Soap Box

"No free man shall ever be debarred from the use of arms."

Who said that?

Some right wing zealot, clinging to his �guns or religion,� a lifetime member of the NRA who takes the Second Amendment seriously and believes that it means exactly what is says?

No, that statement, among others concerning America's constitutionally guaranteed right to bear arms, was made by an internationally recognized intellectual, founder of a university, statesman, farmer, businessman, diplomat, eloquent author of our most meaningful federal papers and two term President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. The quote was in Jefferson�s first three drafts of the Virginia Constitution, although it did not make it to the final draft, but the words were indeed his.

It seems that Barack Obama is determined by hook or crook to separate Americans from their privately owned fire arms, if not by taking the guns themselves away, drying up the sources of ammunition, a process he has already put into motion.

The framers of the constitution added the second amendment for some very good reasons and it's not only for hunting, target practice and personal protection, as most people tend to believe.

Let's see what Thomas Jefferson had to say about it.

"None but an armed nation can dispense with a standing army. To keep ours armed and disciplined is therefor at all times important."

We're all familiar with what Admiral Yamato of the Japanese Imperial Navy said about there being a rifle behind every blade of grass in America, making invading the U.S. Mainland a chancy venture.

Well today, in my opinion, America faces a more clear and present danger to our homeland than we ever did from the Japanese.

I have no desire to be an alarmist and I am very serious about the statement I am about to make and hope with all my heart that it is totally wrong, but I sincerely believe that the chances of terrorist chaos in the streets of America, attacks on shopping malls, public gatherings and even in neighborhoods are all but eminent.

America has been much less than vigilant in our immigration polices for decades, there are thousands of people who have over stayed their visas and the government has completely lost track of them, those who have slipped through the cracks, as was the case of the Tsarnaev brothers who pulled off the Boston Marathon bombing and the Saudis who flew planes into the World Trade Towers and those who simply walked across our Southern border that President Obama wants to grant amnesty to, not even knowing their reasons for being here or their ultimate intentions.

The current administration's velvet glove approach to the pursuit of potential Islamic terrorists in America has weakened federal agencies ability to identify and detain, implementing profiling policies and off limits restrictions that will take years to sort out even if our next president and Congress make a concerted effort to do so.

The day could well come when multiple terrorist attacks could so overwhelm local police and federal agencies that the only protection private citizens would have is their personal firearms.

Obama's vendetta against personally owned firearms could well leave American families at the mercy of terrorists and his obsession to remove the heavier calibers and more powerful ammunition from private ownership could have a catastrophically detrimental effect on our ability to protect ourselves and our families if push comes to shove.

People I hope what I'm saying never happens, I hope I can look back on this column in a few years as an old man crying wolf and I will be the first one to admit being wrong.

But, having said that, please don't take what I say lightly.

The likelihood of terrorist sleeper cells in America is extremely high and if, God forbid, they take the battle to the streets of America you don't want to be caught with a slingshot and butcher knife.

Bearing arms is our right, and protecting our families is our responsibility, and it could become very hard to do one without the other.

What do you think?

Pray for our troops and the peace of Jerusalem.

God Bless America

Charlie Daniels