"Devastating but Accurate"

It is important to note from the start that the struggle between liberty and socialism will never end, at least not in our lifetimes. If by chance it does, it will be because evil has triumphed. As long as people are free to make their own choices, some of those choices will always be for self-destruction or slavery (moral masochism). That is just the nature of human beings. However, once the slavery of socialism is self-imposed through trickery or stealth, there are no more choices. That is the weakness of a free people. The weakness of socialism is that it cannot be revealed for what it truly is until it is too late to stop it. Like all things evil, it cannot stand the light of day.

Read the whole thing here.

'Southern Conservatives Against Tyranny and Socialism'

So, you think maybe that the notion of millions of armed citizens in the heartland who are completely fed up with the current goons who run the government is just the fear-mongering overkill of the paranoid?

Think again.

A group calling itself, The 5th Column Tyranny Response Corp--Southern Conservatives Against Tyranny and Socialism, is alive and well.

Take a look for the group's goals, objectives, and methods.

Human Liberty Thrown Under the Bus

I hate to break it to you, but your friends, family, and co-workers who may be Socialist in their thinking are more than willing to sacrifice all of your rights--that's right, throw ALL of your liberties under the bus--in order to achieve their goals.

This is Communism-Socialism's dirty little secret.

And this is my topic of discussion today at Columbia Conservative Examiner.

In order to get 'government mandated healthcare for all' and government-controlled endeavor previously handled by the private sector, they are more than willing to take your guns, free speech, and everything else.

I encourage you to click on the link above and read. And pass it along. Thanks!

2nd Amendment News Roundup on Examiner!

Today I decided to do something a bit different over at my Columbia Conservative Examiner column.

I decided to post yesterday's Second Amendment News Roundup, which means that all of the links to the blogs I provide here at The Liberty Sphere will be on the Examiner site as well.

Also, I included 4 other links to recent Roundup editions.

I thought it would be nice for a (hopefully) wider audience to become aware of the good work being done on the guns-and-freedom blogs.

Give it a look, and spread the word! Thanks!

'True Grit'

For those like me who adhere to the values and principles embodied by the great John Wayne and the characters he portrayed, here is a masterpiece of exceptional writing that will take you back to an era in America when we were proud to be Americans--strong, self-sufficient, no-nonsense and outspoken advocates for individual liberty.

Brigid, the author of the piece who describes herself as a 'Celtic lass on a small homestead on the Plains, is an extraordinary writer who creates vivid scenes in our minds with the power of words.

In the post linked above, she took me back to a by-gone era of my boyhood and youth, as I idolized John Wayne and aspired to be like him.

I never quite reached my goal, but I still adhere to the values of those movies that depicted a time in America when men were real men, where guns were not evil but positive tools, where it was admirable to stand for something against all odds, and where fighting for the right, for truth, justice, and freedom was not an option but an unquestioned responsibility.

Be sure to read Brigid's post in its entirety, and then tell her how much you appreciate not only her gift as a wordsmith but her stand for liberty.

Vanderboegh--The World War for Liberty

A world war is underway, and it is not the war on terror, although that is a very important part of it. The real war is the world war for liberty.

And according to Mike Vanderboegh, we are losing that war.

Decade by decade, year by year we gradually lose more of our freedoms to the oppressive arm of big government. And so far, nothing has been able to stop this madness.

There have been brief moments over the past 40 years when we have seen the gradual erosion of rights stop for a season. Ronald Reagan was one such brief moment.

But Reagan was the exception to the rule.

Nothing, not political compromise, not negotiation, not 'reaching across the aisle for a solution,' has produced one single bit of real progress on human liberty.

So what do freedom-loving Americans do when all else fails?

Vanderboegh has a plan. Here is an excerpt from his recent post:

So the stakes are higher now, and the potential for catastrophe is higher as well. Let me emphasize one thing: we won't get a second chance at this. If we lose individual liberty here, now, in this country to our would-be socialist overlords, we won't get it back in the next hundred years, if then. This is a World War on liberty, people, and right now we're losing it, and losing it badly. We have all of the dangers of 1940 without any of the future promise of success. America does not sit in the distance waiting to come to the rescue of Europe. Name one government ANYWHERE which is committed to free markets and individual liberty. Name one. Unlike 1940, the United States has BECOME Europe. The night beckons.

Now that your curiosity has been appropriately heightened, read the rest of the post HERE.

PAMELA GELLER RESPONDS TO ATTACKS

Almost from its inception, The Liberty Sphere blog has consistently linked to news alerts concerning the Jihad and the War on Terror, as provided by Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugs--one of the top blogs in the nation.

Atlas Shrugs has been an invaluable source of information concerning the fight for the survival of the West. And Geller has proven herself to be a valiant and courageous soldier in this fight.

As with all who are willing to put their very lives on the line for the cause of truth, justice, and liberty, Geller has not been without her share of detractors and critics, which unfortunately include those who see her as such a threat to their subversive and dangerous agenda that they resort to personal attacks, smears, lawsuits, and even death threats.

This is to be expected given that the Jihadists and their sympathizers do not wish for the truth to be told and would love to see the public kept in the dark. An uninformed public is a sitting duck for the attacks of those who wish to destroy not only the fabric of freedom but the very existence of our country and way of life.

Thus, one thing should be made crystal clear--Pamela Geller is not a 'terrorist' simply because she fights terrorism with a passion that scares the true terrorists. She does not run a 'hate site' simply because she blogs about the twisted, insidious, and deadly world-view of Islamic extremists.

Some of those who make such charges brought their blather to this very blog in the comments section of an earlier post. Pamela Geller was kind and gracious enough to come here and give a direct response.

That response was important enough that I thought it merited a whole post unto itself.

Here is what Geller had to say about her beliefs, her goals, her objectives, and her heart:

Everything posted here is wrong. Utterly inaccurate. But hey am not surprised - its the leftist Islamic alliance propagating their memes.Muslims Against Sharia asked me to join them and to chair a committee who's objective is to make honor killing a capital crime. I was unaware of their group but thought what they wanted to do was admirable and important. Islam must be reformed from within. I love everyone that fights on the side of truth, justice and the American way. I fight the jihad and consider myself most fortunate to count amongst my friends Wafa Sultan, Ibn Warraq, Andrew Bostom, Youssef Ibrahim, Walid Phares, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo, Sam Solomon. I am against the coming holocaust against the Jews. I am against FGM, honor killings and the sub class citizenship of women in Islamic countries. I fight the jihad - that is my fight.To address your charges of racism and islamophobia is a canard. I can't prove a negative. It is obvious you do not read my blog or understand why I do what I do. I fight for the individual and the basic tenets of western civilization. You can avoid evil but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding evil.I and the folks that work with me intend to save America. You're either with us or against.

This is precisely the way I have experienced Pamela Geller and Atlas Shrugs ever since I stumbled upon the blog about a year and a half ago. This is why there is a permanent link to the blog on the left sidebar. And this is why I was honored to have Pamela Geller come here to make a straightforward, clear statement of what motivates her to engage in this battle.

Make no mistake about it, Islamofascisim is a major threat to the freedom of speech, freedom of the Press, freedom of religion, and every other liberty associated with free societies. This is why Canada and much of Europe has succumbed to the dire and ominous moves to place restrictions on freedom of speech.

In nearly every instance, Islamofascism is the shadow-force behind the scenes that drives these restrictions on human liberty. Extremists under the guise of being 'moderate Muslims,' for example, were behind the trial of Mark Steyn and Mclean's Magazine in British Columbia.

For sure, there are many moderate Muslims in the world. But simply because someone says they are moderate does not necessarily make them moderate.

Atlas Shrugs exists to help us make the distinction.

Just So You Know Where We Stand

I rarely write about religious topics unless they have to do with politics and politicians, or terrorism, which is intrinsically intertwined with religious dogma of a sinister kind.

Yet from time to time writing about religious beliefs is unavoidable, particularly when it comes to understanding the founding of our Republic and the views of the persons who founded it.

True, not all of the Founders where Christian, but most were officially affiliated with a Christian congregation. And they wrote at length about their views, including references to Jesus Christ.

The authors of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were clearly convinced that human rights are not the invention of men and women, nor are these rights 'granted' by government.

Rather, they saw liberty as God-given. And all human beings are endowed with these liberties by their Creator, no matter what governments say. Governments may recognize and protect these God-given rights, or they may detest them and refuse to recognize them, much to the peril of the citizens.

Thus, the U.S. Government does not and cannot 'grant' the right to bear firearms, the right to speak freely without government restriction, and the like. These are pre-existing rights granted to human beings by God. The only thing the U.S. Government can do is recognize and protect these God-given rights, IF it chooses to do so.

The Founders believed that our form of government is unique in that it has chosen to recognize and protect these God-given rights.

But each succeeding generation is charged with the responsibility to make sure that the vision of the Founders is preserved and protected from tyrants and despots, wolves in sheep's clothing, who incessantly attempt to rob the citizens of these rights.

As a Christian, therefore, I believe that my rights are given by Christ Himself. As the Bible states, 'If the Son makes you free, you are free indeed.' And, I believe that it is incumbent upon me to fight to protect these rights from those within our own country who apparently have no more regard for the Constitution than they do for Hitler's Mein Kampf.

Further, I believe it is my responsibility as a Christian to fight for the rights of non-Christians every bit as fervently as I do for that of Christians. All of those who believe in human liberty that is unfettered and unrestricted by oppressive government has been enlightened to that truth whether they are Christian or not.

This means that Jews, Buddhists, moderate Muslims, and those with no religious beliefs are part of the same team if they believe that basic human rights are inherent and not 'created,' 'given,' or 'granted' by government. Rights stand totally apart from and outside government.

Thus, on this Easter Sunday, I can celebrate the fact that Christ lives and has made it possible for the entire human race to be truly free.

It is to that end that The Liberty Sphere is dedicated...just so you know where we stand.

Happy Easter!

Did You Notice in the Ratings of Candidates....

In The Liberty Sphere's final ratings of both Republican and Democratic candidates for President, did you notice that no Democrat rated above a 4 on the 1-10 scale?

And did you notice that no Republican rated below a 6 on that same scale?

This means, of course, that on the 8 key issues impacting human liberty, ANY of the Republicans are to be preferred over ANY of the Democrats.

And yes, my friends, this means that Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Mitt Romney, and even Mike Huckabee rate much higher on the issues impacting freedom than ANY of the Democratic candidates.

Rudy, Mitt, and Mike have their problems, no doubt--problems that cause us concern. But those difficulties pale in comparison to the baggage carried by the Hildabeast, Obama, Edwards, or any of the other Socialists seeking the Democratic nomination.

Not that I expect all of you to agree, but still, when you look at the basic facts and the record, any of the GOP candidates can be counted on to attempt to preserve human liberty while ALL of the Democrats promote issues that squelch that liberty.

Misconceptions on What Constitutes a 'Right'

In my last column on The Liberty Sphere I wrote about the principle of expansion of rights inherent in the 'originalist' or 'strict constructionism' method of Constitutional interpretation.

This brings us to the question of what, exactly, constitutes a 'right' as designated in the U.S. Constitution.

The question is of extreme importance, for it is clear that in modern society there are common misconceptions as to what constitutes a right.

Ask some of the neighbors in a 'planned community' what constitutes a right, and some may well tell you that they have the right to limit how many trees you can plant on your own property. In some inner-city communities, some may well state that they have the right to tell their neighbors they cannot possess a firearm due to the fact that they must feel 'safe.' Still others may state that they have a right to healthcare through the federal government, funded by taxpayers.

Each of these is an example of a gross misconception as to what constitutes a right.

Yet there is no small number of American politicians, who should know better, who are known to say the very same things. John Edwards, for example, when asked what he thought were the most important basic human rights, failed to mention a single issue delineated in The Bill of Rights but instead insisted that every single human being has a right to healthcare, to Internet access, and to American citizenship, among other such ridiculous and dangerous notions.

Bill and Hillary Clinton have said similar things. So have Senators Obama, Dodd, Reid, Kennedy, and Kerry.

So what, exactly, is a 'right' within the context of the U.S. Constitution?

A right is a specific expression or example of being free, of living in a state of liberty. In addition, something cannot be considered a 'right' if it deprives one's neighbors and fellow countrymen of liberty or of being able to live free.

You do not, for example, have the 'right' to tell me that I cannot plant but one tree on my property, unless, of course, I have willingly signed away my rights in a legally binding document, such as the Covenants and Restrictions of a 'planned community.'

You do not have the right to tell me that I cannot own a handgun simply because it may give you the willies to think of your neighbors being armed. For you to be able to do such a thing deprives ME of my liberty.

You do not have an automatic right to healthcare or healthcare insurance. Everyone in this country already has access to healthcare in any emergency room in the nation, and through various and sundry other services provided to those who lack insurance or the means to pay for their care.

But to claim you have a 'right' to healthcare means that you are depriving someone else of their liberty. They must pay your bill if you cannot afford it. Taxes must be raised on the masses to cover the fact that the care you receive will not be paid for by you.

A society or nation may well decide through its elected officials or through a public vote that it wishes to pay for the healthcare of the poor and uninsured. But this is NOT a basic human right. To take something from someone else in order that you might have something you would not normally have does not constitute a 'right.'

When the electorate, politicians, and governments decide that taxpayer-funded freebies constitute rights, they are immediately engaging in double-speak. It is practically and rationally impossible to secure a right by infringing on the rights of others. The one automatically negates the other.

Thus, for the nation to implement socialized medicine that puts everyone on a waiting list that may well mean death to those who are very ill, is not securing a 'right' but imposing tyranny. Such a plan will cost you and me plenty in terms of money, swift and timely care, and the right to make medical decisions solely between patients and their doctors.

It is vital, therefore, that we not allow liberal politicians to scam us into believing these things are inherent 'rights.' A right doesn't cost anyone anything. The only cost incurred is to the individual who must take responsibility for the exercising of those rights and the willingness to pay the price to keep them.

LIBERTY ALERT! School Slams Property Rights

Washington, DC (TLS). Rush Limbaugh reported on his radio program today that a school in Seattle, Washington used a 'Leggo' lesson to teach students to doubt private property rights. And, my friends, the culprit this time is not the public school system, which often does the very same thing, but a private school in the Seattle area.

Students in the school were building a Leggo community which supposedly was destroyed in some unnamed mishap. Rather than rebuild the community, the faculty decided to use the incident to teach students about so-called 'private property,' and that in actuality all property is community property, given that the notion of private property assumes a community composed of the 'haves' and 'have-nots.'

The inequities inherent in the notion of private property rights, according to the faculty, are unacceptable.

As we have reported several times previously on The Liberty Sphere, there is a concerted effort in America today to gradually introduce into our society the notion that there is no such thing as 'private property.' This concept is a capitalistic notion and is, therefore, evil. The goal is to raise a generation of Americans that accept the concept of 'community property held in common,' so that the 'inequities' in society can be corrected.

The Left is attempting to reach this goal by utilizing several avenues of attack.

First, school children must be indoctrinated. The government run public school system is a natural starting point. But, as we have seen in Seattle, private schools must be cajoled into getting on board with this indoctrination by gradually enforcing state standards that mandate certain programs in all school, public and private, and by gradually requiring private schools to hire only those teachers who have their credentials issued by the state...the same as public schools.

Second, environmental laws must be given priority over private property rights. For example, if you own a large tract of acreage, and a rare, blind, albino bug is discovered on your property, a bug that just happens to be on the endangered species list, then you will be prevented from developing your property because it will be deemed to be a 'natural habitat' for this rare, blind, albino bug. Yes, my friends, similar things have happened all over the country. This is no joke.

Third, government must increasingly utilize the concept of 'eminent domain' to rob the citizens of their property in order for it to be used in whatever fashion the government decides, even to help large corporations so that the tax base in a given area will expand.

This three-pronged approach to undermine the private property rights of American citizens is working. Thus, we hear of things such as Michael Moore stating outright, 'There is no such thing as private property.'

The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in the early 20th century may have ended in failure in the 1980s, but the ideas that formed the basis for that revolution live on in the environmentalist movement and the Leftwing. They may run from the words 'Communism' and 'Socialism' and protest to high heaven any attempt to label them with these terms, but their vision, objectives, and goals are one and the same with Communism and Socialism.

When the private property rights of citizens are removed, liberty is gone. If no one single citizen can own real property, that means the collective state owns it--meaning, of course, that totalitarianism has succeeded in smashing capitalism and the liberties that go with it.