“Whenever someone must buy a license or pay a fee to exercise a right, then it is something less than a right. It is in fact a mere privilege, subject to the whim of petty bureaucrats. Fundamental rights are not abstract tokens that are given or sold by other men. They are in fact primary liberties bestowed upon us by God, our maker. Rights are not substantially secured by asking, ‘Mother may I?’ of any government agency. Rights are more properly demanded or boldly seized and then conspicuously exercised regularly. This secures the liberties that have legitimately belonged to us since birth. If need be, lost rights can and must be restored through proscriptive use. If you live in a land where your rights have been marginalized into privileges, then it is either time to change your government, or to change your address. Much like a muscle that atrophies with disuse, any right that goes unexercised for many years devolves into a privilege, and eventually can even be redefined as a crime.” – James Wesley, Rawles
The Editors’ Quote of the Day:
At first I thought this was a quote from Robert Heinlein
“Mother may I?”
More correctly, “Oh Massa, please?” Oh wait, I should have said Master, a slave must address his betters correctly after all.
Well said!!!
Time for a reminder about our God-given rights. Don’t make us remind you twice.
This is exactly the reason I open carry here in the Great State Of Wyoming. I often hear criticism about open carry, but keep it hidden under your jacket and you are showing “no one” that you are exercising your right, that’s like expressing your beliefs on a subject only in the closet and then telling the world you believe in Free Speech . Trekker Out
Didn’t Ayn Rand say something similar?
Very true and well said. Thanks for all you do JWR and Co.