JPFO Alerts
Jews For The Preservation of Firearms Ownership, Inc.
P.O. Box 270143
Hartford, WI 53027
Phone (800) 869-1884
Fax (425) 451-3959
December 18, 2005
Ready for a Bill of Rights Culture Yet?
Are you ready for a Bill of Rights Culture? With the passing of Bill of Rights Day on December 15, it might be a good idea to take a look at the kind of country we're living in.
The _Washington Times_, for example, recently published a story on anti-smoking crusaders who have convinced three different states to forbid foster parents from smoking around their children. In addition, whether a parent smokes has actually become a critical point in some child custody cases! (http://tinyurl.com/cyb5g)
So what, you ask? While JPFO has no stance -- pro or con -- on smoking per se, the mere precedent is chilling. Today the State chooses to monitor and regulate tobacco usage in YOUR home in order to determine your fitness as a parent. Tomorrow it could be junk food, red meat, religious practices ... or firearms ownership.
Another article in the _Washington Post_ reveals that the House of Representatives passed the "Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act". As usual, the feel-good title has little to do with the text of the bill. Presented as legislation against "human slave traffickers," what the bill _really_ does is federalize the war on prostitution, specifically targeting customers (aka "johns") as well as pimps. (http://tinyurl.com/92e8c)
Again, you may ask, "So what?" In fact, you may approve of such legislation. As an educational organization, JPFO has no stance on this or any other legislation. But once again the precedent is chilling. Matters involving prostitution have always been a state-level issue. Now, though, the federal government is involving itself in the most intimate aspects of your life, making a federal felon of anyone who has visited -- or is _alleged_ to have visited -- a prostitute.
Still unconcerned? You might want to check the track record of other federal agencies .... like the BATFE (http://www.jpfo.org/batfearticles.htm) . What happens if you buy your girlfriend jewelry and a federal agent decides that you were purchasing her "services"? A federal felon -- even if railroaded -- cannot legally own firearms. And does this mean you'll now be a registered sex offender? (Try to get a job with THAT on your record!) Imagine the tens of thousands of dollars it would take to clear your name.
In a Bill of Rights culture, such flagrant invasions of privacy would simply _not be tolerated_ for any reason. In a Bill of Rights culture, the federal government would not be granted jurisdiction over anything NOT specificially granted to it within the Constitution.
Please take a moment to read our two-part article, "You'd Be Richer and Freer in a Bill of Rights Culture" (www.jpfo.org/borculture.htm). Share it with others, and help us spread the ideals of the Bill of Rights.
- The Liberty Crew