I posted this awhile back to ar15.com in response to a Brit-Troll who went by Red_Neck_Suckers. I lost the original in a computer crash and more or less forgot about it. Then someone over on ar15.com nominated it as their all time favorite post.
Very humbling. Even more humbling, several people had saved it and even posted it to their own websites. They cleaned it up a bit and edited the content. The best version is here:
http://www.freespeech.org/rkba/index2.htm
I'm pretty sure it was posted here on TFL too, but back when I registered there were less than 1600 members so I thought some of you newer folks may enjoy it. Here goes:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Why I need an Assault Rifle
by Jack 99
Internet Revolutionary
I am moved to write that as I was thinking how I pitied the rest of the semi-free world who do not understand liberty.
Those having never really had it, and having been conditioned to reject true freedom and accept the propaganda and false
freedom of your own government, the world media and the UN. Unfortunately many are conditioned to these evils and
have accepted the intellectually void, historically unfounded, "guns are bad" argument. Anyway, if you can get past your
conditioning, here's my response to the question.
Some of you may ask, “Why you think that it is your god given right to own a weapon that was specifically designed to
cause harm."
Let's start with a little history. About 230 years ago, some incredibly gifted, wealthy, slave-owning white guys looked at
Western Civilization and undertook what is undoubtedly the most radical, profound political revolution ever conceived.
Despite what the history books say, it really wasn't about taxes, or troops in people's homes, or the price of tea or any of
that crap. These men were British subjects, but taxes were lower in the colonies than in England at the time of the
Revolution, there was unprecedented freedom, particularly on the frontier, and these guys were generally the wealthy
elite who could have been colonial governors if they had chosen to. They could have afforded to drink tea until they were
urinating pure caffeine.
Another misconception was that it was a popular revolution. I don't remember who said it, but one of those old dead
white guys said that the colonists were divided roughly into thirds, one third loyalist, one third ambivalent, and one third
revolutionary (sound familiar?). It took years of coercion and propaganda to motivate the general public to take up arms
against the Britts.
What was our Revolution all about then? These guys realized, 2000 miles from their ruling country that they had an
unprecedented opportunity to revolt and form a radical new self-government, where political power was vested in the
People themselves, not in a ruling class.
It was an ideological revolution that is still radical today, with the Constitution as the Blueprint for Freedom. In this system,
individual liberty is the beginning and end of all government activity. That is to say, government powers are only supposed
to extend so far, and only with the permission of the governed. Ideally, where my rights as a citizen begin, the powers of
government come to an abrupt halt. Conversely, the primary function of government is to guarantee my liberties, hence
the Bill of Rights. So what we have is an incredibly radical new power structure, one not truly duplicated anywhere else in
the world.
So how does this explain why I need an AR-15 or an AK-47?
What the founding fathers knew, and so many of the "People" have forgotten (or never learned), is that Power is a zero
sum game. If I have it, then the government doesn't, and vice versa. Even many pro-gun citizens miss the point and we
allow ourselves to be distracted with "rights" issues, that while they exist, aren't specifically addressed by the Constitution
(right to hunt, right to self-defense, etc.)
The Constitution, the Blueprint for Freedom, and the Bill of Rights, the non-expiring guarantee of liberty, are about one
thing: Power. So don't get confused by other issues here. If this is a country where Power is truly vested in the People,
and the government is LIMITED by the Constitution, then my ownership of an AR-15 is off limits to the government. The
Second Amendment guarantees my Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the Constitution limits the government to very
specific, narrow activities, which does not include regulating guns. So, not only is this right specifically reserved to the
People (or, even with a loose interpretation, the states), it also falls outside of the boundaries outlined in the Constitution
for the Federal Govt.
It’s a double whammy.
Why is it so important to us? Some people fear a tyrannical government taking over (some think they're "paranoid", despite
so many historical lessons that I could fill several books; but that's another topic). But most, I believe, are more like me. We
still believe in the Revolution and its ideals. We ARE Revolutionaries. Power is vested in ME, as a citizen, and not in the
government. It cannot be taken without my permission, which I do not give. Remember, it’s a zero sum game, so if the
government can infringe those liberties, then liberty really doesn't exist at all, except in theory.
Well, I don't want theoretical freedom. I want the real stuff.
So some argue we still have freedom of the press and the rest of it, why the big deal over guns? Well, the Bill of Rights is
not a buffet. We don't get to pick and choose. I don't like liberal neo-Socialist rhetoric, but I'm not calling for the
abolishment of free speech, am I? Because I know that the First Amendment is also about Power - the Power of
information (much deadlier than guns, in the right hands, by the way. Case in point, Hitler, whose propaganda machine
convinced the Germans to commit unthinkable atrocities; but I digress).
Many of us here in the U.S. see the slow, steady, reversal of our Power structure. Our rights are becoming more
"theoretical" all the time. Anyone see the Dateline NBC story on the Louisiana police who are confiscating cars and money
from out of state motorists, without a trial (due process) and are not even charging them with a crime, or arresting them?
How about the IRS, which has the power to confiscate just about anything you own with the wave of a bureaucrat’s pen.
Both of these are examples of activities strictly forbidden by the Constitution and Bill of Rights, yet it happens all the time
and there are many more examples beyond these.
So you see, it's not just the Second Amendment where the reversal of Power is evident. Anymore, it seems that the
Constitution is just a shell and government doesn't exist for the people, rather the people (taxpayers) exist for the
government. If you’ve never been an American, that's a subtle distinction you may miss, but it’s the whole ball of wax to
us.
So, like the colonists at Lexington and Concord, this is the issue where we choose to make our stand. Not over taxes,
which are atrocious, or unreasonable search and seizure, which is rampant, or the separation of powers (who said Clinton
could declare war all by himself, anyway?) or any of that other stuff, but over my Assault Rifle. Why? Because like our
forefathers (80 civilians on a bridge against 1800 regular troops! How committed were they?), we realize it’s the foundation
of Real Power. Without a weapon capable of providing adequate resistance to overthrow an unjust, tyrannical,
unConstitutional government, the rest of those rights truly are hollow, no longer belong to the people, and can be
rescinded at any time by the government (many feel we're already at that point). At that point they are no longer rights.
They're privileges. Once again, a subtle difference sure to escape those of you who think more “liberally”, given your
conditioning.
If the government can take my Assault Rifle, or restrict the amount of ammunition it holds, or restrict further purchases of
"Assault Weapons" then the revolution is dead and so are the ideals countless thousands have died for. There's a reason
for the Second Amendment and gun ownership (ESPECIALLY assault rifles), a reason those colonists on that bridge
understood; its the last of my rights to go.
THAT'S why I need an Assault Rifle. Some will not really understand any of this, which only serves to make my point. If you
don't get it, you're really not free, and I pity you.
Oh, one more thing. I'll address God as well. My "God given rights" are described in the Constitution as "inalienable". Look it
up in the dictionary.
Very humbling. Even more humbling, several people had saved it and even posted it to their own websites. They cleaned it up a bit and edited the content. The best version is here:
http://www.freespeech.org/rkba/index2.htm
I'm pretty sure it was posted here on TFL too, but back when I registered there were less than 1600 members so I thought some of you newer folks may enjoy it. Here goes:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Why I need an Assault Rifle
by Jack 99
Internet Revolutionary
I am moved to write that as I was thinking how I pitied the rest of the semi-free world who do not understand liberty.
Those having never really had it, and having been conditioned to reject true freedom and accept the propaganda and false
freedom of your own government, the world media and the UN. Unfortunately many are conditioned to these evils and
have accepted the intellectually void, historically unfounded, "guns are bad" argument. Anyway, if you can get past your
conditioning, here's my response to the question.
Some of you may ask, “Why you think that it is your god given right to own a weapon that was specifically designed to
cause harm."
Let's start with a little history. About 230 years ago, some incredibly gifted, wealthy, slave-owning white guys looked at
Western Civilization and undertook what is undoubtedly the most radical, profound political revolution ever conceived.
Despite what the history books say, it really wasn't about taxes, or troops in people's homes, or the price of tea or any of
that crap. These men were British subjects, but taxes were lower in the colonies than in England at the time of the
Revolution, there was unprecedented freedom, particularly on the frontier, and these guys were generally the wealthy
elite who could have been colonial governors if they had chosen to. They could have afforded to drink tea until they were
urinating pure caffeine.
Another misconception was that it was a popular revolution. I don't remember who said it, but one of those old dead
white guys said that the colonists were divided roughly into thirds, one third loyalist, one third ambivalent, and one third
revolutionary (sound familiar?). It took years of coercion and propaganda to motivate the general public to take up arms
against the Britts.
What was our Revolution all about then? These guys realized, 2000 miles from their ruling country that they had an
unprecedented opportunity to revolt and form a radical new self-government, where political power was vested in the
People themselves, not in a ruling class.
It was an ideological revolution that is still radical today, with the Constitution as the Blueprint for Freedom. In this system,
individual liberty is the beginning and end of all government activity. That is to say, government powers are only supposed
to extend so far, and only with the permission of the governed. Ideally, where my rights as a citizen begin, the powers of
government come to an abrupt halt. Conversely, the primary function of government is to guarantee my liberties, hence
the Bill of Rights. So what we have is an incredibly radical new power structure, one not truly duplicated anywhere else in
the world.
So how does this explain why I need an AR-15 or an AK-47?
What the founding fathers knew, and so many of the "People" have forgotten (or never learned), is that Power is a zero
sum game. If I have it, then the government doesn't, and vice versa. Even many pro-gun citizens miss the point and we
allow ourselves to be distracted with "rights" issues, that while they exist, aren't specifically addressed by the Constitution
(right to hunt, right to self-defense, etc.)
The Constitution, the Blueprint for Freedom, and the Bill of Rights, the non-expiring guarantee of liberty, are about one
thing: Power. So don't get confused by other issues here. If this is a country where Power is truly vested in the People,
and the government is LIMITED by the Constitution, then my ownership of an AR-15 is off limits to the government. The
Second Amendment guarantees my Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the Constitution limits the government to very
specific, narrow activities, which does not include regulating guns. So, not only is this right specifically reserved to the
People (or, even with a loose interpretation, the states), it also falls outside of the boundaries outlined in the Constitution
for the Federal Govt.
It’s a double whammy.
Why is it so important to us? Some people fear a tyrannical government taking over (some think they're "paranoid", despite
so many historical lessons that I could fill several books; but that's another topic). But most, I believe, are more like me. We
still believe in the Revolution and its ideals. We ARE Revolutionaries. Power is vested in ME, as a citizen, and not in the
government. It cannot be taken without my permission, which I do not give. Remember, it’s a zero sum game, so if the
government can infringe those liberties, then liberty really doesn't exist at all, except in theory.
Well, I don't want theoretical freedom. I want the real stuff.
So some argue we still have freedom of the press and the rest of it, why the big deal over guns? Well, the Bill of Rights is
not a buffet. We don't get to pick and choose. I don't like liberal neo-Socialist rhetoric, but I'm not calling for the
abolishment of free speech, am I? Because I know that the First Amendment is also about Power - the Power of
information (much deadlier than guns, in the right hands, by the way. Case in point, Hitler, whose propaganda machine
convinced the Germans to commit unthinkable atrocities; but I digress).
Many of us here in the U.S. see the slow, steady, reversal of our Power structure. Our rights are becoming more
"theoretical" all the time. Anyone see the Dateline NBC story on the Louisiana police who are confiscating cars and money
from out of state motorists, without a trial (due process) and are not even charging them with a crime, or arresting them?
How about the IRS, which has the power to confiscate just about anything you own with the wave of a bureaucrat’s pen.
Both of these are examples of activities strictly forbidden by the Constitution and Bill of Rights, yet it happens all the time
and there are many more examples beyond these.
So you see, it's not just the Second Amendment where the reversal of Power is evident. Anymore, it seems that the
Constitution is just a shell and government doesn't exist for the people, rather the people (taxpayers) exist for the
government. If you’ve never been an American, that's a subtle distinction you may miss, but it’s the whole ball of wax to
us.
So, like the colonists at Lexington and Concord, this is the issue where we choose to make our stand. Not over taxes,
which are atrocious, or unreasonable search and seizure, which is rampant, or the separation of powers (who said Clinton
could declare war all by himself, anyway?) or any of that other stuff, but over my Assault Rifle. Why? Because like our
forefathers (80 civilians on a bridge against 1800 regular troops! How committed were they?), we realize it’s the foundation
of Real Power. Without a weapon capable of providing adequate resistance to overthrow an unjust, tyrannical,
unConstitutional government, the rest of those rights truly are hollow, no longer belong to the people, and can be
rescinded at any time by the government (many feel we're already at that point). At that point they are no longer rights.
They're privileges. Once again, a subtle difference sure to escape those of you who think more “liberally”, given your
conditioning.
If the government can take my Assault Rifle, or restrict the amount of ammunition it holds, or restrict further purchases of
"Assault Weapons" then the revolution is dead and so are the ideals countless thousands have died for. There's a reason
for the Second Amendment and gun ownership (ESPECIALLY assault rifles), a reason those colonists on that bridge
understood; its the last of my rights to go.
THAT'S why I need an Assault Rifle. Some will not really understand any of this, which only serves to make my point. If you
don't get it, you're really not free, and I pity you.
Oh, one more thing. I'll address God as well. My "God given rights" are described in the Constitution as "inalienable". Look it
up in the dictionary.
