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Aphelion Editorial 034

March 2000

The Senior Editor's usual drivel about whatever...

by Dan L. Hollifield


Hello and welcome!

You're not going to like this one...

Things are falling apart...

That's what has been on my mind lately. Not only things that I own are breaking down- my computer, things around the house, the machinery at work -but it looks as if America isn't going to be free much longer. I can hear you thinking- that I've been reading the conspiracy webpages too much again, but no, that's not it. I just look at those to find out what's fashionable for paranoids to believe these days. Mere entertainment, you understand. But... What if? Writers deal in "what ifs" every time they write, so it’s hard to separate what one is thinking about one's work from what one sees in the news, in magazines, or online. Writers never stop thinking about alternate possibilities. How many of us have turned a dream or nightmare into a plot point for a story? I know I've done that several times and I doubt that I'm much different than anyone else.

"So," you ask. "What bug crawled up his shorts about the loss of freedom in America?"

OK. You want a laugh? Then I'll tell you. Gun control. There, I've said it- Now every one of you knows that I'm just some nutcase with a handgun and the insane urge to kill everyone who's ever looked at me. Go ahead, get it out of your system, laugh. But, you see, I'm not like that at all. I own at least a dozen handguns and half that many rifles- and all I ever want to shoot is little paper targets. That's all. I hope I never have to use any of those weapons on anything but little pieces of paper with little circles drawn upon them. I pray that I'll never be forced to defend myself against anyone, for any reason. I haven't hunted anything more dangerous than crows in a cornfield in over twenty years. I have no urge to go postal at work, no stuffed animals on my walls... I'm not even angry at the deer that jumped out in front of my truck a few weeks ago. So what's the big deal about gun control?

Freedom, that's what. If you think that governments establish anti-gun laws in order to regulate hunting, you're wrong. Laws to restrict or prevent the private ownership of guns are passed to protect governments from the governed, and for no other reason. They aren't passed to prevent children from taking guns to school and blowing away the bullies- that's the responsibility of the parents who raise the children. They aren't passed to prevent act of terrorism or crime because terrorists and criminals will always be able to obtain weapons, no matter what laws are passed. I'm sorry to have to inform you that anti-gun laws are passed to protect politicians from the people that they rule. And for no other reason! Politics and government were invented to extort payments from the governed. Look at history if you don't believe me, the evidence is there and plain to see once we take off the blinders that we've all been saddled with from birth. All governments began with some group of thugs who got tired of taking the chance that they would be killed by the people that they wished to enslave. Let's face it, if you rob enough people, chances are that one of them will be brave enough to fight back... and possibly kill you. This is not a pleasant thought to the man who would be king. So governments were born, from those who wish to enslave others so that they themselves don't have to work for a living. From bullies, muggers, thieves, murderers, rapists... These are the people who founded the institution of government. Nice bunch of folks who own you, hunh? Make no mistake, they do own you- Try not paying your income tax one year and see what prison you wind up inside. So what's that got to do with guns? Well its hard to control slaves that have the means to resist, to fight back. That's what made America free in the first place- A bunch of peasants who got tired of paying tribute to a government that was treating them as a captive market and a source of tribute. They had the means to fight back and were willing to do so, even if they were killed themselves. Freedom requires the means to defend oneself against any who wish to make one a slave. This kind of rankles those who wish to be slave-masters.

These are dangerous times. The lessons of history are being ignored once more and the rights of all Americans are closer than ever to being wiped away in a frenzy of gun control laws. The state of California will be allowed to vote this year upon the issue of mandatory registration of all weapons. Like Hitler, the American government wants to know where all the guns are and who has them so they can confiscate them when the need arises. As usual, California will be used to blaze the trail straight to slavery for every man, woman, and child in America. Australia is now a country of slaves- since the mandatory registration of firearms made it easy to confiscate them when some spurious "national emergency" (I.E. One lone nutcase with a rifle who killed a bunch of folks who had no means of defending themselves against him.) was pushed to the forefront by the media, and the government stepped in to "protect" the governed of that once free country. Now the government is free to proceed with anything they wish, free of the fear that someone could possibly defend themselves. The inhabitants of Australia are not even aware that they are now slaves to the whim of their own government, since the velvet gloves are still on and the government has not yet become oppressive. Not yet, anyway. There are other examples, but I leave it to you to see them. I'm not some guru, nor am I some doomsday prophet. I want you all to think for yourselves. Don't you dare let my words determine your opinions.

Shall we allow America to become a nation of slaves? I hope not. What can we do to prevent such a horror from coming to pass? Vote the rascals out of office! Anyone of age to vote, go register to vote, find out which candidates have supported anti-gun laws, and put them on un-employment! Get them out of office. You might never find someone you wish to vote for, but you'll find plenty to vote against! Exercise what few rights that you have left, before they are all gone. Folks in California will be the first in America to stand up for their rights, or fall prey to those who wish to make them slaves.

In short, guns are equal to freedom. "A man without a gun is a slave, a man with a gun can only be murdered, never enslaved." So register to vote, go buy a gun and learn how to use it safely, and be proud that you are free. Freedom is like a helium balloon, if you ever lose it, you'll likely never get it back.

Thanks for your time.

Dan

THE END


© 2000 Dan L. Hollifield

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