The terrorists are coming! The terrorists are coming! That is the unmistakable message of the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration. According to Janet Napolitano (Secretary of HS) and John Pistole (TSA head), not only are Middle Eastern terrorists coming to get us, but also every American is a terrorist suspect, because the federal government does not know if any one of us has became a “traitor” willing to blow himself or herself up on a commercial airline flight.
Inasmuch as we are all suspected terrorists now, the federal government is making sure that a “shoe bomber” or an “underwear bomber” does not board any commercial flight. Thus, a so-called porno scanner must examine all airline passengers, and those who refuse to be bombarded with dangerous X-rays will have to be pat-downed by rubber gloved TSA agents who may be transmitting diseases to airline passengers.
However, high-level government officials and other exempt individuals will not have to be X-rayed or “fondled” TSA agents. In other words, big-shot Americans will get a pass at the airport because they are…big shots.
Welcome to the Brave New World of America—a world that is becoming, if not already, a police state reminiscent of Nazi Germany of the 1930s. Instead of focusing on only segment of the population, the federal government is now treating all Americans as German Jews—a group that had to be dehumanized and branded an ‘enemy of the state” in order to create the moral, psychological, social and political conditions that paved the way for the Final Solution.
I am not suggesting that the federal government soon will round up opponents of its policies and send them to “re-education camps” or worse. What I am suggesting is that no one can guarantee that the federal government will not implement draconian policies “to make us safe.” As 19th century abolitionist Wendell Philips said, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” We all must speak out against the federal government’s egregious violations of our natural and constitutional rights—particularly the right of law-abiding citizens to travel unmolested in our country.
Nevertheless, if terrorism is such an imminent threat to the American people, then why do the State of New Jersey and other states make it virtually impossible for its law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed firearm? In short, why is another effective tool in the “war on terrorism” unused?
Just from a practical perspective, the TSA and Homeland Security warn us not to accept packages from strangers at the airport and to keep our eyes and ears alert for suspicious characters. Yet, if a trained firearm owner sees an imminent attack from a terrorist or group of terrorists on the street, in an office building or mall or in any other public place in New Jersey, there is nothing that individual can do to prevent an attack, because it is virtually impossible to obtain a concealed carry permit in the State of New Jersey. Let’s face reality. Law enforcement officers cannot be everywhere and trained civilian firearm owners could be on the front lines against a potential terrorist attack.
If a recently filed lawsuit by the Association of Rifle and Pistol Clubs were successful, then judges would not be able to deny concealed carry permits to New Jerseyans who want to protect themselves, their loved ones, co-workers and others.
We are at another crossroads in New Jersey and the rest of the nation. Will the federal government continue to trample on our rights because it has created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation? On the other hand, will New Jersey restore our right to self-defense so we can protect ourselves against common thugs or from foreign terrorists?
The answer to these questions will determine how much freedom America’s political elites will allow the people to have, because currently they consider us all potential criminals or terrorists.