A Thought-Provoking Article from Kathryn A. Graham
(c) 2004 Kathryn A. Graham
It will be time when the consequences of shooting the bastards – including the very real possibility of death – become less intolerable than the consequences of living under a police state. That time may be closer than you think.
You can always tell when any country is on an irreversible slide toward a police state. First and foremost, any such government is going to want to use any excuse at all to confiscate your arms.
In case you hadn't noticed, that is already happening.
For years and years, gun control advocates have targeted handguns, but they were careful never to obviously target hunting or sporting arms for fear of the public outcry that would ensue. Now they have the perfect excuse in our recent pair of idiot snipers that shot a number of innocents along the Beltway. After all, a "sniper" weapon sounds utterly awful. What American in his or her right mind would want to own one?
A "sniper" weapon is any long range rifle that could possibly be used by a sniper! That means that your hunting rifles are on the chopping block at last. The truth of the matter is that those two brain dead psychopaths used the most ridiculously anemic excuse for a "sniper" weapon I could possibly have imagined.
I must admit to a certain sneaking satisfaction over this situation. For years, I have felt like a lone voice in the wilderness advocating individual responsibility, personal defense, and defense against tyranny. My subject and my expertise were always handguns. Until very recently, when I bought a custom rifle and started learning to hit that tiny bull's eye at ranges I had never even imagined before, I never gave a tinker's damn for long guns – and everyone from Sarah Brady herself on down constantly tried to convince America that folks like me who toted guns around were nothing but cold and heartless killers. Never mind that I had never shot anybody in all the years I had owned these guns. I must be looking for an excuse, or I wouldn't have them. Either that, or I was surely a suicide looking for a place to happen.
It made me feel that I was being singled out. Everybody was after my guns, but nobody cared one tiny bit about my drunken ex-husband going out to shoot up the woods and endanger his fellow hunters year after year.
Well, it would appear that there is justice in the Universe after all. I wish I could say I was happy about it, but I can see the implications all too clearly.
Make no mistake. All of that hype about ballistic fingerprinting and "common sense" restrictions on gun ownership has only one purpose – to get all firearms out of the hands of individual Americans. More specifically, Mr. Ashcroft wants guns out of the hands of patriotic Americans who are smart enough (meaning more brain cells than a cabbage) to see what he is doing to our Constitution and our Bill of Rights. He will do this by labeling you, and those like you, as "domestic terrorists," which allows him to hold you indefinitely without charge, without trial (where he might actually have to prove his allegations against you) and without access to an attorney. Confiscating your guns becomes a tiny matter when you are behind bars.
Don't expect every move in this game to be legal or ethical.I received an email a short time ago relating a phone call purporting to be from the NRA that a California resident received only last night. Only a couple of questions, the computer voice said. The first question was "Do you have any children living at home under the age of sixteen?" The call recipient became suspicious and angry at this point and snarled that he was not an NRA member. The computer said it wouldn't take any more of his time, but that he should report NRA members and their phone numbers to the following telephone number . . .
Building a database of gun owners, Mr. Ashcroft?
It doesn't take a lot of IQ to figure out why he wants this, either. Self-preservation is a powerful instinct, and I am certain Ashcroft feels mightily naked right now. Unfortunately, most of us who own firearms are far too self-controlled to succumb to our very understandable wishes in the matter. If I didn't believe that to attack Ashcroft with violence would be to become Ashcroft, I could almost wish that Sarah Brady were nearer right about me and my kind.
So what will it take to trigger another 1776? It will take pretty much the same thing it took the first time. First, I honestly believe that Ashcroft can be depended upon to produce another atrocity, probably very much like Ruby Ridge or Waco. America was so stunned when those events first happened that we didn't react then, but we've had a few years now to ponder the implications. I think that if our government is so foolish again as to kill dozens of women and children in one unholy go, there will be a backlash of unbelievable ferocity. After which, of course, Ashcroft will use said backlash as an excuse to try to seize our arms.
It was the British attempt to seize American arms at Lexington and Concorde that ignited the American Revolution.
I believe, although I cannot be certain, that this will flash the blue touch paper in 21st Century America as well. America has long been known as the sleeping tiger – difficult to arouse, but dangerous when awake. Wakefulness is beginning to simmer just below the surface of our collective psyche. In fact, in my entire 48 years, I can never remember such an outpouring of utter rage as I have heard since the passage of the abomination known as the PATRIOT Act.
Frankly, I don't blame Ashcroft for being nervous about keeping his hide in one unholy (pardon my pun) piece. The average American knows exactly who is to blame for that hateful legislation, and much though we may despise Dubya's imperial ambitions, it just wasn't poor old Dubya.Dubya wasn't anywhere near smart enough to pull that off. No, the blame may be laid squarely at Ashcroft's feet.
Don't believe for a single moment that the PATRIOT Act was written in response to 11/9. It was already written and waiting in the wings for something – anything at all – that could force it through a frightened Congress. Ashcroft is a power hungry megalomaniac, and 11/9 was the chance of a lifetime for him and his twisted agenda.
The second sign of a police state is government control of the media. We have that now, also, which means that the First Amendment is now history. During the recent period when the sniper was operating on the Beltway, the sniper dominated the news, which is understandable. However, during this same period, there were many more incidents of firearms used to save lives than people who were shot by the sniper. These stories received only local attention. This is biased reporting.
Another example: One thousand protesters showed up at the President's Crawford ranch recently to protest the coming baseless war with Iraq, which is a remarkable number in such a rural and sparsely populated area. The protesters were not even mentioned in the mainstream media.
There are dozens of other examples.
If our leaders were controlling the media for our benefit, stories of terrorism would actually be downplayed by the media. The fact that media coverage is being used deliberately to increase hysterical fear of terrorism demonstrates that the media control being practiced is being used for the very specific purpose of tightening governmental controls over the individual.
The only free press left in America is on the Internet, because access to foreign news sources cannot be controlled. Ask again why your leaders will do anything in their power to destroy the Net.
We are already living in a police state. Unfortunately, deciding what to do about it is not so simple as it sounds. We are in a tangle with enough moral and tactical implications to urge extreme caution. I am not anxious to open fire on my fellow Americans except as a very final last resort, nor do I believe that my fellow gun owners are any more anxious to do so than I am.
There is a wonderful quotation that has been floating around the Internet for years. I wish I had said it myself, but the author is only listed as Anonymous. It says "Four boxes keep us free:(1) ballot, (2) jury, (3) soap, and (4) cartridge." I have seen variations in the order – but cartridge is always listed last. This is no accident.
The first box, in my personal opinion, is the ballot box. Vote! And vote your conscience. Do not vote for the lesser evil because you are afraid of "throwing away your vote." That is sheer cowardice, and it plays right into the hands of the Democrooks and Republocrats, who have become just two hideous faces of the same beast. Remember that voting for a third party candidate always has an effect, even if it is only to frighten the two major parties. And yes, the election may be rigged, but don't let that stop you. You can't take any other action morally unless you have at least tried the ballot box.
The second box is the jury box. Remember that the U.S. Constitution gives you the right to judge the law as well as the accused. Accept no jury instructions that tell you otherwise. If your accused is guilty, but of violating a stupid law, acquit him or her! And always tell the court why.
The third box is the soap box. Rant! Talk to your friends and neighbours. Write articles and letters to editors. Send emails. Make phone calls. Our media is ignoring stories of protest, but protest is happening all across this country. Help to make it impossible to ignore!
Finally, and most importantly, always remember that you have the last resort of the cartridge box. Do not permit your government to take that right from you. You have the absolute right to resist by force if your government attempts to seize your arms or unjustly imprison you by force.
This four box formula can win your country back, people of America. Just add courage and stir gently.
Kathryn A. Graham is a licensed private investigator, pilot, aircraft mechanic and handgun instructor in Texas. Also a prolific author, she has written numerous articles, short stories and a science fiction novel entitled Flight From Eden. Read some of Kathryn's stories at Writer's Corner!
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