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A Warning to politicians: Speak Plainly, like the founding fathers

depicts

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Caliel, who posts on the Smith & Wesson forum, posted this today.

I liked it so much I wanted to let other like minded individuals to see it, and pass it along. It is a bit lengthy, but well written and inspiring.

Speak Plainly.

It is time to speak plainly for the good citizens and patriots of this nation who believe unendingly in the Constitution of the United States of America.

Though foreign governments may disarm their subjects, we will not go down that road. We will not disarm and see our freedoms stripped away. The lessons of history are numerous, clear, and bloody.

A disarmed population inevitably becomes an enslaved population. A disarmed population is without power, reduced to childlike obedience to-and dependence upon - the organs of a parental state. A disarmed population will lose-either piecemeal or in one sweeping act - those basic rights for which the citizens of America risked their lives and fortunes over 200 years ago.

We Will Not Disarm.

The right to self-protection-the internal directive of every living creature, be it mouse or man is the most fundamental right of all. It is a right that must be exercised against the predators of the streets, against the predators hidden within agencies of law enforcement, and against the most dangerous predators of all - those to be found in government, whose insidious grasping for power is relentless and never-ending.

We Will Not Disarm.

Not in the face of robbers, rapists and murderers who prey upon our families and friends. Nor in the face of police and bureau agents who would turn a blind eye to the Constitution, who would betray the birthright of their countrymen; nor in the face of politicians of the lowest order-those who pander to the ignorant, the weak, the fearful, the naive; those indebted to a virulent strain of the rich who insulate themselves from the dangers imposed upon other Americans and then preach disarmament.

* We will not surrender our handguns.
* We will not surrender our hunting arms.
* And we will not surrender our firearms of military pattern or military utility, nor their proper furnishings, nor the right to buy, to sell, or to manufacture such items.

Firearms of military utility, which serve well and nobly in times of social disturbance as tools of defense for the law-abiding, serve also in the quiet role of prevention, against both the criminal and the tyrannical. An armed citizenry the well-regulated militia of the Second Amendment, properly armed with military firearms - is a powerful deterrent, on both conscious and subconscious levels, to those inclined toward governmental usurpation's.

An armed citizenry stands as a constant reminder to those in power that, though they may violate our rights temporarily, they will not do so endlessly and without consequence. And should Americans again be confronted with the necessity of - may God forbid it - throwing off the chains of a tyrannical and suffocating regime, firearms designed to answer the particular demands of warfare will provide the swiftest and most decisive means to this end.

Any law which prohibits or limits a citizen's possession of firearms of military utility or their proper furnishings, provides an open window through which a corrupt government will crawl to steal away the remainder of our firearms and our liberties. Any law which prohibits or limits a citizen's possession of firearms of military utility or their proper furnishings, being directly contrary to the letter and spirit of the Second Amendment, is inimical to the Constitution, to the United States of America, and to its citizens.

Now-today-we are witnessing the perilous times foreseen by the architects of the Constitution. These are times when our government is demanding - in the guise of measures for the common good - the relinquishment of several rights guaranteed to Americans in the Constitution, foremost among which is the right to keep and bear arms for our own defense. These are times when our government has abdicated its primary responsibility-to provide for the security of its citizens. Swift and sure punishment of outlaws is absent, and in its place is offered the false remedy of disarming the law-abiding. Where this unconstitutional action has been given the force of law, it has failed to provide relief and has produced greater social discord. This discord in turn now serves as the false basis for the demand that we give up other rights, and for the demand for more police, more agents of bureaucratic control to enforce the revocation of these rights.

Legislators, justices and law officers must bear in mind that the foundation of their duties is to uphold the fundamental law of the land-the Constitution. They must bear in mind that the unconstitutional act of disarming one's fellow citizens will also disarm one's parents, spouse, brothers, sisters, children and children's children. They must bear in mind that there are good citizens who - taking heed of George Washington's belief that arms are the liberty teeth of the people-will not passively allow these teeth to be torn out. There are good citizens who-taking heed of Benjamin Franklin's admonition that those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety-will surrender not one of their rights. Those who eat away at our right to own and use firearms are feeding on the roots of a plant over two centuries old, a plant whose blossom is the most free, most powerful nation ever to exist on the face of this planet.

The right to keep and bear arms is the tap root of this plant. All other rights were won at the point of a gun and will endure only at the point of a gun. Could they speak, millions upon millions of this world's dead souls would testify to this truth. Millions upon millions of the living can so testify today. Now - today - is a critical moment in our history.

Will we Americans passively lie down before a government grown disdainful of its best citizens? Or will we again declare:

WE are the government, government functions at our behest, and it may not rescind our sacred rights? Will we place our faith in public servants who behave like our masters? Or will we place our faith in the words and deeds of the daring, far-seeing men and women whose blood, sweat and tears brought forth this great nation?

Will we believe those who assure us that the police officer will shield us from the criminal? Or will we believe our eyes and ears, presented every day with news of our unarmed neighbors falling prey in their homes, on our streets, in our places of work and play?

Will we bow our heads to cowards and fools who will not learn and do not understand the lessons of human history? Or will we stand straight and assume the daily tasks and risks that liberty entails? Will we ignore even the lessons of this present era-which has seen the cruel oppression of millions on the continents of Europe, Asia, Africa and South America-and believe that the continent of North America is immune to such political disease? Or will we wisely accept the realities of this world, wisely listen to and make use of the precautions provided by our ancestors?

Will we be deceived by shameless liars who say that disarmament equals safety, helplessness equals strength, patriotism equals criminality? Or will we mark the words of our forefathers, who wrote in plain language: The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed?

Let us make known: We will choose the latter option in every case.

Legislators: Do your duty to your country. Uphold the Constitution as you swore to do. Do not shame yourselves by knocking loose the mighty keystone of this great republic - the right to bear arms.

Justices: Do your duty to your country. Examine the origins of our right to weaponry and uphold the letter and spirit of the Constitution.

Lawmen: Do your duty to your country. Do not be misguided and misused. Your task is to serve and to protect-not to oppress, to disarm and to make helpless your countrymen. To the blind, the ignorant, the apathetic, the safe and sheltered, these may seem to be concerns of another age. They are not. They are as vital as they ever have been through history. For times may change but human nature does not. And it is to protect forever against the evil in human nature that the Founding Fathers set aside certain rights as inviolable.

For these reasons we must now make known:

We will not passively take the path that leads to tyranny. We will not go down that road. We Will Not Disarm.

Author Unknown: ( from Soldier of Fortune magazine, October 1994.)


War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.
--John Stewart Mill—

Aequitas et Veritas
 
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Please post this again in bold type, the next time one of those "What will you do" threads pops up.

People had better get their thinking straight on the matter and quick!!!!
 
jcr, what is questionble about this quote?

"Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence. From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events occurences and tendencies prove that to ensure peace, security and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispenable. The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference - they deserve a place of honor with all that's good." -- George Washington, Commanding General of the Continental Army, Father of Our Country and First President of the United States in a speech to Congress, January 7, 1790

Source: http://www.barefootsworld.net/article2.html

Not to mention 166,000 references to this quote on Google.

What's your disagreement?
 
jcr, further search finds this among many posts to support your claim. [hmmm]

This is a false quote, but bits and pieces of it still continue to crop up from time to time. Even national publications, such as Playboy magazine, have been snared by it. (Playboy published the "quote" in December 1995 as part of an article entitled "Once and for All: What the Founding Fathers Said About Guns". After consulting with an assistant editor of the George Washington Papers at the University of Virginia, Playboy published a lengthy correction in March 1996.)

The above analysis (by Clayon Cramer) was taken in part from a "talk.politics.guns" usenet FAQ. (Original source: Cramer, Clayton, Firing Back, 1995. Used by permission of the author.)

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) also comments (excerpted with permission) on the liberty teeth speech as follows: "This has several variations including 'hour' for 'moment' and sometimes added as part of an actual Washington quote 'A free people ought not only to be armed...' The various citations are even more numerous than different wordings: Address to the Second Session of the First U.S. Congress; Speech to Congress of January 7, 1790, printed in the Boston Independent Chronicle, January 14, 1790; the Federalist No. 53; Debates and Proceedings in the Convention of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1785."

Source: http://www.guncite.com/gc2ndbog.html
 
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Yes, you now see.

Too bad the Playboy correction isn't available online -- I bought that issue just for the article.[wink]

Actually, included extensive interviews with George Washington historians. They had digitized everything that they could find that he had written (or was transcribed from speeches) , and when asked, could find nothing in their data that was like the "liberty teeth".

Washington may have had thoughts along those lines, but he ne never said them.

One can read a bit more about it (and other "pious frauds") at:
http://stason.org/TULARC/society/pr...-Pious-Frauds-Or-If-It-Sounds-Too-Good-T.html
 
I wish it didn't include the "liberty teeth" comment. Using an questionable quote distracts from the point.

what is questionable about it?

It is the "Plain truth".

The full quote is; "Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the people's liberty's teeth." - George Washington. This was taken from a post that was on here some time ago... search the forums to find the post and I believe that leads to the original text.

I hear what you are saying... and yes... words like that tend to scare the sheep... but it is the plain simple fact.
 
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what is questionable about it?

It is the "Plain truth".

The full quote is; "Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the people's liberty's teeth." - George Washington. This was taken from a post that was on here some time ago... search the forums to find the post and I believe that leads to the original text.

What is questionable about it? ALL of it.

It does not match any documented quote of Washington's.

It does not sound like what are his documented speeches.

The internet is full of crap "quotes," be it the drivel about Yamamoto advising against invading the US, George Orwell commending the "rough men standing ready" at night or the BS about "Hitler's" gun laws.

This is probably just one more.
 
Thanks Scirv... as i said.. it was "posted here", you can feel free to take the time and find the original poster that had the source and flame him as well.

either way... I don't care who said it... the phrase "they are the people's liberty's teeth." is still true no matter how you look at it. [wink]
 
either way... I don't care who said it... the phrase "they are the people's liberty's teeth." is still true no matter how you look at it. [wink]

Awkward phrasing, but consistent with the purpose of the Second Amendment.

Your Franklin quote IS real and true.
 
Yeah, these essays are wonderful in all but I don't think they will help influence anyone into action. If there is another gun ban or AWB ban everyone will comply because they will give you some small sense that you still have your freedoms and everyone will roll over and take it waiting for the right moment to counter, which never happens. Hopefully I'm wrong.
 
Maybe Washington was talking about Liberty, and his wooden teeth slipped out and as he grabbed them he said "teeth", and someone at the time tape recorded him saying Liberty Teeth!!! [smile]

Matt, I posted reference to show Washington never made that comment. It can't be proven. The reporter's tape recorder and Video camera must have been low on kite generated power. [rofl]
 
Yeah, these essays are wonderful in all but I don't think they will help influence anyone into action. If there is another gun ban or AWB ban everyone will comply because they will give you some small sense that you still have your freedoms and everyone will roll over and take it waiting for the right moment to counter, which never happens. Hopefully I'm wrong.

I hope you're wrong too, but here's why you may be right, this was posted by cabinboy on the 11th.

The artical in the link is from A Nation of Cowards by Jeff Snyder.

An excellent book, if anyone has not yet read it I'd suggest you do.
 
Thanks for posting that, it was very nicely written. I forwarded it to all my friends, shooters & libtards alike. [grin]
 
That says it all. I wish pieces with that much thought and eloquence would get printed in our newspapers and not just magazines with a uniquely targeted readership.

These words would unsettle 90% of our politicians. Another 9.9% couldn't even grasp them.
 
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