Silence is Not Always Golden

Silence is Not Always Golden

Pete Wheeler

We’ve been watching the presidential campaigns for some time now. Hillary Clinton has made it in no uncertain terms she will do everything she can like Obama’s attempt, to take away guns of every law abiding citizen. You, me and every other person who values our “Constitution” and “Right to Keep and Bear Arms.”

It’s important to understand the purpose of this article, that is to point out how the government has been methodically relegating our Rights. Also, history proves liberal politicians are relentless and continue their march to their goals. Collateral damage is none of their concern, in fact, often they’ll blame anyone else and refuse to be held accountable. This is not a position paper about the war of terrorism. It is about how “We the People”, as in all of us, need to stay focused to fight for a single cause. We must stop allowing ourselves to being distracted from minor skirmishes. It is a challenge that undoubtedly be placed in a timeline of American history. It’s about the big picture, a picture of how much we were willing to fight for our lives and our future. How much do you value the “Constitution” and your “Right to Keep and Bear Arms”?

Here’s a look at how I unfold the passing of time that dims our memories. We must keep in mind many of the millennials’ today, their history typically doesn’t begin until after September 11^th, 2001.

In 2001 when President Bush stated there were weapons of mass destruction and later it turned out not to be true, I expected the American people would rise up. They didn’t.

Then, when it was revealed that our government determined some law abiding American citizens have been detained under the suspicion of being a terrorist. I was sure then the American people would be heard from. We stood mute.

Then, the news came there are thousands of Americans what the government calls terrorist suspects, American citizens, placed on a ‘terrorist’ watch list which prohibits them to fly without knowing why, for how long nor, can anybody find if they are on the watch list. I thought certainly we would never stand for that. We did.

We discovered that the executive branch has been conducting massive illegal domestic email collections on its own citizens. You, me, and every American, and at least I consoled myself that finally the American people will have had enough. Evidently we haven’t.

In fact, if the people of this country have spoken the message is, we’re OK with all of it.

Illegal data mining, scanning our emails for tag words that are flagged so the government can look deeper in to who the ‘players’ are. We as a citizenry are apparently not offended.

There are no demonstrations on college campuses in fact there is no clear indication that young people even seem to understand or noticed the ramifications.

But today, many of us have been watching the TV to what use to be called “Demonstrations” have now become full blown “Riots”. These rioters are more insidious and dangerous than the demonstrators of years past.

According to ‘Moveon.org’ these rioters have admitted to posting their intentions to purposely disrupt and overwhelm the Trumps rally, thus removing Trump supporters of their “First Amendment Rights to Free Speech”. The secret service can now declare free-speech zones to contain and control to the point of criminalizing protest. Apparently, political rioters go free.

Let’s stop for a moment to take that in.

At a campaign or a parade for a politician if you have on a supportive T-shirt you can be there. If you are wearing or carrying something in protest you can be removed.

This, in the United States of America.

This, in the United States of America!

A reality and fact, people will for pay for anything, for whatever the price based on their perceived value. Today, what price would on freedoms? So, there are some questions you must ask yourself. What are your values? To what degree of your time or your efforts, are you willing to pay? Do you have the courage to stop talking and start doing? I believe when it comes to voting for our next president “Emotions” needs to be removed before going into the voting booth. Electing a president, especially when there is so much riding on it and considering social discourse, strained race relations and, the people who we elected into office have abandoned their purpose of why we elected them.

Let’s not forget to look to history and see what the politicians have been doing over the years. Do you see a value in what was written over 242 years ago by the founders of this country?

I’m sure you, as I am sick and tired of how every time somebody disagrees with how the Government is running things, he or she is labeled un-American. Free-speech in this country is free for you, free for me, free for all of us to stand up to our government and say stick it.

I become incensed when I think of how many times and in so many ways this administration takes advantage our good of nature and patience only to use it against us. Then, law abiding citizens are treated like the scourge of society that either have committed a crime and if you haven’t eventually you will.

I object to this Government to using its power to squash our Constitutional Freedoms to the citizenry, and God forbid anyone challenge it or they’re labeled as being a hieratic.

A while back I read a book by Adlai Stevenson, in the book there was a speech, the year was 1952. In it he said “The tragedy of our days is the climate of fear in which we live and fear breeds repression. Too often sinister threats to the Bill of Rights, to the Freedom of the mind are concealed in the patriotic cloak of anticommunism.” Today it is the “Concealed in the patriotic cloak of antiterrorism”.

Since the last 3 Presidential administrations, the noticeable events over time are fractured into little histories of a big picture. Although, our memory holds these fractured pieces, we can’t see the true essence of what the big picture means until we compare these administrations against the back drop of time into perspective. These major events are thrusted into major stories of the day, week or month after month. As usual, most of them take their place in that timeline of history I spoke of. We all tend to forget about them because life is what happens to us when we’re busy making plans, going places here and there. As I try to wrap my head around all this I’ve come to realize something, as it’s been said, not exactly the same words, “I’ve seen the future and it pisses me off”. Then comes another side of that statement, “I’ve looked back in time and it really pisses me off even more.” To say enough is enough, frankly is NOT enough anymore.

Aristotle once said, “Those who excel in virtue have the best right of all to rebel, but then they are of all men the least inclined to do so”

I know we are all afraid, but we must protect the Bill of Rights. We have to live up to what it means to be a free society. We simply must.

Failure is not an option, nor should it be an excuse for our failure to take back ‘Our Country’