All this time we were under the delusion that individual
rights were Naturally occurring or gifts from God; but apparently rights come
from the Veterans Administration, at least the right to own and bear arms. During a heated discussion over the defense
budget bill some folks stated they believe veterans are not protected by the
Constitution; why else would these individuals be held to a different standard
than the rest of the citizenry? The
question recorded in an AP article:
“Should veterans deemed too
mentally incompetent to handle their own financial affairs be prevented from
buying a gun?”
I’m not sure that’s a good question to ask; after all, if
we’re to use mental incompetence in handling financial affairs as our litmus
test, wouldn’t that exempt Congress and the Executive Branch as well?
In my best Arlo Guthrie tone of voice, “I mean…I meeeeaaaannnnn…”,
as we’re headed for a financial cliff running full steam ahead toward national
bankruptcy these folks have the audacity to use financial incompetence as a measuring stick for mental stability?
“Currently, the VA appoints
fiduciaries, often family members, to manage the pensions and disability
benefits of veterans who are declared incompetent. When that happens, the
department automatically enters the veteran’s name in the Criminal Background
Check System.”
I should point out that it is a VA doctor or management team
who declares these veterans incompetent rather than a judge in a court of law
to determine mental competency. This is
all done to protect the individual and society from dangers associated with
firearms; so they are automatically denied the right to purchase any firearms
since their name would appear on a background check even though these folks are
not criminals. Doesn’t that strike
anyone else as warped?
Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. has been trying to protect
veteran’s gun ownership rights through an amendment to the defense budget bill;
however, VA administrators see it differently.
“VA
officials have told lawmakers they believe veterans deemed incompetent already
have adequate protections.
For example, they said, veterans can appeal the
finding of incompetency based on new evidence. And even if the VA maintains a
veteran is incompetent, he can petition the agency to have his firearm rights
restored on the basis of not posing a threat to public safety.”
Don’t blink or you’ll miss it, that part where a veteran who has lost his right to own and bear arms, having lost that right because a doctor or management team at the VA deemed him/her mentally incompetent to manage his/her financial affairs, not a judge in a court of law; that individual can petition the VA, an agency of government, to restore that right.
Rights
don’t come from government; they existed prior to the formation of government,
entitlements come from government. If
you don’t understand this then you don’t deserve to call yourself an American.
“Rights are not
gifts from one man to another, nor from one class of men to another… It is
impossible to discover any origin of rights otherwise than in the origin of
man; it consequently follows that rights appertain to man in right of his
existence, and must therefore be equal to every man.” Thomas Paine
“Can the liberties
of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a
conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of
God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath?” Thomas Jefferson
The
foundation of America
is set in our Republican Constitutional form of government which at its base
uses reasoning acquired over the history of mankind; but summed up by John
Locke,
“For nobody can
transfer to another more power than he has in himself, and nobody has an
absolute arbitrary power over himself, or over any other, to destroy his own
life, or take away the life or property of another.”
Individual rights cannot be
arbitrarily removed from any individual; by executive fiat, by legislation
intended to make society a safer place, by a doctor treating a patient or management
team intent on providing a safer environment for family members.
Only a judge sitting in a proper
court of law can limit an individual’s use of rights.
In August a former Marine was
arrested, “after authorities deemed his Facebook posts threatening”. According to the original article
printed in the Washington Times”
“Without a warrant or recitation of
his Miranda rights, (Brandon) Raub was handcuffed and taken into custody. After a quick
hearing, government officials confirmed that Raub’s Facebook posts necessitated
his detention, refusing to acknowledge legal objections that the words were
wrongly interpreted. The former Marine will undergo 30 days of evaluation at
Salem VA Medical Center.”
Raub was held against his will; but considerable attention
and pressure was brought to bear after news of this incident got around the
internet.
“After a special hearing today
(August 23, 2012), Circuit Judge W. Allan Sharret declared the commitment
order granted to federal authorities for Brandon Raub’s arrest and detainment
was invalid.”
It wouldn’t be so bad if this were an isolated incident; but I’m hearing from many who are currently serving in the military that upon leaving the service they are being advised to be very careful in answering questions which relate to firearms ownership because the VA medical personnel are flagging folks who “raise any red flags or concerns” and that these individuals names are automatically added to the Criminal Background Check System effectively preventing them from gun ownership.
If all of Congress decided to limit
the rights of individuals to own and bear arms through legislation, to include
the UN Treaty currently being considered, that legislation would not meet the
requirements of our Constitution under our form of government because rights of
individuals existed and continue to exist with or without government’s
approval, with or without your neighbor’s approval or even your own family’s
approval.
That’s the beauty of Constitutional
protections; they don’t limit individuals, they limit government. No, veterans don’t have to ask the VA for the
right to own and bear arms, not now, not ever; it’s a Right, not an
entitlement.
This article has been cross posted to
The Moral Liberal , a publication whose banner reads, “Defending The
Judeo-Christian Ethic, Limited Government, & The American Constitution”.
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