The Second Amendment 'Threatens' Our Liberty?

The Foundation

"The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered as the palladium of the liberties of a republic." --Joseph Story

Re: The Left

"[C]olumnist Jason Whitlock of Fox Sports ... blamed the Second Amendment to the United State Constitution for the murder/suicide of Jovan Belcher, linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs. Calling for the NFL to have cancelled the Chiefs' Sunday game, Whitlock wrote: 'I would argue that your rationalizations speak to how numb we are in this society to gun violence and murder. We've come to accept our insanity. We'd prefer to avoid seriously reflecting upon the absurdity of the prevailing notion that the second amendment somehow enhances our liberty rather than threatens it. How many young people have to die senselessly? How many lives have to be ruined before we realize the right to bear arms doesn't protect us from a government equipped with stealth bombers, predator drones, tanks and nuclear weapons? Our current gun culture simply ensures that more and more domestic disputes will end in the ultimate tragedy, and that more convenience-store confrontations over loud music coming from a car will leave more teenage boys bloodied and dead.' Whitlock never lays responsibility for Jovan Belcher's murder of his 22-year-old girlfriend and his suicide at the feet of Jovan Belcher. In fact, he describes Belcher as 'A 25-year-old kid,' which is simply asinine -- at age 25, you are no longer a 'kid.' You are a man, with real responsibilities -- Belcher had a three-month-old child. ... If Belcher wanted to kill his girlfriend and then himself, he didn't need a gun to do it. And no matter how much Whitlock propounds that 'Handguns do not enhance our safety,' Kasandra Perkins would have had a much better shot at life if she'd been the one with the handgun." --Breitbart's Ben Shapiro

Editor's Note: Not only is Whitlock dead wrong, as was NBC's Bob Costas in quoting him during Sunday Night Football, but, as Mark Alexander argued Thursday, all Patriots are obligated to be armed and ready.

For the Record

"On the day before Thanksgiving, Barack Hussein Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum, or an unofficial directive to the heads of departments and agencies under the executive branch. This Presidential Memorandum, the text of which is only 183 words, directs agency and department heads to establish a program 'to deter, detect, and mitigate actions by employees who may represent a threat to national security.' ... [T]here appears to be a deliberate lack of specificity concerning the exact elements that constitute such an 'insider threat.' ... The key to understanding this memorandum is to understand that we are witnessing the greatest consolidation of power and control under the Executive branch of the government in recent U.S. history. This consolidation of power makes it possible for a select number of highly political 'czars' and appointed officials to observe, control and report on the activities of people within their various departments to the Executive branch. ... It's no longer about the rule of law and one's allegiance to the United States. It's now about allegiance to the agenda of the Executive branch, assured by active surveillance of government employees by Obama's hand-picked appointees." --columnist Doug Hagmann

Political Futures

"To be clear, Republicans didn't lose the health care debate in 2009 or 2012. They lost it during the Bush era, when Republicans came to power and failed to advance free market solutions. Unlike issues like guns or taxes, there isn't a strong activist community on the right built around health care. Such activism has only traditionally been created on an ad hoc basis to respond to Democratic efforts to expand the role of government, as with Hillarycare in 1993 and 1994, and Obamacare. As long as Republicans failed to address problems with the health care system, it was inevitable that at some point Democrats would realize their dream of national health care. ... In the coming years, it will be important for conservatives and Republicans to avoid making the same mistake again. Though it's now inevitable that Americans will experience Obamacare, the battle over the future of the health care system is far from over. At some point in the future, liberals will be arguing that any ongoing problems with the health care system are a result of Democrats leaving the private sector with too much control. They'll be renewing their push for a 'public option,' with the ultimate goal of achieving single-payer health care. And if Republicans don't present compelling alternatives, that's exactly where America will end up." --The Washington Examiner's Philip Klein

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Essential Liberty

"No authoritarian government has ever succeeded in delivering prosperity to successive generations. Only societies that embrace open markets, the rule of law, and democracy have seen more people prosper beyond the privileged few. 'What more is necessary,' Thomas Jefferson asked, 'to make us a happy and a prosperous people?' His answer rings true: 'a wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.' We do not require government control or benefits in order to prosper. Nor do we need guaranteed health care or even abundant leisure time. Instead, we need the freedom to pursue our aspirations; to own property and to act on our initiative and profit from it; to have access to markets, capital, and resources; to live by the rule of law that is fairly and consistently applied; and to enjoy physical security in our persons and homes. ... Total U.S. public debt will soon surpass $16 trillion -- or $50,000 for every man, woman, and child in America. That amounts to about 70 percent of everything we produce today, but it could hit 195 percent within 25 years. That means each of us would owe over $100,000 to the federal charge account. ... Liberty is indispensable for a good and prosperous life. But freedom is never free." --Heritage Foundation's Kim Holmes, Ph.D.

Insight

"It is a matter of record that in the German Election of 1933, the Communist Party was ordered by its leaders to vote for the Nazis -- with the explanation that they could later fight the Nazis for power, but first they had to help destroy their common enemy: capitalism and its parliamentary form of government." --author and philosopher Ayn Rand (1905-1982)

Opinion in Brief

"The middle class is already paying 50% of what they earn in income taxes, payroll taxes, state taxes, property taxes, and taxes on gas, telephone use, and other levies. Obama has not talked of cutting government spending, relying on the automatic 'sequestration' that would begin in January. His Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, called the effect on the U.S. military 'catastrophic' though the cuts would reduce what [Grover] Norquist calls 'the Obama debt machine' and would in theory strengthen the economy. I say 'in theory', but federal regulations in 2011 added more than $231 billion in regulatory costs to private businesses and state and local governments, adding up to 133 million hours of paperwork, according to the American Action Forum. Tons more regulations are in the pipeline, particularly from the Environmental Protection Agency. When you add in the 28 taxes hidden in Obamacare, it is clear that there will be precious little money left over for anything than the bare necessities of life. Americans have been ill-served by their government, composed of those elected to exercise good judgment regarding the economy." --columnist Alan Caruba

Government

"For the Founding Fathers, a primary and central duty of the federal government created by the Constitution is to 'provide for the common defence.' The reason is simple: If we are not secure, we cannot be free. ... So when you think about American security, the first thing you need to remember is that, in the long run, the strength of America rests not solely on its armed forces. It also rests in the growth, the energy, and the flexibility of the American economy. ... But we can't just buy defense when times are good. Defense is like an insurance policy. If you have to take a job that pays less, you should spend less on vacations and nice restaurants. But it wouldn't be a good idea to stop paying your car insurance bill. Insurance protects you from big expenses that you can't afford. When times are tight, you need insurance more, not less. ... Being prepared for this dangerous world means we have to keep our military ready to defend our interests. It also means that we have to follow economic policies that will allow us to pay for the kind of military we need. ... George Washington was right to say, in his first State of the Union Address, that 'To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.'" --Heritage Foundation's Ted Bromund, Ph.D., and Luke Coffey

Culture

"When you realize how many political careers and reputations have been destroyed because of sex scandals over the past several years, it's truly mind-boggling. David Petraeus is just the latest in a long line that goes back at least as far as John Kennedy and includes the likes of Gary Hart, Bob Packwood, Wilbur Mills, Ted Kennedy, Mark Sanford, Anthony Weiner, John Edwards and Bill Clinton. Frankly, it's a wonder that any of these guys ever got any work done. ... But I think the bigger message we can take away from the rise and fall of Mr. Petraeus is that we would all do well to stop making heroes out of people we don't really know. ... There's nothing wrong with admiring someone's accomplishments, but if you're looking for heroes, you should probably start looking closer to home. Find people whose honesty and character you're actually in a position to vouch for. Maybe it's your mom or dad, perhaps even a sibling." --columnist Burt Prelutsky

The Gipper

"Christmas is a state of mind. It is found throughout the year whenever faith overcomes doubt, hope conquers despair, and love triumphs over hate. It is present when men of any creed bring love and understanding to the hearts of their fellow man. ... Let us resolve to honor this spirit of Christmas and strive to keep it throughout the year." --Ronald Reagan

The Last Word

"Let's say my family taxable income for 2013 will be a little over $250,000 -- just over the magic number making us, by specific declaration of the President of these United States, wealthy. ... According to Forbes.com I could reasonably be expected to pay: '$73,696 in federal, state, local and FICA taxes.' That is an effective tax rate of a little over 29 percent. Assuming my withholding was correct I ended up with $176,300 in spendable income or about $14,700 per month. ... Now, let's say I get hit with an overall 5 percent increase in taxes -- payroll, income, and so on. If my arithmetic is correct that means an additional $3,685 over the course of the year or just north of $300 per month. ... The Federal budget for 2013, according to the White House website, calls for expenditures of $3,803 trillion. Here's what it looks like written in numbers: $3,803,000,000,000. That's just for 2013. If I'm reading the tables correctly, the number goes up each year until it reaches $5,820 billion 10 years down that can-kicking road. If a five percent reduction in my spendable income will not pose a particular hardship on me, why can't a five percent cut in spending not pose a particular hardship on the Federal government? Maybe they won't like it either, but they should do their part. Over the course of the next 10 years total outlays are projected to be about $47 trillion. Five percent of $47 trillion is $2.35 trillion -- more than double the one trillion they're all falling down in a dead faint trying to save over ten years." --columnist Rich Galen

Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!
Nate Jackson for The Patriot Post Editorial Team