In thinking about this I have been pondering questions about gun rights, and the rights of the individuals to protect themselves and others. I personally have issues attending a tea party debate at a University that does not support individual gun rights on its campus when they actually matter.

I think the school went a long way when they decided to provide a handgun shooting range for students on their local university police range. I think this was a great idea, and long overdue from the school that has one of the United States first all weather ski slopes.

I am unsure as to why this logic did not carry through when the university decided not to allow students with concealed carry permits to carry on campus. Traditionally school grounds have been “no gun” zones around the country, but with tragedies like the  Virginia Tech massacre, one would think that the need to protect students should be seen at an all time high.

At what point in time on Liberty University’s campus does a legal carry permit holder become a threat to security of others instead of an asset to overall security of everyone they stand next to?

Lets examine why I personally choose to carry a gun much of the time, and why I should be allowed to carry every single place I go. (Yes even on airplanes and school grounds).

The purpose for me to carry my hand gun is to protect my life and property. It is the right of all humans to protect their lives and property from threats that would take them away. I believe like many others that this is a basic human right, and not a power given to me by the government or any elected office. I do not require the “ok” from congress, or any law to protect my life and the lives of those around me. This is a right I was born with, and you were to.

So how then in a day and age where the knife and sword have been replaced by guns should I defend myself where I am not allowed the right to carry one. Please bear in mind I had an FBI background check and now hold a document issued from a judge that gives me the right to carry a gun 95% of the places I go in concealment. I was already allowed by my state laws to carry openly in even more locations just because I am an adult with no criminal history that would prevent my ownership of guns.

So I find myself trying to understand why Liberty University does not believe in my right to protect myself? I am a law abiding adult that regularly carries my gun into public places with the intent to protect myself if I am ever in a situation that requires it.

I personally think every law abiding adult person in this country should take it upon themselves to provide for the protection of their family. For one to rely on the police, which will arrive in a deadly situation far to late to do any good, is to be negligent of their personal responsibility. The police are a luxury, and should not provide people with a false sense of security. The millions of times Americans defend themselves legally with guns every year is clear evidence I am not saying anything that is “out there” or “radical”.

The personal right to defend life and liberty on the grounds of Liberty University is greatly handicapped because as every logical person knows criminals do not obey laws. I can guarantee without a doubt that criminals have and will continue to bring guns into every university in the country because they bring their guns regardless of the rules against them. Once again.. Criminals do not obey laws by definition. Rules against legal citizens carrying hand guns on private property is paramount to liberal gun control, and spits in the face of logical freedom loving gun owners.

Liberty University would do better to teach its young persons the benefits and values of defending themselves in an emergency, and the honor associated with standing up for those who can not defend themselves. This would be a practice worthy of the university’s namesake.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting that every 17 year old should be armed, but restricting legal permit holding adults from protecting themselves, and the Univeristy while they are on the grounds is not clear thinking.

I do not shop in places that do not support my right to carry, and I will not attend debates on the future of our freedom in a University that does not value my personal freedoms in respect to the safety of my life.

I had a disagreement with a family member on this issue, which gave me time to think it through.. I had previously said “Liberty University does not support my second amendment rights”.. I was wrong.. I now correctly believe “Liberty University does not respect my individual liberty, nor my personal right to defend myself on its campus”

Pen and Teller have a great word for this.. Bullshit.

Yes it would be foolish not to admit that we live in a much more Hamiltonian world than Jefferson ever would have liked. Globalization, mass media, the internet and the information age as a whole have changed the picture to a world where our neighbors are also people half way across the world. It does no good to try and return to a Monroe style of governing where we pretend the rest of the world does not exist. In fact it is now more than ever that the opportunity exists  for people to take our rights away and conform us to the whole of the worlds populations. The same truth rings out about truth and free speech. Even though I know I would not be comfortable saying some of the things I find myself thinking, and there is an oppressive spirit in our country toward true patriotism, I now more than ever have the ability to reach thousands or even millions with my words and spread my ideas as an individual.

Individual rights are the true cornerstone of our way of life as Americans. Power lies not with the government, or corporate wealth, but with the individual who can still vote, and who can still make a stand with his words and his wallet. So I say to you republicans that say people like me are “crazy” and “need to come back down to reality” those of us in this country who are waking up are not going to stand for he same zero sum game DC has been playing with us for decades. President after president we have seen this country argue and play political games with issues that have no relevance, all the while dipping their dirty hands into the public coffers to expand their own salaries, benefits, pensions, and give money to corporate friends. We have watched both the Republicans and the Democrats waste our hard earned money for quite long enough. I for one have had it up to HERE!!! (points at own neck).

People pretending to love the constitution still engage in silly games where they allow the media, and greedy politicians to frame the discussion in this country. For to long we watched news reporters and congressman argue about different approaches to government run health care. Who stood up and asked if the idea of government interference in the Health Care industry was even a constitutionally viable concept?  Who stood up for Americans when people on both sides passed the Patriot act? Who stood up when Bush Jr spied on all of us? To me that is a crime far worse than anything Clinton was guilty of. Where was the voice of the people?
Even now there are those in the republican party that want us all to live in a “Big Tent” republican party. Excuse me? What? A big tent party means that at least 1/3 of the people in your political party disagree with you on much of what you believe. How can that be a healthy way to have a political party? Instead of promising ground breaking legislation the Republican party should be seeking to limit the power of government and dismantle money pits like the Military Industrial Complex. Instead of the montra that government is the problem the Republicans have increased the size of government, and government spending for 8 long years. This is not conservative by any stretch of the imagination.

We do not need to let DC frame the public discourse and keep us all talking about issues that do not matter. For to long I personally have decided to support the Republican candidates because I thought it was better than letting the democrats keep control. I find now I was in grave error. This is because the republican party is still to friendly with socialists. Lets be frank here, when you support more big government, more government intrusion, and fewer liberties you are a socialists plain and simple. Needing to live in the Nanny State where big brother looks out for everyone is going to open the doors for people like Obama to come in and do crazy stuff. We can debate about the meaning of the word socialism all day long, but Democratic Socialism is still Socialism.. and is likely to become a form of Communism or worse over time.

We need to start voting for the people that make sense to us. I do not want to live under a big tent where socialist republicans are my counterparts. If the republican party wants to be the party of the people it needs to stop running democratic candidates! I voted in the last election for the lesser of two evils. I voted against Obama, but I voted for a guy that I think is a democrat at heart!

It does not matter if the republicans get back power in the house and senate.. I know that’s going to be hard for some people to chew on, but I would rather see ten years pass where a new party is formed that comes in and cleans out the Democrats and Republicans for their treachery, than to see more of the same Republican garbage for any length of time. Republican politicians will lie to you just as quickly as a democratic one will. I have no doubt that we will see an ocean of republicans pretending to identify with our ideals as constitutionalists and libertarians.

If we don’t vote in a new kind of republican congress.. we might as well just keep the people we have.

On another note I would also say that wanting a constitutionally run government is not a pipe-dream. It is not being naive to work toward that goal. The only hope the republican party has is to squeeze out the liberals in our midst.

I was a bit taken back though when John started mocking the insurance company executives salaries, and the fact that the insurance industry is making a profit. Don’t get me wrong I think when costs go up 50% and profits go up nearly as much there is a problem with the industry. Especially when every citizen in the country needs the services offered by the industry. However how would one expect the industry to survive if it did not make a profit? It is the point of running a company to give all of its employees and shareholders a better quality of life. That is not going to happen without profit!

This is a good example of the shift in American politics toward socialism. The health care legislation is not an attempt to fix health care, it is an attempt to take  the entire health care industry out the the hands of the “dirty rich people”.

Why is this sentiment gaining any ground? Because this is the sentiment that elected a person like Obama. If we drill down into the numbers for who elected our new president we can see two groups emerge. The first group is those with post graduate degrees, and the second group has no college education. Who is missing? The middle class is missing, as they voted for McCain.

When you take a look at his campaign and who voted for him, you can clearly see it is those with little to no education, who make very little money, and those we fall into the victim mentality. The majority of those who feel they are victims of ethnic or economic hardships are the rank and file of the Obama support base. No wonder the president wants to punish all the rich people, he is in power because he raised support from those who feel “disenfranchised”.

Those who are a part of the disenfranchised victim mentality have some common traits. A few of them being a low civic IQ, a lack of understanding of how a republic functions, and a predisposition to class warfare. Frankly these are people that have bought into a victim mentality, and not people we should encourage to vote. This group of our populace is not freedom loving, but rather a group who sees they have not, and want to punish those who have. Any constitution loving American should see these people are grown up children who get angry when someone else has what they believe is more opportunity, but they have no drive to work hard enough to get it themselfs.  They are not the hard working core of this nation that makes us who we are. How did we all let this happen?

The group we should be even more weary about is the elitist socialists that helped make this all possible. Progressives, fighting for “social justice” who do not love liberty or freedom, who would rather see that everyone be held back than anyone be successful.

When did communists become welcome citizens of our republic? I support the freedom of people to believe what they want, but when they try to take away our liberty and everything that makes this country great we should not stand for it.

Where is middle America? Where are the hard working people who strive to provide a better life for their children? With the promise of liberty we set aside the foolish notions of “fairness” and the bondage of “everyone deserves the same”.

Another good example of this is the outcry by the media about congressional health care. Why should every American be given the same health plan as a congressman? I have health insurance through a company policy, should then every American be given the same policy? Should the plans provider be forced to give the same plan to the person that works only a few hours a week as those who work full time and qualify under the company policy? This is insain! NO ONE HAS A RIGHT TO HEALTH CARE OF ANY SORT. The world is not fair, and never has been, nor ever shall be.

Our country has given every citizen the opportunity to be the next Bill Gates or Warren Buffet. It is up to the citizen to take that opportunity and make something of it. Those who have made nothing of their opportunity, those who are squandering their life should not be allowed to punish the rest of us and say “the opportunity didn’t do anything for me.”

This shift is the direct result of a nation that allows cities like Chicago to take away personal freedoms from its citizens and give the power to the criminals. This is the result of a country that allows a welfare state to exist. People have been taking from the public treasury since the days of FDR, and its time to put a stop to it. If we do nothing the opportunity that our forefathers died and killed for, will evaporate into a mist of socialist programs and corrupt government promises.