Little bit o' Politics

Quotes of our Founding Fathers

Power of Government

2nd Amendment

Other Quotes

Power of Government

2nd Amendment

My Political Views:

Simply put, I am a libertarian.  That is, I feel that I should be allowed to do what I want, as long as it doesn't deny someone of their life, liberty, or property.  Live and let live, so to speak.  (if you want to speak in clich�s.)

With respect to domestic policy, I support strict constitutionalism.  I feel that the U.S. Constitution should be interpreted according to the intent of those who composed and adopted it.  As a libertarian I am a supporter of free will, and personal responsibility.  Too many people in today's society try to shirk their responsibility off onto other people.  They want to blame mommy and daddy for not loving them enough, rather than stand up and face the consequences of the life decisions and choices that they have made.  

People sometimes confuse my views with those of the Republican Party, which is inaccurate.  Libertarians typically fall in line with Republicans because they typically share similar views of limited government.  At the same time, people also sometimes think that Libertarians are anarchists and/or pro-drugs.  This is also incorrect, although some Libertarians do hold those beliefs.

I believe in two basic principles.  First, I believe that certain rights were granted to men by God.  The right to live and speak freely, pursue happiness, and other basic rights are granted by God, and not by government or society.  Second, I feel that the power of the government is granted by those that are governed.  (That would be us.)  Conversely, liberal democrats tend to hold beliefs that we, as citizens, only have those rights that the government grants us.  This not only flies in the face of everything our Founding Fathers stood for, but it hints at socialism, Marxism, and communism. 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed... --Declaration of Independence.

As you can see by the Declaration of Independence, the intention of our Founding Fathers was to have a government that was limited in size and scope.  Their views are further illustrated by their actions, words, and writings; some of which I have collected here. 

I share with our Founding Fathers, the belief that the powers of government should be limited.  Specifically, the government should only be empowered when it can take advantage of economies of scale.  This means that it should only do things that it can do better than local governments could do separately.  National Defense is one such example.  It worries me that people all too often look to the federal government to solve all our problems; even when many of these problems clearly could best be handled at the local level.  

Power of the Government

"The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite." -- Thomas Jefferson

"Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated." --Thomas Jefferson

"Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty." --Thomas Jefferson

"There are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." -- James Madison

"We must confine ourselves to the powers described in the Constitution, and the moment we pass it, we take an arbitrary stride towards a despotic Government." -- James Jackson

"All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree." -- James Madison

"We still find the greedy hand of government thrusting itself into every corner and crevice of industry, and grasping at the spoil of the multitude. Invention is continually exercised to furnish new pretenses for revenue and taxation. It watches prosperity as its prey and permits none to escape without a tribute." -- Thomas Paine

"Those who would give up essential Liberty to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." -- Ben Franklin

"The moment the idea is admitted into society, that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence." -- John Adams

"It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood. . ." -- James Madison

What these men are saying is that the government derives its power from the people, not the other way around.  People are born with rights granted from God, not government.  There is also an obvious fear that powerful men will only want more power.  How prophetic.

Second Amendment Rights

"The great object is, that every man be armed ... Every one who is able may have a gun." -- Patrick Henry

"The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed." -- Alexander Hamilton

" ... to disarm the people - that was the best and most effectual way to enslave them." -- George Mason

"What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms." -- Thomas Jefferson

"No Free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson

"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government." -- George Washington

"Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American." -- Tench Coxe, of Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb. 20, 1788.

Clearly, individuals were intended to own firearms.  It is the best way to keep the government from getting too powerful.  History has illustrated over and over again that the one of the rules for maintaining a despotic government is to keep firearms away from citizens.  Others include government control of the media, maintaining the dependency of citizens, indoctrination of youth, and seizure of property.

Many proponents of gun control argue that the Second Amendment doesn't apply anymore, because of the advancement of modern weaponry.  This argument is analogous to saying that your First Amendment freedom of expression is no longer valid because the Founding Fathers could not have envisioned modern mediums such as radio and television. 

Other Quotes

Power of Government

"From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs." -- Karl Marx

"We need a government that lives within its means, invests in the American people and supports tax cuts for the people who need tax cuts." -- Al Gore

"When we got organized as a country and we wrote a fairly radical Constitution with a radical Bill of Rights, giving a radical amount of individual freedom to Americans" -- President Bill Clinton

"We can't be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans." -- President Bill Clinton

"The purpose of government is to rein in the rights of the people" -- President Bill Clinton

"If the personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution inhibit the government's ability to govern the people, we should look to limit those guarantees." -- President Bill Clinton

"You know the one thing that's wrong with this country? Everyone gets a chance to have their fair say." -- President Bill Clinton

"Anyone who is not a liberal in his youth has no heart. Anyone who remains so as he matures has no brain!" -- Sir Winston Churchill

"We must stop thinking of the individual and start thinking about what is best for society." -- Hillary Clinton

"Many of you are well enough off that . . . the tax cuts may have helped you. We're saying that for America to get back on track, we're probably going to cut that short and not give it to you. We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good." -- Hillary Clinton

"There is no greater force for economic growth than free markets. But markets work best with rules that promote our values, protect our workers and give all people a chance to succeed. . .Fairness doesn't just happen. It requires the right government policies." -- Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton

Deriding America as an "on your own" society, "I prefer a 'we're all in it together' society. . .I believe our government can once again work for all Americans. It can promote the great American tradition of opportunity for all and special privileges for none." -- Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton

"I like the idea of giving every baby born in America a $5,000 account that will grow over time. . .so when that young person turns 18 if they have finished high school they will be able to access it to go to college or maybe they will be able to put that down payment on their first home, or go into business." -- Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton

"The days of law by the quill pen... are coming to an end." -- Vice President Al Gore

"Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything." -- Josef Stalin

"All propaganda has to be popular and has to adapt its spiritual level to the perception of the least intelligent of those towards whom it intends to direct itself." -- Adolf Hitler

"For the bureaucrat, the world is a mere object to be manipulated by him." -- Karl Marx

"With respect to the use of military weapons, these pieces of equipment were unarmed as I understand it, and were contracted... I mean, it was like a good renta' car." -- Attorney General Janet Reno, testifying about the use of excessive use of tanks and military force during the Branch Dividian standoff in Waco, TX.

"Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what have for dinner." -- Libertarian Author and Lecturer James Bovard.

"My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time." -- Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in 1938, returning from Appeasement negotiations with Adolf Hitler.

Second Amendment Rights

"...he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one." -- Jesus Christ, Luke 22:36

"When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace." -- Jesus Christ, Luke 11:21

"If the [political] opposition disarms, well and good. If it refuses to disarm, we shall disarm it ourselves." -- Josef Stalin

"Ideas are more dangerous than guns. We wouldn't let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas?" -- Josef Stalin

"The House passage of our bill is a victory for this country! Common sense wins out. I'm just so thrilled and excited. The sale of guns must stop. Halfway measures are not enough." -- Sarah Brady

"The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing." -- Adolph Hitler

"The right to buy weapons is the right to be free." -- A.E. Van Vogt, "The Weapon Shops Of Isher", ASF December 1942

"Gun Control? It's the best thing you can do for crooks and gangsters." -- Sammy "The Bull" Gravano

"Only an armed people can be the real bulwark of popular liberty." -- Vladimir Lenin

"A system of licensing and registration is the perfect device to deny gun ownership to the bourgeoisie." -- Vladimir Lenin

"Every good Communist should know that political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. The Communist party must control the guns" -- Mao Tse Tung

"Today's liberals wish to disarm us so they can run their evil and oppressive agenda on us. The fight against crime is just a convenient excuse to further their agenda. I don't know about you, but if you hear that Williams' guns have been taken, you'll know Williams is dead." -- Walter Williams, Professor of Economics, George Mason University

"I honestly think - and I am not an expert on the amendments - I think the only people in this nation who should be allowed to own guns are police officers. I don't care if you want to hunt, I don't care if you think it's your right. I say, 'Sorry. It is 1999, we have had enough as a nation. You are not allowed to own a gun and if you do own a gun, I think you should go to prison.'" -- Rosie O'Donnell

"We did indeed know much about your preparedness. We knew that probably every second home in your country contained firearms. We knew that your country actually had state championships for private citizens shooting military rifles. We were not fools to set foot in such quicksand."  -- A Japanese Admiral 15 years after VJ day on why Japan didn't invade the US mainland after Pearl Harbor. 

"We need a federal law that bans all assault weapons, and if in fact you do need a handgun you should be subjected to at least the same restrictions -- and really stronger ones -- that exist for driving an automobile.  The United States Congress needs to pass uniform licensing for everyone carrying a gun." -- New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, March 2, 1997

"If I could have gotten 51 votes in the Senate of the United States for an outright ban, picking up every one of them -- Mr. and Mrs. America, turn them all in -- I would have done it." -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-CA, on CBS "60 Minutes"

"We'll take one step at a time, and the first is necessarily - given the political realities - very modest. We'll have to start working again to strengthen the law, and then again to strengthen the next law and again and again. Our ultimate goal, total control of hand guns, is going to take time. The first problem is to slow down production and sales. Next is to get registration. The final problem is to make possession of all handguns and ammunition (with a few exceptions) totally illegal." -- Pete Shields, founder of Handgun Control, Inc., New Yorker Magazine, June 26, 1976, page 53.

"Passing a law like the assault weapons ban is a symbolic - purely symbolic - move in that direction. Its only real justification is not to reduce crime but to desensitize the public to the regulation of weapons in preparation for their ultimate confiscation." -- Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post, April 5, 1996

"The weapons' menacing looks, coupled with the public's confusion over fully automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons - anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun - can only increase the chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons." -- Violence Policy Center, on how best to sell the ban on so-called "assault weapons".

"If you want assault rifles, join the army. We have lots of them." -- Gen. Wesley Clark, Democrat Presidential Primary, 2004

"Germans who wish to use firearms should join the SS or the SA. Ordinary citizens don't need guns, as their having guns doesn't serve the State." -- Heinrich Himmler 1936

"From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
Make him a member of the gentry, even if he is a commoner.
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day."
-- Henry V in William Shakespeare's Henry V.

"Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily lives, and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom." -- John F. Kennedy

"I say that the Second Amendment is, in order of importance, the first amendment. It is America's First Freedom, the one right that protects all the others. Among freedom of speech, of the press, of religion, of assembly, of redress of grievances, it is the first among equals. It alone offers the absolute capacity to live without fear. The right to keep and bear arms is the one right that allows "rights" to exist at all. Either you believe that, or you don't, and you must decide." -- Charlton Heston, in a 1997 speech at the National Press Club