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Welcome to this issue of the Minuteman Monthly Newsletter.
This is the monthly communication from my Web site at www.SaveTheGuns.com.
Thank you for reading this month's issue and for passing it on to a friend.
Often throughout reading interesting viewpoints from people around
the world, the subject of sheep, sheepdogs and wolves is heard. Do
you know an acquaintance who acts like a sheep? Someone who goes
about their life not aware of the presence of wolves in the
community? The sheep most often do not enjoy the company of sheepdogs. That is, except when the sheep are attacked by a wolf.
In this month's issue, I have found one of the best viewpoints I've seen
explaining the relationships of sheep, sheepdogs and wolves in
America. I have placed it below for your reading enjoyment.
Read on...
SaveTheGuns.com Quotes of the Month
"There exists a law,
not written down anywhere, but in our hearts; a law which comes to us
not by training or custom or reading; a law which has come to us not
from theory but from practice; not by instruction but by natural
intuition: I refer to the law which lays it down that, if our lives are
endangered by plots or violence or armed robbers or enemies, any and
every method of protecting ourselves is morally right."
Marcus Tullius Cicero
(106 BC-43 BC) Roman Orator and Statesman at the trial of T. Annius Milo
in 52 BC
"Honor, justice, and
humanity, forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we received
from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a
right to receive from us."
Thomas Jefferson
(Declaration of the Causes and Necessities of Taking up Arms, 6 July
1775)
"The right of
self-defense never ceases. It is among the most sacred, and alike
necessary to nations and to individuals."
President James Monroe
(November 16, 1818)
"Any single man must
judge for himself whether circumstances warrant obedience or resistance
to the commands of the civil magistrate; we are all qualified, entitled,
and morally obliged to evaluate the conduct of our rulers. This
political judgment, moreover, is not simply or primarily a right, but
like self-preservation, a duty to God. As such it is a judgment
that men cannot part with according to the God of Nature. It is
the first and foremost of our inalienable rights without which we can
preserve no other."
John Locke (1632-1704)
English philosopher and political theorist.
"(The Constitution
preserves) the advantage of being armed which Americans possess over the
people of almost every other nation...(where) the governments are afraid
to trust the people with arms."
James Madison, The
Federalist Number 46
SaveTheGuns.com Gun Safety Tip of the Month
Speak with children about gun safety as soon as two things are
present:
- A curiosity about firearms.
- An emerging trait of responsibility, such as reliably performing a
regular household chore.
Curiosity of firearms and how they operate as well as a reliable degree of
personal responsibility can come as early as age four or as late as age
ten or twelve. It depends mostly on the level of curiosity and
maturity in the individual child.
When discussing firearms with your child or grandchild, be open,
honest and complete. Telling a child to merely stay away from
firearms will undoubtedly spark more curiosity and could encourage
unsupervised experimentation.
Young children or other children that are not yet ready for full
disclosure in firearm safety, should be taught to not touch the gun at
all, leave the area where they found it and tell a parent or trusted
adult what they found.
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Item of the Month
In Search of the Second
Amendment
This is simply the best and most accurate documentary about the
Second Amendment ever produced in my opinion. It's called In
Search of the Second Amendment. You should REALLY consider
buying yourself a copy of this one. Get out a credit card and use
the following link:
In Search of the Second Amendment
Minuteman Monthly Newsletter Aiming Point
"The letter that follows was written by
Charles Grennel and his comrades who are veterans of the global war on
terror. Grennel is an Army Reservist who spent two years in Iraq
and was a principal in putting together the first Iraq
elections, January of 2005. It [this letter] was written to Jill
Edwards, a student at the University of
Washington
who did not want to honor WW-II Congressional Medal of Honor winner USMC
Colonel Gregory Boyington who was a graduate of subject university. Ms.
Edwards and other students (and faculty) do not think those who serve in
the U.S.
armed services are good role models.
To: Edwards, Jill (student, UW)
Subject: Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs
Miss Edwards, I read of your “student activity” regarding the
proposed memorial to Col. Greg Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor
winner. I suspect you will receive a bellyful of angry e-mails from
conservative folks like me. You may be too young to appreciate fully the
sacrifices of generations of servicemen and servicewomen on whose
shoulders you and your fellow students stand. I forgive you for the
untutored ways of youth and your naiveté. It may be that you are,
simply, a sheep. There’s no dishonor
in being a sheep - - as long as you know and accept what you are.
William J. Bennett, in a lecture to the United States
Naval
Academy
November 24, 1997
said: “Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind,
gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by
accident.” We may well be in the most violent times in history, but
violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are
kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by
accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.
Then there are the wolves and the wolves feed on the sheep without
mercy. Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the
flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this
world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or
pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.
Then there are sheepdogs and I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the
flock and confront the wolf. If you have no capacity for violence then
you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity
for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have
defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity
for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have
then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the unchartered
path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the
universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.
We know that the sheep live in denial; that is what makes them sheep.
They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can
accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire
extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout
their kids’ schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of
putting an armed police officer in their kid’s school. Our children
are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by
school violence than fire, but the sheep’s only response to the
possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or
harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.
The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the
wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference,
though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the
sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb
will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at
least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.
Still, the sheepdog
disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in
the land. They would prefer that he didn’t tell them where to go, or
give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports, in
camouflage fatigues, holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have
the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go,
“Baa.” Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries
desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.
The students, the victims, at Columbine
High School
were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances
they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were
not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was
under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and
hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing
kids off of them.
This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is
at the door. Look at what happened after
September 11, 2001
when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America
more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement
officers and military personnel? Understand that there is nothing
morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to
be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter. He is always
sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at
things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle.
That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old
sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of
the guns when needed, right along with the young ones.
Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep
pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day.
After the attacks on
September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America
said, “Thank God I wasn’t on one of those planes.” The sheepdogs,
the warriors, said, “Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of
those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference.” You want to be
able to make a difference. There is nothing morally superior about the
sheepdog, the
warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that
he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98
percent of the population.
There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted
of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory
crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement
officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims
by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness.
They chose their victims like big cats do in
Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect
itself. Some people may be destined to be
sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs.
But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and
I’m proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become
sheepdogs.
Seven months after the attack on
September 11, 2001
, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury,
New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania
who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines
about the hijacking. When they learned of the other three passenger
planes that had been used as weapons, Todd and the other passengers
confronted the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation
occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents—from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves,
ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.
"There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil
of evil men." - Edmund Burke. Here is the point I like to emphasize,
especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to
each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs
are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn’t have a choice. But
you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to
be. It is a conscious, moral decision. If you want to be a sheep, then
you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price
you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die
if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a
wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and
you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a
sheepdog and walk the
warrior’s path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision
every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that
toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.
This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy.
It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of
degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep
and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist
completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in
between.
Since 9-11 almost everyone in America
took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few
steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors
started taking their job more seriously. It is okay to be a sheep, but
do not kick the sheep dog. Indeed, the sheep dog may just run a little
harder, strive to protect a little better and be fully prepared to pay
an ultimate price in battle and spirit with the sheep moving from “baa” to “thanks”.
We do not call for gifts or freedoms beyond our lot. We just need a
small pat on the head, a smile and a thank you to fill the emotional
tank which is drained protecting the sheep. And when our number is
called by “The Almighty”, and day retreats into night, a small
prayer before the heavens just may be in order to say thanks for letting
you continue to be a sheep. And be grateful for the thousands -
-millions - - of American sheepdogs who permit you the freedom to
express even bad ideas.
D.C. V Heller Case News
If you have not yet contacted the White House in Washington D.C. and
asked President Bush to have the Solicitor General's Amicus Curiae Brief
in the D.C. V Heller case, withdrawn and re-written, please do so now
and forward this message on to others.
The Bush Administration's Solicitor General Paul D. Clement has issued an Amicus Curiae Brief in the District of Columbia V Heller case now in front of the United States Supreme Court. As a member of the Justice Department of the United States of America and as Solicitor General, Paul D. Clement's brief to the Supreme Court is essentially the position of the Justice branch of the United States Government in the Heller Case.
The Solicitor General's position on the Heller case is absolutely unreasonable. It does not jive at all with the views of the Founding Fathers on the subject of the right to keep and bear arms. All Americans who currently own firearms should contact the White House with the address I will give you below and the subject line that I will give you below as well and ask President Bush to demand the withdrawal of Solicitor General Paul D. Clement's Amicus Brief in the Heller case without delay.
If the U.S. Supreme Court sides with the Justice Department on the Heller case, even a full national ban on firearms could be found to be "reasonable".
Please take time to read the following four (4) articles, before writing the President of the United States and asking that this clearly unconstitutional view of the Second Amendment in this brief be immediately withdrawn. Again, before you write the White House, read the following four articles:
http://www.gunowners.org/pr0801.htm
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59846
http://www.gunowners.org/a012308.htm
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=3388
I cannot emphasize enough how absolutely essential it is that every American gun owner flood the White House e-mail servers, phone lines and mailroom with a concerted effort to have this Solicitor General Paul D. Clement's Amicus Curiae Brief in the Heller case completely withdrawn and have it rewritten to better reflect the original intent of the Founding Fathers on this issue.
See the following Web page for White House contact information after reading the above articles.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Send your e-mail to the White House with the following e-mail address:
comments@whitehouse.gov
Write the White House here:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Call the White House Comment Line here:
202-456-1111
Fax the White House here:
202-456-2461
Every single gun owner in the United States should take action on this issue and totally overwhelm the White House Staff. In order for this to happen, you should probably try to forward this to as many people as you can. Heck, just forward it to your entire address book. Freedom itself could be jeopardized decades from now if we do not act on this soon.
If this unconstitutional view of the Second Amendment becomes precedent setting, every State in the United States as well as the feds might be able to impose whatever gun control schemes they wish upon the American people. If this becomes a reality, we will need to have the strongest pro-gun groups that we've ever had.
Join the National Rifle Association here:
http://membership.nrahq.org/default.asp?campaignid=XR017807
Join the Gun Owners of America here:
http://www.gunowners.org/member.htm
Join the JPFO here:
http://www.jpfo.org/filegen-a-m/member.htm
After reading this e-mail and taking definitive action on it, pass it on to everyone you
possibly can. The future of firearm freedom depends upon your action today. Delete this e-mail and take no action at all and you will have to explain to your children and grandchildren why you did nothing when you had the opportunity to have the Second Amendment fully affirmed by the United States Supreme Court.
Closing Comments
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read the Minuteman
Monthly Newsletter. I encourage you to pass it on.
You may use this newsletter as you see fit. You may post it,
blog it, print it, forward it and publish it. The only thing I ask
is that somewhere in your material, make sure the URL www.SaveTheGuns.com
appears prominently.
Thanks,
Marc Richardson
Owner/Founder
www.SaveTheGuns.com
"Congress have no power to disarm the
militia. Their swords, and every other
terrible implement of the soldier, are the
birth-right of an American..."
Tench Coxe
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