"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States is paramount to the liberty of the nation. Without liberty, the nation is nothing but another failed dictatorship. Freedom of speech means the freedom to oppose illegal and immoral actions of the government without fear of reprisal by that government. If the First Amendment was ever to be compromised and people were to live in fear of their government, the fate of the nation would be doomed.

The First Amendment prohibits the Congress, the lawmakers, from allowing the nation to fall victim to any religion. Many of the Founders abhorred religious trappings and understood that a nation founded on a religion has no foundation at all. They also recognized the right of the people to practice any religion (or none at all) they desired, without repercussion from the government.

Because of the First Amendment, people are free to speak their mind, express their views and do so without worrying about being stopped by government agents. People are free to publish their complaints and grievances and not be hunted down by the government for it. There are limits to those freedoms – they can't threaten the President with physical harm, for example. But, within reason, people are free to speak as they deem fit. People can gather together (assemble) and protest against the Government peacefully – and the Government is required to not only allow it, but to protect it.

No one has a lock on the First Amendment. No religion is better than any other, and no opinion has a greater right to be said than any other. It's the First Amendment that protects the right of the Christian to wear the cross, the Jew to wear the Star of David, the Pagan to wear a Pentacle, and any other people to wear their religious symbols. The First Amendment protects the right of the people to wear shirts that others may find offensive – a picture of Mohammed with a bomb, a profanity laced "Fuck You You Fucking Fuck" shirt from Mardis Gras, all the shirts on "T-shirt Hell" (which, if you haven't seen them, they are funny as hell). Everyone has the same right to offend everyone else. Christians wearing crosses are no better, and have more rights, than Pagans wearing Pentacles.

Does everyone have to like the opinion or offensive shirt someone is wearing? No. Is there anything they can do about it if they are offended? Not in a public place where everyone is equally free. But, if someone goes into Wal-Mart with a shirt offensive to Wal-Mart, the store has the option of exercising its right not to allow that person to shop at their store with their offensive shirt. Every business has the right to refuse service to anyone. That is their right. At that point, the offensive shirt wearer (and for visualization purposes, lets say this offensive shirt is obscenely anti-religion – Mohammed with a cross up his ass and Jesus [on that same cross] hiding a stick of dynamite in Mohammed's turban; there's a little guy with a huge nose throwing Kosher salt on the holes in Jesus' feet; at the bottom of the shirt it says, "Jesus and Mohammed, sitting in a tree…" with little music notes around it.) could be asked by Wal-Mart to take off or cover up the shirt or leave the store. If the shirt-wearer wants to shop at Wal-Mart, he/she would cover up the shirt. If the shirt-wearer felt like flexing his/her right to wear the shirt, he/she could choose to leave and no patronize Wal-Mart.

So, that's the first, and most important, Amendment. As long as the government respects that Amendment, there is hope left for the nation. So, we move on to WHY the government must respect the First Amendment – the answer to that is the Second Amendment.

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

The Founding Fathers knew that a government must allow the people it governs to be the ultimate deciders of their futures. Not the government. The purpose of the Federal Government is not to control the people, but to protect them against those that would restrict and reduce their rights – and ultimately enslave them. The primary offender against the Constitution is, ironically, the Government whose primary purpose is to uphold it. Bit by bit and piece by piece the government wants to take away the rights and liberties of the people in the interest of "security" – and we all know what Franklin said about security and liberty. This is where the Second Amendment comes into play.

"On every question of construction [of the Constitution] let us carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text, or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed." Thomas Jefferson

The people are empowered to resist and thwart the attempts of the government to enslave them by force if necessary. The Second Amendment gives the people (the "individual" [See the recent SCOTUS Heller ruling]) the right to keep (to have) AND to bear (to CARRY) arms (weapons). Keeping and Bearing arms meant more to the Founders than we give them credit for. Some argue that arms should simply by used for target shooting or hunting. But, the Founding Fathers said nothing about sport shooting OR hunting. The purpose of the Second Amendment was to provide the people with the means to resist and overthrow a corrupt government. When the Second Amendment was written, there was no question as to what was protected by it. It protected the rights of the people to have and carry the weapons of their choosing – it was not restricted by capacity or capability. If the purpose of the Amendment was to give the people the means to resist a standing army, they had better have weapons comparable to that army. This is why restricting weapon types (such as no machine guns) is probably going against what the founders had in mind. For the moment, assault weapons are no longer banned and you can go buy an AR-15 if you want (and probably should if you ever want one). Once the democrats take control of the Executive Office, I suspect assault weapons will once again be banned. Do I think that the people should have nuclear weapons in silos in their back yards? No, I don't. Those are weapons of mass destruction, not suitable to even a militia. But, I digress.

"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined." Patrick Henry

The secondary purpose of the Second Amendment is to provide the people the means to resist others who would do them or their family and friends harm. Like it or not, there ARE bad guys out there who wouldn't think twice before killing or robbing you or your family. In fact, there are bad guys out there – in every single town and city – who are actively hunting for their next victim. Be it robbery, murder or rape, someone will be attacked today. No one thinks it will be them, but it could be. The statistics regarding violent crime (particularly against women) are staggering. Approximately 1 in 8 women will be the victims of forcible rape at some point in their lives – so, think of eight females you know and the odds are that one will be raped at some point. Scary. For me, I have four daughters and a wife (for a total of five females) – and I will take every precaution to keep them out of those numbers. Again, I digress.

Hunter or Hunted? Wolf or Sheep?

Throughout the world, crossing every species of life on the planet, there are Hunters and there are the hunted. Predators and Prey. In the dark of night, prey looks for a place to hide and sleep through the night, while the predator looks for to hunt and kill. Lions and gazelles, owls and mice, fish and smaller fish, flogs and flies – from big to small, life consists of hunters and the hunted. Homosapiens have "evolved" (somewhat) beyond the simple hunter/hunted mentality – but not very far. Homosapiens still have the hunter/hunted mentality, but we suppress it and pretend that everyone is equal. Wolves are predators, sheep are prey. In the wild, wolves hunt, kill, and eat. In society, they are no different.

Society's wolves are the bad guys, they break into houses and steal your stuff, they rob you on the street, they mug the pizza delivery guy, they beat their spouses and children, they go into malls and kill random people, and they do bad things to other people – open a newspaper and you will find stories about the wolves. Wolves hunt sheep, who are the average citizen who goes about their day like everyone else. They go to work, they get groceries, they walk in the park, they go to baseball games, they get their mail – all the usual things everyone does. A wolf sneaks up on an unsuspecting sheep, kills it, eats it, and the sheep nearby run away scared for awhile, then they forget about the wolf again and go about their business. What keep the wolves for massacring and eating all the sheep? The sheep-dogs. They are those people who have taken an active interest in protecting the sheep because they choose to ignore the wolf threat and go about their business. Within the borders of the US, the sheep-dogs are mostly police officers; outside the US, the sheepdogs are the military members keeping the foreign wolves at bay.

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it." Thomas Paine

However, there is no reason the sheep HAVE to be sheep. They can choose to augment the low percentage of sheep-dogs by arming themselves in accordance with the laws of their State and choose to be ready and available to stop wolves when necessary. The people have the choice to be sheep, or to be wolves, or to be neither. But, its easier to be a sheep and to be protected than to be responsible for themselves.

Why do *I* Carry?

1. First and foremost for the purpose of defending myself, my family, my property against any illegal assault by another person or animal.

2. To defend the life or well-being of someone else.

3.As a Soldier, I've sworn to Support and Defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and DOMESTIC.

4. To promote awareness of "good" people with guns by making it less of a shock to see an average everyday person with one.

5. A right not exercised is a right that will be lost."

My wife has a T-shirt that says, "Fuck You, You Fucking Fuck" and she is more than welcome to (and has) worn it out in public. Are people shocked? Yes. Are they offended? Sometimes. Regardless of the feelings of others, she has a right to wear it because of the First Amendment. Can she be asked to leave private business because of it, or to cover it up? Yup, she can, and has. Does she have to support those businesses that choose to infringe on her rights to free speech? Nope. The same applies to a person who legally carries a visible firearm. Might they be harassed because they make the sheep nervous? Yep. Might they be asked to leave or cover up their gun? Yep. Do they have to patronize those businesses that make it a point to infringe on their rights? Nope.

Actually, MANY people carry firearms, but the vast majority carry concealed. Some states allow it, others don't. Many States have taken it upon themselves to make this "right" a privilege by requiring a concealed weapons permit for people who want to carry a firearm without disclosing its presence. Most States, however, support the right of the people to bear arms and only place restriction on the concealment of them. Most State Constitutions also contain some language that supports the right of the people to bear arms. Most States also do not have language in their State laws that apply to the carry of plainly visible weapons – and some even require that weapons BE visible. But they also know that most people WON'T carry openly, because it may be uncomfortable to others.
Do I think I'm going to be mugged soon? No. Do I think I will be at the right (or wrong) place and time to prevent a crime? Maybe, maybe not. But, along those lines, do I think I'll be in a car accident? No, but I wear a seatbelt. Do I think my house will be robbed while I'm away? No, but I have door locks. Do I think I'm going to die soon? No, but I have life insurance. Do I expect to pull someone's disabled vehicle out of the road today? No, but I carry a tow cable. Do I expect to jump someone's battery? No, but I have cables. Coincidentally, I used BOTH my tow strap AND jumper cables today - good thing I had them. Some things I do because there is the possibility that something MIGHT happen.

Carry concealed to protect yourself, your family and those around you. Carry open to protect yourself, your family, those around you, to make a statement that guns are not bad, that rights are worth exercising, and that liberty and security are paramount to making sheep comfortable and helping them forget about the wolves at the door.