| |
Ladies & gentlemen, for a
number of years now I have been publicly speechifying about Second Amendment and
law enforcement issues, and it’s never been something that I had any trouble
with. When someone contacted me and asked me to give an address of some kind to
some group or another, I never had any trouble coming up with some at least
halfway intelligent sounding remarks. There was always some battle we were
fighting, always some new bill threatening us, always an enemy, a Metzenbaum or
a Schumer or a Clinton, and there were always things going on that a pro-gun
crowd wanted to hear about or needed information on. And, since I’m just a
retired flatfoot, it’s always been a humbling experience for me personally to
know that there are at least a few people out there who are interested in what I
have to say about these things.
When Joe Tartaro called me
and asked me if I would do this I said sure. And I went to the computer and
started the Word program, and I sat there. That computer monitor stared back at
me like a big eyeball. I didn’t know what to say and I still don’t.
The events of September 11th
in terms of savagery and barbarity, stand alone in the history of the
world. People from over 80 nations were killed in this attack; this was an
assault not just on us; it was an assault on civilization itself. I can think
of nothing that approaches it. This country has fought in a number of wars. We
fought a war of independence from England. Our enemy then was King George III.
We were a colony, rich with natural resources and with potential revenue. We
wanted to be free to determine our own destiny; King George wanted to maintain
control over us. King George’s viewpoint on this matter was perfectly logical
and rational. America was his and he wanted to keep it. We didn’t agree with
his viewpoint and we fought him over it, but we understood it.
The defenders of the Alamo
were rebels. They were in rebellion against the legally constituted government
of their country. When old Generalisimo Santa Ana showed up he warned them.
Come out of there or I’m coming in after you. They didn’t and he did. The
Alamo defenders lost. Santa Ana’s viewpoint on this matter was perfectly
logical and rational, and no different from King George’s. Texas was his and he
wanted to keep it. The Alamo defenders didn’t agree with his viewpoint and they
fought him over it, but they understood it. Santa Ana was neither a mystery nor
an enigma to them. By our standards he was wrong, but his behavior was
perfectly normal for a dictator.
Pearl Harbor…the Japanese
wanted to be in control of all of Asia, they saw us as interfering in their
designs, and they attacked us. Their attack was treacherous, it was
reprehensible, it was immoral, but we understand why they did it and what they
hoped to gain from it.
Now, I am a fairly
intelligent and well-read man. I was a command officer in a major law
enforcement organization. I serve on the board of directors of the National
Rifle Association, a multi-million dollar corporation, and I flatter myself that
I have from time to time contributed something to the running of that
organization. What I’m trying to convey here folks is that although I’m
somewhat less than a genius, I’m also somewhat more than a moron. It has now
been about a week and a half since the commission of this unparalleled crime,
and I will be damned if I understand what these people were hoping to
accomplish.
I’ve done some reading;
I’ve learned more about this character, Osama bin Laden, and the Taliban than I
really want to know. And all I can see is people terrified of freedom. These
people don’t want freedom of speech or freedom of information. They’ve outlawed
television and suppressed knowledge so effectively that intelligence sources say
they have no idea how outraged the rest of the world is over what happened last
week. They don’t want to know. Freedom of information means responsibility to
act. They don’t want responsibility. They don’t want freedom. And they don’t
want anyone else to have it.
They shroud their women
like the dead and hide them in houses with painted windows. They don’t even
want the light of day in their homes. They don’t want to be responsible. They
don’t want freedom. And they don’t want anyone else to have it.
In the wake of their own
terrorist attack upon defenseless men, women, and children they have scurried
about in the dark, moving from hiding place to hiding place – like cockroaches.
Facing those upon whom they have declared war might require of them the
responsibility to face their own cruelty. They don’t want to be responsible for
their actions. They don’t want freedom. And they don’t want anyone else
to have it.
And where is the United
States in all this? What are we doing in the face of attack even as our enemies
scurry about for their next hiding place? Within hours of the attacks upon our
nation, our leaders stood side by side on the steps of the Capitol in Washington
D.C. and sang “God Bless America.” Right there for all the world to see. Right
there in the open. Right where anyone could see them, walk up to them, join
them in song if they chose. This is what this nation is all about. This is
freedom.
Make no mistake, my
friends; there are those in this nation who are waving the flag now and
singing patriotic songs who have no idea what America means, who have no idea
what our flag symbolizes. A recent AOL poll – maybe not purely scientific, but
when I read it it had a quarter of a million respondents, asked this question:
Do you support tighter terrorism laws in the U.S. even if it limits your
freedoms? 72% of our fellow citizens said yes. 15% said they’re not sure.
Ladies and Gentlemen, giving up freedom does not make anyone safe.
Ask the people of
Afghanistan. They have no freedom whatsoever. Are they safe? No…they are
starving. Their women are committing suicide in record numbers. And now they
have the entire free world breathing down their necks in search of the
slavemasters to whom they gave their freedom.
An armed citizen is a free
citizen. Now is not the time to give up any of our freedoms. Now is the time
to defend them more fiercely than ever before. Terrorists aren’t the only
people who are afraid of freedom. Freedom carries responsibility, and lots of
folks are afraid of that. Fear is the enemy of freedom. If we give up any of
our liberties, we give our enemies exactly what they want. They fear freedom,
all freedom. That’s reason enough to stand up for liberty.
Concealed carry has been
for many years an important issue for the attendees of this conference. These
events have added a whole new dimension to this issue. For practically this
country’s entire existence, the motivation for carrying a concealed weapon,
whether gun, knife or non-lethal device, was personal defense. When an enemy
from beyond our shores was the threat, Uncle Sam handed you a Springfield, or a
Garand, or a Thompson, or an M-16. And when you came home, you gave Uncle Sam
his gun back. Your Smith & Wesson was reserved for protecting you and yours
from personal threats. That is something else which has changed forever.
Concealed carry is no longer an issue solely of personal defense. It has become
a matter of national security.
In recent years, one state
after another has realized that concealed carry is a good idea and good public
policy. Unfortunately for about 5,000 people and their loved ones, the FAA
still has its head buried deeply in the sand where this issue is concerned. Has
their ever been a time when the presence of a handgun in the hands of a free
citizen of the United States could have had a more profound effect on history?
These murdering bastards killed upwards of 5,000 Americans with a handful of box
cutters. If there had been on just one of those airplanes one lousy chiefs
special 5 shot .38 special revolver in a pocket or purse, the death toll could
have been reduced by two or three thousand souls. If there had been handguns in
the hands of responsible American citizens on all four airliners, the death toll
would have been reduced to about eighteen…and we all know which
eighteen. And what is the FAA’s response to this? Now you not only can’t take
guns on planes, you can’t take a boy scout knife either. There’s talk of arming
pilots on commercial aircraft. That’s great and I’m all for it. But that will
still mean that the passengers are left to fend for themselves.
I stopped flying on
commercial airlines several years ago, not because I’m afraid to fly but because
I got tired of jumping through hoops. I got tired of being asked a lot of
stupid questions when I checked my bags. I got tired of having to empty my
pockets like a criminal before I got on a plane. And I got tired of wondering
whether my bags with my guns in them were going to end up in the same place that
I did. But I’m willing to cut a deal with the FAA, one that I’m sure a lot of
you would be happy to get in on. You let me fly on your airplanes with my guns,
not in the belly of the plane, but on my person. In return, if some nutcase
jumps up with a box cutter, or a gun, or a sharpened popsicle stick and
announces that he’s taking over the plane, I will bestow upon him, on behalf of
that airline and the people of the United States, a one-way, non-refundable
ticket that will take him on a flight straight to hell.
I want to read you
something that was e-mailed to my wife by a friend of hers. All of you are no
doubt familiar with what is probably Dr. Seuss’ most famous story, “How the
Grinch Stole Christmas.” The following adaptation of that story was written by
a gentleman named Rob Suggs, a children’s author and illustrator, to try to
explain the tragedy to children.
Every U down in Uville liked U.S. a lot,
But the Binch, who lived Far East of Uville, did not.
The Binch hated U.S! the whole U.S. way!
Now don't ask me why, for nobody can say,
It could be his turban was screwed on too tight.
Or the sun from the desert had beaten too bright
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.
But, Whatever the reason, his heart or his turban,
He stood facing Uville, the part that was urban.
"They're doing their business," he snarled from his perch.
"They're raising their families! They're going to church!
They're leading the world, and their empire is thriving,
I MUST keep the S's and U's from surviving!"
Tomorrow, he knew, all the U's and the S's,
Would put on their pants and their shirts and their dresses,
They'd go to their offices, playgrounds and schools,
And abide by their U and S values and rules,
And then they'd do something he liked least of all,
Every U down in U-ville, the tall and the small,
Would stand all united, each U and each S,
And they'd sing Uville's anthem, "God bless us! God bless!"
All around their Twin Towers of Uville, they'd stand,
and their voices would drown every sound in the land.
"I must stop that singing," Binch said with a smirk,
And he had an idea--an idea that might work!
The Binch stole some U airplanes in U morning hours,
And crashed them right into the Uville Twin Towers.
"They'll wake to disaster!" he snickered, so sour,
"And how can they sing when they can't find a tower?"
The Binch cocked his ear as they woke from their sleeping,
All set to enjoy their U-wailing and weeping,
Instead he heard something that started quite low,
And it built up quite slow, but it started to grow--
And the Binch heard the most unpredictable thing...
And he couldn't believe it--they started to sing!
He stared down at U-ville, not trusting his eyes,
What he saw was a shocking, disgusting surprise!
Every U down in U-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any towers at all!
He HADN'T stopped U-Ville from singing! It sung!
For down deep in the hearts of the old and the young,
Those Twin Towers were standing, called Hope and called Pride,
And you can't smash the towers we hold deep inside.
So we circle the sites where our heroes did fall,
With a hand in each hand of the tall and the small,
And we mourn for our losses while knowing we'll cope,
For we still have inside that U-Pride and U-Hope.
For America means a bit more than tall towers,
It means more than wealth or political powers,
It's more than our enemies ever could guess,
So may God bless America! Bless us! God bless!
|
|
