So,
You Want To See Me Naked, Part II?
by Linda A. Prussen-Razzano, Dallas Bureau Chief
TAP EXCLUSIVE !!
"Candidly Yours"
In January of 2000, almost three years ago, I wrote a long, blistering article
entitled, "So,
You Want To See Me Naked?" Originally appearing in Enter
Stage Right, it would later be reprinted (with or without permission and
usually without compensation) on numerous pro-gun websites. According to Steve
Martinovich, Editor of Enter Stage Right, it was, at the time, the single most
popular column in the history of the magazine, beating out even the distinguished
Colonel David Hackworth.
Imagine my surprise when, a few short weeks ago, I received a call from a production assistant at Fox News asking inquiring about my article. A lot had happened in my life since I wrote that piece, the most obvious being the births of my beloved son and daughter. Where before I had a regular column and wrote frequent guest articles, I since moved into a state of semi-retirement. I am now devoting as much time as possible to two miraculous children – successful pregnancies after years of encroaching sterility and heart-wrenching failures.
The sentiment I expressed then remains the same; however, the depth of devotion to that sentiment has increased tenfold. And just so people understand explicitly why I hold this position, allow me to point out several key facts:
1. Every single person on this planet has several inalienable rights. These rights are ours by virtue of our humanity, stemming from a universal authority higher than any government fashioned by man. The Constitution does not grant us our rights, it merely lists the ones we automatically possess. Our rights are not subject to the whim of elected officials or tyrannical despots – they are an unquestionable part of us. We can judge the virtue of a society by how vehemently it recognizes and defends a person’s exercise of their rights, or how actively it seeks to thwart them.
Hence, any attempt to deny, infringe, or remove these rights violates the very essence of our humanity, defiles the universal truth of human rights, and undermines the moral absolute that allows us to bring freedom to those people denied their rights by oppressive regimes.
Those who claim they want a "reasonable compromise" on our rights are, in fact, asking us to relinquish them, just so they can feel an added sense of false security. In light of the magnitude of their request, there is nothing reasonable about it. Moreover, these requests typically come from people who have little understanding about the inherent nature of rights, thinking them subject to the will of the populace instead of a necessary and intrinsic part of our existence as human beings. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that they are so ready to relinquish them, or to demand that others relinquish them. Since they have no concept of their permanence, they view them as transient and disposable, instead of a critical part of a free society.
2. We not only have the right to live, we have the right to protect our lives. We have the right to protect our lives against any power that seeks to unjustly take it from us. Just as you do, I have the right to defend my life against some murderous creep crawling through my back window, against an enemy invading my country, and against a tyrannical government that seeks to oppress me.
3. God gives us children to love, cherish, nurture, and protect. Like many of you, I take this responsibility seriously. I will not struggle with innumerable locks, politely asking an intruder to please stop torturing my babies while I prepare myself, just so others can feel all warm and comfy inside. I am an unapologetic gun owner. I own them for a reason. I will have them at the ready, to use when absolutely necessary, because my childrens’ lives are more important to me than some misguided sense of self-satisfaction.
4. Just as I teach my children not to run with a lollipop in their mouth, not to play with scissors or utensils, and not to drink bath water, I will teach my children about guns. When they are ready, I will enroll them in the "Eddie the Eagle" program, take them to the range, and let them go hunting. They will learn to respect the power of a weapon, understand it is not a toy, and be trained to defend themselves. Those who can’t grasp the concept that appreciation for life is taught in the home should not procreate.
5. Let’s be blunt, shall we? Murder is against the law. Rape is against the law. Robbery is against the law. There are thousands of other variations to these crimes, all of them against the law, yet crimes still occur. Law-abiding citizens follow the law; criminals - by their very nature, do not. As this is an extremely easy concept to understand, only the most ignorant among us would presume that passing additional gun-control laws will actually have an impact on crime.
Perhaps you’ve noticed this is a sore spot for me. Can you guess why?
I know what it’s like to have a gun pressed to the back of my head, to have some freak tell me he’s going to blow my brains out if I don’t comply, to wet myself in horror and have my life snapshot before my eyes, to be the very victim the anti-gun crowd holds up as just cause for banning guns.
That’s right…it’s personal.
In truth, I have several friends who choose not to exercise their right to keep and bare arms. I respect their decision; they understand their family dynamic better than anyone. If they aren’t comfortable handling a gun, if they can’t overcome their propaganda-driven fear, if they have religious or personal objections, by all means, they shouldn’t own one.
But don’t tell me I shouldn’t, or can’t, exercise my right to own a weapon. I have just four words for folks like that: Over My Dead Body. I will not play the victim for you. I will not trust the future of my security to things like "luck". I will not be a statistic, just so you can feel as if you have "done something." I will not relinquish my inherent, inalienable right to defend myself and my family, leaving us naked and exposed like manufactured future victims, so that you can pretend you made my world a safer place.
As I have said before, my days of being a helpless female are over. ***
© 2002 Linda Prussen-Razzano
COPYRIGHT © 2002 BY THE AMERICAN PARTISAN. All writers retain rights to their work.
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