Paulatized
04-20-2013, 06:32 PM
This from Adrian Wyllie's facebook page found here: https://www.facebook.com/awyllie
I thought it was worth the read.
I spent the evening with five very good friends of mine last night. All of these guys are good, honest, hard-working, middle-class Americans. The group is ethnically, religiously, and politically diverse. We generally get together about once a month.
Last night, I brought up the subject of the Boston lock down, which looked very much like martial law. I explained how they closed all businesses, prohibited civilian travel, conducted heavily armed house-to-house searches without warrants, and detained citizens without suspicion or probable cause. I explained how this was all unconstitutional.
All of them initially thought that the government was doing the right thing. The prevailing sentiment was, "we have to do whatever it takes to be safe." As usual, they thought I was going off the political deep-end. One of them even said that, "nothing like this has ever happened before."
I reminded them that bombings like this HAD happened before in recent American history. I explained that it was the government response that was unprecedented, not the bombing itself.
I explained that we didn't lock down Atlanta after the 1996 Olympic bombing (1 dead, 111 injured)...or close all businesses in Manhattan after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing (7 dead, 1000+ injured)...or conduct armed house-to-house searches after Oklahoma City bombing (168 dead, 680 injured).
I asked them, "Why now?"
As the night went on, and the conversation went in many different directions, one of them would bring the Boston lock down subject back up. I could see the looks of contemplation on their faces. This time though, they would begin to ponder things like, "yeah, why would they go house-to-house?" or "why lock down the whole city?" or reflect that, "something doesn't seem right."
My point is this: We spend all our time wondering why the bombers, whomever they may be, did what they did. That's an easy question to answer: They are evil and insane.
But, have you taken the time to wonder why our government turned an entire city into a war zone, caused hundreds of millions of dollars in economic losses, and terrorized innocent citizens in their own homes...all in the search for one teenager?
In the end, all of the government's tanks and all of the government's men did not find the suspect. It was one vigilant citizen protecting his own property that found him.
I find the state of de facto martial law imposed in Boston to be completely illegal and unjustified. I fear that it is a sign of things to come in America. I fear that we, as Americans, are becoming increasingly timid and docile in defending our own freedom. As a consequence, our own government will continue to chip away at that freedom until military vehicles and troops conducting house-to-house searches in our cities and suburbs becomes commonplace.
Perhaps those currently in power believe that they are acting in our best interests. But, history teaches us that when governments expand their power over the people, even for the most benevolent causes, tyranny is the inevitable outcome. Freedom lost is never regained without struggle.
I know that many people will angrily disagree with me, and that taking this position will cost me votes. However, I must speak out. I will never remain silent when our Constitutional rights are in jeopardy.
Let me reiterate, that as Governor of Florida, this will NEVER happen on my watch.
I thought it was worth the read.
I spent the evening with five very good friends of mine last night. All of these guys are good, honest, hard-working, middle-class Americans. The group is ethnically, religiously, and politically diverse. We generally get together about once a month.
Last night, I brought up the subject of the Boston lock down, which looked very much like martial law. I explained how they closed all businesses, prohibited civilian travel, conducted heavily armed house-to-house searches without warrants, and detained citizens without suspicion or probable cause. I explained how this was all unconstitutional.
All of them initially thought that the government was doing the right thing. The prevailing sentiment was, "we have to do whatever it takes to be safe." As usual, they thought I was going off the political deep-end. One of them even said that, "nothing like this has ever happened before."
I reminded them that bombings like this HAD happened before in recent American history. I explained that it was the government response that was unprecedented, not the bombing itself.
I explained that we didn't lock down Atlanta after the 1996 Olympic bombing (1 dead, 111 injured)...or close all businesses in Manhattan after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing (7 dead, 1000+ injured)...or conduct armed house-to-house searches after Oklahoma City bombing (168 dead, 680 injured).
I asked them, "Why now?"
As the night went on, and the conversation went in many different directions, one of them would bring the Boston lock down subject back up. I could see the looks of contemplation on their faces. This time though, they would begin to ponder things like, "yeah, why would they go house-to-house?" or "why lock down the whole city?" or reflect that, "something doesn't seem right."
My point is this: We spend all our time wondering why the bombers, whomever they may be, did what they did. That's an easy question to answer: They are evil and insane.
But, have you taken the time to wonder why our government turned an entire city into a war zone, caused hundreds of millions of dollars in economic losses, and terrorized innocent citizens in their own homes...all in the search for one teenager?
In the end, all of the government's tanks and all of the government's men did not find the suspect. It was one vigilant citizen protecting his own property that found him.
I find the state of de facto martial law imposed in Boston to be completely illegal and unjustified. I fear that it is a sign of things to come in America. I fear that we, as Americans, are becoming increasingly timid and docile in defending our own freedom. As a consequence, our own government will continue to chip away at that freedom until military vehicles and troops conducting house-to-house searches in our cities and suburbs becomes commonplace.
Perhaps those currently in power believe that they are acting in our best interests. But, history teaches us that when governments expand their power over the people, even for the most benevolent causes, tyranny is the inevitable outcome. Freedom lost is never regained without struggle.
I know that many people will angrily disagree with me, and that taking this position will cost me votes. However, I must speak out. I will never remain silent when our Constitutional rights are in jeopardy.
Let me reiterate, that as Governor of Florida, this will NEVER happen on my watch.