Date: Fri, 5 Apr 1996 20:53:49 -0500 Reply-To: [m--h--i] at [cyberramp.net] From: [m--h--i] at [cyberramp.net] (Muhgi) Subject: Re: association At 19:15 4/5/96, [S--II--M] at [aol.com] wrote: > The bad part is that once we have this coalition (single issue that it is) >going, and accomplishing something, some of the groups that have supported us >are going to expect us to do the same on things that they consider freedom >issues. Start thinking about it now, before the line forms. Here is an article by L. Neil Smith. From what I understand he is under deadline pressure currently, so I pulled this off Keith Lynch's homepage-- "http://www.access.digex.net/~kfl/lns". (I have some LNS stuff on my homepage, but Keith F. Lynch has many more articles.) <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<start LNS insert>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR GUNS? by L. Neil Smith Would you agree to permit adults to buy, sell, read, write, make, listen to, or watch whatever books, magazines, records, tapes, or movies they want, no matter how pornographic -- IF THEY AGREED TO LET YOU KEEP YOUR GUNS? Would you agree to tolerate Buddhists, Moslems, Taoists, Scientologists, Satanists, atheists -- IF THEY AGREED TO LET YOU KEEP YOUR GUNS? Would you agree to let women control their own reproductive process, have abortions (at their own expense) -- IF THEY AGREED TO LET YOU KEEP YOUR GUNS? Would you agree to allow people their own sexual preference, homosexual, bisexual, heterosexual -- IF THEY AGREED TO LET YOU KEEP YOUR GUNS? Would you agree to halt the "War on Drugs", to leave others alone, even to ruin their lives with alcohol, nicotine, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, LSD, or any other substance -- IF THEY AGREED TO LET YOU KEEP YOUR GUNS? Would you agree to respect the rights of anyone, no matter their race or national origin -- IF THEY AGREED TO LET YOU KEEP YOUR GUNS? *** No sane human being would sacrifice the rights he personally considers precious just for the sake of imposing his own tastes or opinions on others. Yet often it seems each of us disapproves of, and wants to outlaw, some one little thing that somebody else cares about or wants. Little things add up: with over 200,000,000 of us, split into thousands of pressure groups, all working at the same time for one kind of Prohibition or another, it's no wonder government controls ratchet tighter around our lives every day. Until now, it's been a one-way process, with everyone on every side winding up the loser -- except, of course, for politicians, bureaucrats, and lawyers. But we can work together to reverse that process, by making a commitment to respect and defend each other's rights, no matter how much each of us may personally disapprove of any particular exercise of those rights. That doesn't mean you have to do anything bizarre or perverse yourself. I'm married, straight, a daddy, don't use drugs (I'm literally an Eagle Scout) and I don't even drink. But also, I don't give a damn what my allies do with their own lives, as long as they want to be free and can help me stay that way, too. The one limit is an obligation never to INITIATE force against another person -- since that's how we began losing our rights in the first place. Would this change the way we're accustomed to thinking about freedom? No, it would make our thinking consistent, put teeth into the Bill of Rights, and limit the power of politicians, bureaucrats, lawyers -- and Prohibitionists -- to control the way we live. Which means that every man, woman, and responsible child in this country, would be free once again to obtain, own, and carry, openly or concealed, any weapon -- rifle, shotgun, handgun, machinegun, ANYTHING -- they feel is desirable for sport OR self- defense, any time, any place they want, without asking anyone's permission. How do you get started? Try writing the Libertarian Party, DEPARTMENT LSAC*, 1528 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E., Washington, DC 20003. Or call their toll-free number, 1-(800)-682-1776. If you have the courage and intelligence to renew your commitment to the American tradition of individual liberty, they need to hear from you now. The other side's counting on us to remain divided, intolerant. That's how they got us where they want us to begin with. I intend to keep my guns -- and the rest of my rights, as well. How about you? ---------------- L. Neil Smith is probably the most widely-published and prolific living libertarian author in the world. He attended Colorado State University between 1964 and 1969, majoring in philosophy and psychology, with a principal interest in antropology and human evolution. In 1969 he started a small retail firearms business which he operated until 1975 and at about the same time served as a reserve police officer for the city of Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition to writing, he is a competition metallic-silhouette (NRA Hunter's Pistol) and NRA Falling Plate shooter, has run for political office (Colorado House of Representatives), and is a full-time husband and father. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<end LNS insert>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> His first novel _The Probability Broach_ is being rerelease uncut from Tor this October. How about it? -Muhgi ==========http://www.cyberramp.net/~muhgi/muhgi.html=============== "People who object to weapons aren't abolishing violence, they're begging for rule by brute force, when the biggest, strongest animals among men were always automatically 'right'. Guns ended that, and social democracy is a hollow farce without an armed populace to make it work." -Clarissa in _The Probability Broach_, L.N. Smith ===Collin County Gun Owners===Libertarian Party of Collin County===