FIRST RESPONDERS
Whenever we have a mass shooting the same people come out of the woodwork to scream gun control and it always makes me fighting mad. Maybe that is because the older I get the more I appreciate the great wisdom behind our Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Next to the Bible they are the most sacred documents ever written. They are why Americans are the most unique and exceptional people on the planet. These documents recognize the self evident truth that the individual is supreme. Each of us has a God given right to life, liberty, and property. Jefferson changed property to the pursuit of happiness in the Declaration of Independence. The term property, however; had a broader meaning when John Locke originally wrote those words in his 2nd Treatise of Government. We have a property in our own life and our own liberty, As an individual we are primarily responsible for defending our lives when our lives are threatened and our liberty when it is also threatened. Or the lives and liberty of our loved ones.
This morning when I was taking my shower, while getting ready for work, I had an epiphany. We call our police officers, firefighters, and paramedics first responders. That is not true. They are the second responders. As individuals we are the first responders. This is not to slam what they do. I have nothing but the utmost respect for them. Until the police officer arrives, however; I am responsible for protecting my life and liberty. John Locke said that when the thief enters your home and binds you up, he not only has it in his power to rob you of your liberty but he has the power to rob you of your life. We should never under any circumstances surrender our liberty. The passengers on the four hijacked planes on September 11, 2001 surrendered their liberty to a small band of hijackers and they paid with their lives. Granted they were conditioned to believe that, as in past hijackings, there would be negotiations and hopefully they would be set free. Unfortunately they surrendered their liberty and the decision was no longer theirs. Flight 93 waited too late to fight back but as the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto they died on their feet and not on their knees.
I tell my daughters, if you are ever approached by a man with a weapon in a parking lot and told to get into your car, or their car, do not do it. Fight, kick, scream, run, but do not give up your liberty. Even if you are shot or stabbed you are more likely to get help in that parking lot than out on a deserted road where they can do anything they want to you and there is no one around to help. If a fire breaks out in my home it is up to me to get my family and myself to safety, or put out the fire if that is possible before the fire department arrives. When someone has a medical emergency, such as a heart attack, stroke, or is bleeding profusely, one or more people on the scene can mean the difference between life and death until the paramedics arrive. A gun is only one of many tools that we can use to fight for our liberty and our lives.
What if the government passed a law saying that citizens were not allowed to own fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, or Scott air packs? Or what if they said that an individual was not allowed to own first aid kits, tourniquets, or defibrillators? As a nation of individuals we have to quit looking to the government for answers. My safety is my responsibility. Government is too big and too incompetent to provide it. They have proven this far too many times. If you don't believe me go on Youtube and listen to actual 911 calls of citizens hiding in their closet, or a room in their house waiting for the police to arrive. For the lucky citizens who are armed they usually are forced to shoot the intruder long before police arrive on the scene. Jefferson said that government is a necessary evil. He also said that the best government is the least government. It doesn't matter if Nicklaus Cruz was mentally ill or what possessed him to do what he did. There are thousands of Nicklaus Cruz's out there just waiting to harm us. So how do we prepare to protect ourselves against them? It is not important what he is thinking but it is important what we are thinking. Our thinking has to change. We are the primary protectors of our life and liberty. We are the first responders and no one else.
This morning when I was taking my shower, while getting ready for work, I had an epiphany. We call our police officers, firefighters, and paramedics first responders. That is not true. They are the second responders. As individuals we are the first responders. This is not to slam what they do. I have nothing but the utmost respect for them. Until the police officer arrives, however; I am responsible for protecting my life and liberty. John Locke said that when the thief enters your home and binds you up, he not only has it in his power to rob you of your liberty but he has the power to rob you of your life. We should never under any circumstances surrender our liberty. The passengers on the four hijacked planes on September 11, 2001 surrendered their liberty to a small band of hijackers and they paid with their lives. Granted they were conditioned to believe that, as in past hijackings, there would be negotiations and hopefully they would be set free. Unfortunately they surrendered their liberty and the decision was no longer theirs. Flight 93 waited too late to fight back but as the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto they died on their feet and not on their knees.
I tell my daughters, if you are ever approached by a man with a weapon in a parking lot and told to get into your car, or their car, do not do it. Fight, kick, scream, run, but do not give up your liberty. Even if you are shot or stabbed you are more likely to get help in that parking lot than out on a deserted road where they can do anything they want to you and there is no one around to help. If a fire breaks out in my home it is up to me to get my family and myself to safety, or put out the fire if that is possible before the fire department arrives. When someone has a medical emergency, such as a heart attack, stroke, or is bleeding profusely, one or more people on the scene can mean the difference between life and death until the paramedics arrive. A gun is only one of many tools that we can use to fight for our liberty and our lives.
What if the government passed a law saying that citizens were not allowed to own fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, or Scott air packs? Or what if they said that an individual was not allowed to own first aid kits, tourniquets, or defibrillators? As a nation of individuals we have to quit looking to the government for answers. My safety is my responsibility. Government is too big and too incompetent to provide it. They have proven this far too many times. If you don't believe me go on Youtube and listen to actual 911 calls of citizens hiding in their closet, or a room in their house waiting for the police to arrive. For the lucky citizens who are armed they usually are forced to shoot the intruder long before police arrive on the scene. Jefferson said that government is a necessary evil. He also said that the best government is the least government. It doesn't matter if Nicklaus Cruz was mentally ill or what possessed him to do what he did. There are thousands of Nicklaus Cruz's out there just waiting to harm us. So how do we prepare to protect ourselves against them? It is not important what he is thinking but it is important what we are thinking. Our thinking has to change. We are the primary protectors of our life and liberty. We are the first responders and no one else.
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