Our Readers Write…

Posted: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 7:00 pm

We must defend Constitution and Bill of Rights

Martin Niemöller is credited with this:

“When the Nazis came for the
communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social
democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn’t a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.”

If you are not concerned for your Constitutional and Bill of Rights you should be.  Write your elected officials and express yourself.  You may not be a gun owner but you have other rights that are being threatened by our current state and federal governments.  This is my recent letter.
Contrary to his opinion and those who are enamored with him  B. H. Obama is President, not King of the United States.  I understand from history that the Founding Fathers were very worried that the new country would be ruled by a King, We are NOT.  We have a representative democracy and elect folks to represent us.  They are to vote OUR wishes, not the wishes of a minority.  The majority of true Americans don’t want the President or any other elected official or group of elected officials to deny our rights under the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
The Second amendment to the Constitution of the United States ratified in 1791 states:  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 militia in 1791 was made up of the People.
Many citizens out here in the real world are afraid of our government in Washington.  We have seen them dilute our rights as they assume more and more for themselves.  We don’t think that they are doing a very good job there in Washington.  Just look at the economy and the state of our nation in almost every other area. 
We don’t need our guns taken from us.  If we don’t need them to defend ourselves from rapists, robbers, and murderers, we may need them to protect ourselves from United Nation troops or from our own government.  It has been proven time and time again that there is a need for serious firepower in the hands of ordinary people—to give tyrants pause and to stop tyrants when they don’t pause. The president wants to use Lanza’s horrific slaughter of 20 babies in a public school in Connecticut with a stolen gun as an excuse to restrict the freedoms of all law-abiding gun-owning Americans, any one of whom would have stopped Lanza in a heartbeat with a lawful gun, before the police could, had they been in that school.
Listen to the law abiding citizens of America to not take away our right to have weapons for self protection that has been in place for more than 200 years.  There have always been deranged killers who, have used many means, to commit the crimes they dream of in their twisted minds.  Don’t take away our right to some protection from these individuals.  Do everything in your power to defeat the rush to dismantle the Constitution and the Bill of Rights of the United States.
Ron Cantrell
Greenfield
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Empty buildings and a sense of loss in Martin

There are different feelings of sadness that one might feel – the loss of a loved one, the loss of property, a job or any other reason which could be a loss. I considered a loss. I feel a sense of loss when I see the empty buildings in the downtown of Martin. At one time, every building had a business in it and each business appeared to be successful.
Then there came a change that played havoc with the businesses. That change was the coming of big business that did just what it intented to do – it slowly closed the stores that had provided clothing, medicine and all of the other necessities of life, even grocery stores. I’ll tell you even though you know the answer. If you don’t believe me, just go to the biggest store in the city of Martin and you’ll see. If the people had continued to buy the products from the stores at which they had been buying to fill their needs, the buildings that are now empty would still be providing the products they need.
It’s too bad that those who had the power did not do what one town did – see what big business did to other towns. When they realized what had happened to these towns that let big business in, those smart men refused to let it into their town. Those were smart men.
Where does the money go after the articles you purchase in the big business establishment? Oh, you know! I don’t have to tell you. And yes, you know why the downtown area has so many empty buildings. And that is the reason I feel sad when I see those empty buildings.
What has happened to loyalty? Why do we buy the articles that were produced in China and other foreign countries?
Nyla Richardson
Dresden
Published in The WCP 1.29.13