, and until yesterday I wouldn't have thought I'd write about it either.

For those of you who don't know, there was a good bit of controversy at this year's pageant surrounding Miss California, Carrie Prejean and one of the judges, a man who calls himself Perez Hilton. As you may or may not know contestants are, at one point in the pageant, asked a series of questions, the answers to which can seriously affect their standing. The controversy began when Perez Hilton, an open and widely-known gay rights activist, asked Miss California this question: "Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?" Prejean responded with this answer: "Well I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one way or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. You know what, in my country, in my family, I do believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, no offense to anybody out there. But that’s how I was raised and I believe that it should be between a man and a woman. Thank you."

I haven't yet heard an actual recording of the response so I'm just going on the words here, but it seems to me that she was, at first, trying to give the politically correct response, but then decided that she wanted to stand her ground and stick to her beliefs. I for one applaud her for taking a strong stand for her beliefs, and doing so with a response that I thought was well-worded and not inflammatory at all. Perez Hilton apparently didn't feel the same way.

Hilton called her answer "“the worst answer in pageant history", also saying "She lost it because of that question. She was definitely the front-runner before that." Now Hilton is openly gay and a gay rights activist, I don't agree with it but it's his choice. The thing is, you can't ask such an obviously loaded question, then when the answer offends you let your personal bias get in the way. So she doesn't agree with your opinion, she doesn't have to. What she did demonstrate is an uncompromising personality. She knows what she thinks is right and she refuses to back down from it, now whether you agree with her opinion or not, you have to give her credit for taking such a firm stand for her personal beliefs in that setting.

But if the story stopped there, I wouldn't be writing about this. No it gets worse. Hilton later wrote in his blog on perezhilton.com (formerly PageSixSixSix.com) "She lost not because she doesn’t believe in gay marriage, she lost because she’s a dumb b****!" The censoring there is mine, he just said it but I refuse to allow such coarse language on my blog uncensored. At one point Hilton apologized for the remark, but later retracted that apology and insulted Ms. Prejean even more saying on MSNBC (laughing) "I was thinking the c-word, and I didn't say it." Wow, such restraint, someone give the "guy" a medal.

Now I was always under the impression that the Miss USA pageant is supposed to be wholesome and clean. It was actually conceived as a rival to Miss America when the Miss America winner of 1950 refused to pose for pictures in a bikini. That makes me think that the pageant officials would want to choose judges of high moral character. Not necessarily Christian, but someone who people can look up to as upstanding. Apparently that's not the case, because they chose Perez Hilton.

As I mentioned before, Hilton, whose real name is actually Mario Lavandeira, is an outspoken gay rights activist. But let's not let that cloud our vision, we'll ignore that fact for now and focus on his celebrity gossip blog. He's well-known for using his blog to call out celebrities who he thinks are gay, encouraging them to "come out of the closet" so to speak, even if they maintain that they are heterosexual. He also has a habit of using images to try to humiliate the people in them.

For example, he posted up a picture of Miss California with the pageant host holding a microphone near her mouth for her answer. What's wrong with that? Well he doodled on the picture and turned the microphone into, well, certain male parts. I shouldn't need to get any more specific. He does this with a lot of images if you look through his blog, though I don't encourage you to do so. He draws all kinds of sickening things like this and apparently thinks it's funny. In addition to all that, he uses all sorts of colorful language on his blog, such as referring to pregnancy as being "spermatized". He also occasionally writes songs, two of which are titled "The Clap" (referring to the STD gonorrhea) and "My Penis." Yes, wholesome fellow.

Whose bright idea was it to hire him as a judge for the pageant, much less to allow him to ask such an obviously loaded question. Anyone can tell that there was only one "right" answer to that question, and that was an answer Ms. Prejean was not willing to compromise her morals to give. The Miss USA pageant is supposed to produce role models for young women to look up to. How can that goal possibly be accomplished when the contestants are required to be willing to leave their morals and beliefs by the wayside in order to conform to the opinions of an outrageously opinionated judge?

What REALLY irks me is that no one seems to care about how Hilton insulted Prejean. He called her a "b****" and openly admitted that he'd have preferred to use a certain "c-word" which is widely considered to be one of the worst words you could ever use to refer to a woman. He rips into her for not being politically correct saying "Yes. I do expect Miss USA to be politically correct," claims that she lost the pageant because of her answer, then insults and degrades her, all while sitting on his high horse acting like he's the upstanding citizen, vilifying her for being intolerant. And the media loves it. How can anyone put up with this "guy?" How can people simply stand by as berates and insults a bright young woman for sticking to her beliefs?

I'm personally appalled that anyone would have chosen him as a judge to begin with, but they follow up that genius idea by allowing him, a ridiculously outspoken and obviously biased gay rights activist, to ask a loaded question like that. Then they let him get away with cutting her down with words no one should use to speak about anyone, much less a Miss USA contestant, and no one says a peep, except to apologize for HER opinions, not Hilton's. Yes, the leaders of the Miss California pageant actually issued an official apology for Prejean's *obviously* bigoted and insulting opinion. But don't worry, Hilton can still say whatever he wants without fear of backlash. He is, after all, a champion of free speech and equal rights. Unless you disagree with him. But who could possibly disagree with a genitalia-drawing, privacy-invading fountain of profanity and filth like this saint?

As I said before, I applaud her decision to stand by her beliefs. But enough of my ranting. What are your opinions?

The Second Amendment: Right, or Responsibility?

As anyone who knows me can attest, I'm quite the gun rights advocate. I'm the Oklahoma representative for Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, as well as a gun owner. So today I'd like to touch on a topic that's very important to me, the Second Amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows:

"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."

It's strange how 27 words can spark so much controversy. It's also strange, to me at least, that liberals voraciously defend every letter of the Bill of Rights - until you ask them about the Second Amendment. That's when they start to shudder. Why is it that liberals single out this one amendment to oppose? Perhaps they fear that which they do not understand, perhaps they are simply pawns in a misguided movement to ban privately-owned arms, or perhaps they are part of an orchestrated effort to deprive the people of their only means of defense against oppression. I'll not presume to understand their motives, I'm just here to educate the masses.


A short history lesson.

The United State of America was originally nothing more than a British colony. The settlers came in search of new lives with more freedom. What they eventually found was "taxation without representation" and a government whose oppression they could stand no longer.

The American people seized control of the colonies in 1775. They then formed the Second Continental Congress and on July 4th 1776 finalized the text of the Declaration of Independence, which was actually not signed until August 2nd of that same year. There's your fun fact for the day.

As Wikipedia states: "The Declaration justified the independence of the United States by listing colonial grievances against King George III, and by asserting certain natural rights, including a right of revolution." That last part is important. Obviously the Brits didn't take kindly to all this, and so began the American Revolutionary War.

Why all the history? Because history repeats itself, and those who do not learn from it's mistakes are doomed to repeat them. But we'll come back to the history in a bit. For now let's break down the text of the amendment.


"A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,"

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) recently decided "[T]he adjective 'well-regulated' implies nothing more than the imposition of proper discipline and training." Proper discipline and training which any parent can bestow on their child. The next big disagreement is what the word "militia" implies. Is it the army of the US, or is it something different, something far greater?

"A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves...and include all men capable of bearing arms."
Richard Henry Lee, Additional letters from the Federal Farmer, at 169, 1788

"...that standing army can never be formidable (threatening) to the liberties of the people, while there is a large body of citizens, little if at all inferior to them in the use of arms."
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Paper #29

"I ask you sir, who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people."
George Mason,Elliott, Debates, 425-426

At this point it's pretty clear that the founding fathers intended the militia to be a separate entity from the "regular" army. The whole of the citizenry, all free men and women capable and willing to bear arms in the defense of the nation should other measures fail.


"the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

This is a pretty self-explanatory statement. The people - that is, citizens of this country - have a right to bear arms and that right is not to be infringed. I've heard a few people say that the word "people" in this clause referred to only the militia, but I see two problems with that. The first is that we've already established that the militia is composed of all people capable of bearing arms. The second problem is this: nowhere else in the Constitution does "the people" ever refer to anything except the entire population of the country. Let's hear what one of the founding fathers had to say.

"As civil rulers, not having their duty to the people duly before them, may attempt to tyrannize, and as the military forces which must be occasionally raised to defend our country, might pervert their power to the injury of their fellow-citizens, the people are confirmed by the next article in their right to keep and bear their private arms."
Tenche Coxe, The Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb. 20, 1788.


Why do I own a gun?

I own a gun for defense. Defense of what, you might ask. Defense of anything. My property, my life, my family. I own a gun because there are those out there who mean harm, and to whom laws mean nothing. I personally have had my car broken into once, two attempted break-ins while I was home, and a couple times where I was out and about and ran into situations where I feared for my safety.

I'm working on getting a license to carry my handgun concealed. Why? Because there are a lot of people out in the world who are willing to go to any length to get what they want, and they do not care how you feel about it. Thomas Paine once said this:

"Arms like laws discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe and preserve order in the world as well as property."

Police are a wonderful group of men and women, but when the rubber hits the road they often can't arrive fast enough. Be it a mugging, robbery, rape or assault, the police rarely arrive in time to stop it from happening. Their work is by it's very nature, a reaction. Do police prevent some crimes? Yes, I'm sure they do, but when you're cornered by someone who's broken into your home, can you trust the police to arrive in time? I have a great amount of respect for anyone in law enforcement, but ultimately your own well-being is up to one person. You.

This is one of the many reasons our founders put the Second Amendment in place. America is about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and the Second Amendment is your best bet at ensuring someone else's pursuit of happiness doesn't threaten your life. But while all this is important, it's not even the main reason I support the Second Amendment, which leads me to this last section.


Why the Second Amendment?

The First Amendment gives you all the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, press, assembly. It gives you the right to believe what you want to believe, to speak your mind, to protest injustice, and all without fear of retaliation from an oppressive government. That's what America is about. It's more than just a country, it's an ideal. That's why these freedoms are given in the First Amendment, because those are the ideas that define America.

So what does that have to do with the Second Amendment? It ensures you can defend your life and property, yes; but it's so much more than that. The Second Amendment is a means to defend the first. The founders of this great nation knew what it meant to be oppressed. They knew what it was like to be told what they could and couldn't believe, say and do. They knew how it felt to be denied the right to fight for their freedom, and they wanted to make sure that the people of this nation had the rights they so valiantly fought for, and the ability to defend those rights should the need ever arise.

You see there are people in this world who want much more than a common thief. They want your freedom, your allegiance, and your life. They want power. We're talking about the likes of Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini. They didn't care about human rights, they just knew what they wanted and how to get it. They suppressed freedom and expression, oppressed their people, and murdered countless innocents. What was Adolf Hitler's opinion on citizen ownership of firearms?

"The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the supply of arms to the underdogs is a sine qua non for the overthrow of any sovereignty. So let's not have any native militia or native police. German troops alone will bear the sole responsibility for the maintenance of law and order throughout the occupied Russian territories, and a system of military strong-points must be evolved to cover the entire occupied country."
Adolf Hitler, dinner talk on April 11, 1942

How about Mussolini?

“The measures adopted to restore public order are: First of all, the elimination of the so-called subversive elements. ... They were elements of disorder and subversion. On the morrow of each conflict I gave the categorical order to confiscate the largest possible number of weapons of every sort and kind. This confiscation, which continues with the utmost energy, has given satisfactory results.”
Benito Mussolini, address to the Italian Senate, 1931

Mao Tse Tung?

"All political power comes from the barrel of a gun. The communist party must command all the guns, that way, no guns can ever be used to command the party."
Mao Tse Tung, Problems of War and Strategy, Nov 6 1938, published in "Selected Works of Mao Zedong," 1965

As you can tell, these men knew how how to suppress rebellion against their tyrannical regimes: by removing from their subjects the ability to fight back. Let's hear from someone else, someone on the other side of things. Let's hear from a man named Mohandas Ghandi.

"Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the Act depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest."
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Chapter XXVII, Recruiting Campaign, Page 403, Dover paperback edition, 1983.

Arms are so much more than a defense against home invaders or muggers. Citizen ownership of arms is the last line of defense against oppression and tyranny. The founding fathers knew it, even dictators knew it. The founders of this great nation knew that one day the government might turn on this people like theirs had done to them, and they wished to do everything in their power to ensure such tyranny would not disgrace this nation again. With all the previous in mind, the spirit of the Second Amendment can be summed up with a quote from Thomas Jefferson.

"God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion.
The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is
wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty.
...
And what country can preserve its liberties, if it's rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
It is its natural manure."

You see we live in a great nation. It's a nation where I can rise up and sing high praises to Jesus Christ my savior, where I can pursue my dreams of happiness, and where I can live without fear of repression. America doesn't belong to the government, it belongs to the people of this land. The founding fathers believed that, as was said in V For Vendetta, people should not be afraid of their government. Government should be afraid of it's people, and should the government of this nation ever overstep it's bounds we as Americans can stand up to our leaders and say "We are America, and you answer to us. We will stand against this oppression and retake our nation, be it by finesse or by force."

Can't you see? Our freedoms extend so far as to allow me to discuss the violent overthrow of this government. Am I planning a revolution? While the founding fathers knew it might someday happen, no, I'm not. I'm just an American trying to enlighten his fellow citizens. We have these rights for a reason, and to allow them to slip away could someday spell the death of freedom in this country. Maybe not tomorrow or the next day; but someday someone will realize that Americans have lost the means and motivation to defend their own rights, and that person will take them away.

That's why this issue is so important. Common criminals are nothing compared to a government intent on enslaving it's people. And who will you turn to when your government turns on you? Who will stand for the freedoms and ideals that our forefathers died to preserve? We the people will be the last hope. So why do I so fiercely defend the Second Amendment?

Because America may one day face danger from it's own government, and I will be there to stand tall and defend her. Because I am a gun owner and a patriot. Because I love this nation and her people.

Because I am an American.