[Some of these quotes haven't been posted in a while. I think it would be a good idea to read them carefully again.] "Firearms stand next in importance to the constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and the keystone under independence...The rifle and pistol are equally indispensable...The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference - they deserve a place of honor with all that is good." * George Washington * "We, the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the Courts - not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow men who pervert the Constitution." * Abraham Lincoln * - Benjamin Franklin - "They that would give up essential liberty for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Patrick Henry said: "Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined.....The great object is that every man be armed.....Everyone who is able may have a gun." * Patrick Henry * (Governments derive)....."their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, (absolute power or influence of any kind) it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide mew Guards for their future security." -- Declaration of Independence -- Noah Webster had this to say: "Another source of power in government is a military force. But this, to be efficient, must be superior to any force that exists among the people, or which they can command; otherwise, this force would be annihilated on first exercise of acts of oppression. Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed, as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword, because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretence, raised in the United States." Richard Henry Lee suggested: "To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them... George Mason said: "I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public servants." Samuel Adams: "...and that the said Constitution be never construed to infringe the just liberty of the press or the rights of conscience; or to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms..." "The claim and exercise of a Constitutional right cannot be converted into a crime." -- Miller v US, 230 F 2d 486, 489. "The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws." -- Tacitus, Roman historian 55-117 A.D. "In America, freedom and justice have always come from the ballot box, the jury box, and when that fails, the cartridge box." -- Steve Symms, U.S. Senator, Idaho Luke 11:21 "When a man, fully armed, guards his house, his possessions are undisturbed." "Americans have a right and advantage of being armed -- unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." -- James Madison, The Federalist Papers No. 46 at 243-244. "The right of the people to keep and bear ... arms shall not infringed. A well regulated militia, composed of the people, trained to arms, is the best and most natural defense of a free country ..." -- James Madison, I Annuals of Congress 434 (June 8, 1789). "The ultimate authority ... resides in the people alone." -- James Madison, The Federalist, No. 46. GEORGE MASON, Framer of the Declaration of Rights, Virginia, 1776, which became the basis for the U.S. Bill of Rights: "I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials." -- George Mason, 3 Elliot, Debates at 425-426. "To disarm the people (is) the best and most effective way to enslave them ..." -- George Mason, 3 Elliot, Debate at 380. NOAH WEBSTER, author of contemporary pamphlets on the United States Constitution: "Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed...The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any bands of regular troops ..." -- Noah Webster, "An Examination into the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution" (1787), in Pamphlets on the Constitution of the United States (P. Ford, 1888). GEORGE WASHINGTON, First President and Father of the Country: "A free people ought ... to be armed ..." -- George Washington,speech of January 7, 1790, in the Boston Independent Chronicle,January 14, 1790. "... 'the people' seems to have been a term of art employed in select parts of the Constitution. The Preamble declares that the Constitution is ordained, and established by 'the people of the the U.S.' The Second Amendment protects the right of the people to keep and bear Arms ...." U.S. v. Uerdugo-Uriquidez (1990). "American have the right and advantage of being armed - unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." - James Madison "I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations" -- James Madison "The Constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress... to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms." - Samuel Adams, Debates & Proceedings in the Convention of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, pages 86-87. "Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed, as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword because the whole body of the people are armed and constitute a force superior to any bands of regular troops..." - Noah Webster "The people are not to be disarmed of their weapons. They are left in full possession of them." - Zachariah Johnson, 3 Elliott, Debates at page 646. "The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed." - Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Papers, pages 184-188. "Arms in the hands of citizens [may] be used at individual discretion... in private self-defense..." - John Adams, A defense of the Constitutions of the Government of the USA, 471 (1788). "To preserve liberty it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them..." - Richard Henry Lee writing in "Letters from the Federal Farmer to the Republic" "Every corner of this land knows firearms, and more than 99 99/100 percent of them by their silence indicate they are in safe and sane hands." - George Washington "When firearms go, all goes - we need them every hour" - President George Washington "An armed republic submits less easily to the rule of one of its citizens than a republic armed by foreign forces. Rome and Sparta were for many centuries well armed and free. The Swiss are well armed and enjoy great freedom. Among other evils caused by being disarmed, it renders you contemptible. It is not reasonable to suppose that one who is armed will obey willingly one who is unarmed; or that any unarmed man will remain safe among armed servants."- Machiavelli, "The Prince" (1532) "In recent years it has been suggested that the Second Amendment protects the "collective" right of states to maintain militias, while it does not protect the right of "the people" to keep and bear arms... The phrase "the people" meant the same thing in the Second Amendment as it did in the First, Fourth, Ninth and Tenth Amendments -- that is, each and every free person. A select militia defined as only the privileged class entitled to keep and bear arms was considered an anathema to a free society, in the same way that Americans denounced select spokesmen approved by the government as the only class entitled to the freedom of the press." - Stephen P. Holbrook, "That Every Man Be Armed: The Evolution of a Constitutional Right", University of New Mexico Press, 1984, pp. 83-84. "The right of the people to keep and bear ... arms shall not be infringed. A well-regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the best and most natural defense of a free country....." -- James Madison "Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own bosom? Congress shall have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birth-right of an American ... The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people." -- Tench Coxe "No kingdom can be secured otherwise than by arming the people. The possession of arms is the distinction between a freeman and a slave. He, who has nothing, and who himself belongs to another, must be defended by him, whose property he is, and needs no arms. But he, who thinks he is his own master, and has what he can call his own, ought to have arms to defend himself, and what he possesses; else he lives precariously, and at discretion." -- James Burgh "Political Disquisitions: Or, an Enquiry into Public Errors, Defects, and Abuses" [London, 1774-1775] The current office-holders say things like this: "[The United States] can't be so fixed on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans..." --- President Bill Clinton March 1, 1993 during a press conference in Piscataway, NJ I don't think Bill studied much history. Message number 16132 in "AEN NEWS" Date: 10-10-93 17:20 From: Steve Bellows To: Mike O'brian Subj: Bill Clinton, the U.S. Go MSGID: 9:2300/0 85CB0755 MO>Well stated Steve. The only problem I have with the checks and balances, is MO>the "appointment" of the Supreme Court Justices by the Executive Branch. It MO>never more obvious, then in the last 50 years or so, how this can be used to MO>"stack" the Exec. and the Judiciary, against the Congress, AND the Citizens! MO>But what can be the difference? Can we allow them (the Justices) to be MO>elected? I do not believe the "confirmation hearings" to be an adequet defe MO>against the possibility of a serious "imbalance." Do you? Hello Mike: Well, you are keeping pretty good company. "It has long...been my opinion, and I have never shrunk from its expression, ...that the germ of dissolution of our federal government is in the constitution of our federal juciciary; an irresponsible body (for impeachment is scarcely a scarecrow), working by gravity by night and day, gaining a little today and a little tomorrow, and advancing its noiseless footstep like a thief over the field of jurisdiction, until all shall be usurped from the states, and the government of all be consolidated into one. -Thomas Jefferson He had a lot more to say along the same line but this makes the point. Keep in mind that the President and the Congress are elected, which doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in elections. These are the people who select and approve judicial appointments, so the buck comes right back to us. If we want a better class of public officials, we need to be a better class of citizens who elect people of integrity and character. To do that, we need more of it ourselves Steve * OLX 2.1 TD * Live free or die. -N.H. state motto. --- WM v3.10/92-0010 * Origin: The Rising Storm BBS in Ca. 408-739-8693 (9:2300/22 (9:2300/0) Message number 16198 in "AEN NEWS" Date: 10-11-93 19:59 From: Thomas Kryston To: Steve Erickson Subj: Re: Constitution Ignoranc -=> Quoting Steve Erickson to Thomas Kryston <=- TK> ------------------------------------------------ TK> * WHAT TODAY'S AMERICANS DON'T UNDERSTAND * TK> ------------------------------------------------ TK> By Charley Reese, Syndicated Columnist TK> There are three things every American ought to read: the TK> DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, the CONSTITUTION, and the TK> FEDERALIST PAPERS. None of them is difficult reading. They TK> are not obscure dissertations written by pedants to impress TK> pedants. All three were written for the average person and TK> widely published. SE> (delete) TK> Clearly, freedom demands a better class of human beings - TK> human beings who value freedom more than wealth or personal TK> security and who don't need the approval of others to TK> bolster their weak egos. SE> BRAVO ! (Much applause) I haven't seen common sense wisdom like SE> that since Will Rogers. And the best thing was, this article was published in mainstream newspapers! But, to be honest with you, I'm very discouraged. The average American (at least on the east coast) seems to have lost their zeal for freedom. IMO, they LOVE the debit money system, they LOVE their goodies, their conveniences. The words "liberty" "freedom" are archaic. They're slaves, but fat and happy ones. Steve, I'll leave you with a quote: "We must pity the poor wretched, timid soul who is too faint hearted to resist his oppressors. He sings the song of the damned: 'I can't fight back' 'I have toomuch to lose' 'I own too much property' 'I have worked too hard to get what I have' 'They will put me out of business if I resist' 'I might go to jail' 'I have my family to think about' Such poor miserable creatures have misplaced values and are hiding their cowardice behind pretended family responsibility, blindly refusing to see that the most glorious legacy that one can bequeath to posterity is LIBERTY; and that the onlly true security is liberty." -Marvin Cooley --- Blue Wave/QBBS v2.10 [NR] * Origin: Gun Control = Criminals & Police vs. the Unarmed. (1:231/110.0)