Saturday, September 08, 2007

Protection From Government "Protection"

If you watch the television news you will begin to think that mortal danger lurks around every corner. Fear is the fashion of the moment. Of all the dangers in today's world, the one that seems to get completely ignored is the danger posed by the existence of government. Ignored by everyone except for cranks like me, that is.

When government gets me really angry is when it interferes with my ability to take care of myself and my family. Forcing me to leave behind my gun when I enter some place, which by the presence of metal detectors, has been admitted to be dangerous, is the most hostile manifestation of this. Government fans the flames of fear, yet imposes penalties on the normal person who takes steps to actually protect themselves and their families.

I understand that some people feel a need for a "big daddy government" or a "nanny state". I don't. The fact that government endangers me and my family by its very existence can make me a bit hostile. That gets back to the metal detectors and their "gun-free (in the hands of the right people, anyway) zones". You interfere with my ability to take care of the people I love, and you are my enemy. No excuses; no justifications. I am never afraid unless I am in an area surrounded by organs of the state who expect me to lay down my responsibilities and depend on their "good nature" and abilities. No one is able or motivated to protect me or my family as much as I am. The assumption that if I have a gun I am a "public menace" is absurd. It doesn't matter if I am in the courthouse, on a plane, or in a mall. I am not the problem. No cop or security guard will ever be as capable or willing to defend me and my family as I am. Period. Forcing me to be without my gun in these obviously dangerous places is an act of aggression against me. One that I will not forget or forgive.