If At First You Don't Succeed....
by Sam Aurelius Milam III
The
Continental Congress asserted in the Declaration of Independence that governments
are instituted to secure the rights of the people, and that whenever any
form of government becomes destructive of those ends it is the right of
the people to alter or to abolish it.
Those
ideals didn't make it into the U.S. Constitution, which was written eleven
years later, by different people, with a different agenda. The Constitution
didn't give the government obligations, but objectives: to form a
more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide
for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and (finally) to secure
the blessings of liberty. Most of this has more to do with strong
government than with rights. In all of the Constitution, the writers
used the word rights only once, when they incorrectly applied it to the
privileges associated with patents and copyrights (Article 1, Section 8,
Clause 8). A right is something that is within your abilities, for
which you don't need permission, and that is generally or customarily accepted
or condoned. If you have to ask for permission, it isn't a right.
It's a privilege. The truth is that rights are not secured by the
U.S. Constitution.
The
U.S. Constitution was in effect for over two and a half years before the
Bill of Rights was ratified. This Bill of Rights, written by yet
another group of people, with yet another agenda, is so fraught with loopholes
and exceptions that it should have been called the Bill of Goods.
After more than 200 years, it has proven to be nearly worthless.
The
Continental Congress noted that "mankind are more disposed to suffer, while
evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms
to which they are accustomed." It's appropriate, after more than
200 years, to ask if the evil has become insufferable. Has the U.S.
government secured your rights or has it converted them into privileges,
and forced you to pay a fee and get a permit for each one that you wish
to exercise? Do you feel more intimidated by the Mafia or by the
federal bureaucracy? Is there even any difference between the two?
Would you support the federal bureaucracy if taxes were voluntary?
The
facts are that the U.S. Constitution is a failure, the U.S. Bill of Rights
is a joke, and the U.S. government is a bloated bureaucracy, which has
drifted into repression and terrorism. Voting only encourages the
process. The answer to the question is that the evils are no longer
sufferable; the time has come to abolish the U.S. government.
The longer you wait to start, the harder it will be to do it.
The Fable of King Richard's Horse
As retold by Sam Aurelius Milam III
Once
upon a time, long long ago, in the Kingdom of Claymere, a criminal was
condemned to death. This criminal begged the King for an extra year
of life, and promised that in return he would teach the King's favorite
horse to sing.
This
was during the reign of King Richard the Pragmatic, who of course denied
the request. However, Good Queen Genevieve pointed out to her husband
that he had little to lose by granting the wish. She reminded him
that he could have the criminal executed any time and although it probably
wasn't possible for a horse to sing, the risk was minimal: a meager
bit of upkeep for the criminal and a guard or two for a year. King
Richard had lots of idle guards, for Claymere was at that time a peaceful
kingdom of law abiding folk.
The
next morning found the criminal singing heartfelt arias to the King's favorite
horse. Luciano, a nearby stable apprentice, overheard the commotion
and took a break from shoveling something or other to deride the criminal.
"Ya
idiot!" he exclaimed. "Na horse can't sing!"
"Well,"
replied the criminal, whose name was A. Capella, "Mayhap ye be correct.
Natheless, I gat another year."
"But
singin' ta a horse?" jeered Luciano.
"Ken
ye," suggested the criminal. "Much may hap in a year; I may
die the while. The King may die, and God may will an heir of greater
mercy."
"Not
likely!" commented Luciano.
"Natheless"
continued the criminal. "a year be long. Mayhap in a year could
the Good Queen prevail upon His Highness to let me live. Who knows?"
concluded Mr. Capella, "In a year, the blighted horse might even learn
to sing." And he sang to the horse of love, of tall mountains and
clear blue mountain lakes, of meadows filled with flowers, and of many
valiant deeds.
Never
was there such merriment in the stables of Claymere as during that year.
Also during that year the Royal Troubadour died and, at the urging of Good
Queen Genevieve, the singing criminal was pardoned and granted the vacant
title. After that, he filled the Court of Claymere with glorious
music until he died many years later, at a ripe old age.
The
King's favorite horse never did learn to sing, but many good yeomen learned
that persistence in a forlorn hope is better than no hope at all, and sometimes
can even be the key to success.
Other Claymere fables available upon request: The Fable of Good Queen Genevieve and The Fable of Baron Grinit.
pictured at the right.
This
excerpt from The American Rifleman is reprinted with permission.
