Questioning Respect for Our Inalienable Rights, Part One.

[CCarl]

Inalienable means unable to be taken away from, or given away by, the possessor. Inalienable is interchangeable with unalienable. Some call these Rights God-given. Some call them Human Rights. I think of them as Birth Rights because they are inseparable from who we are, they are part of our consciousness that no government may legitimately abridge, abort, or deny. We have fought for these Rights since time immemorial, fought power hungry tribal leaders, then power hungry dynasties, then rabid religious zealots, and then rabid secular government monarchs and oligarchs.
Today, a Longton man is fighting the administrative and enforcement branches of Elk County government for his Rights [see Part Two]. The fight never ends, does it? Apparently the slogan 'Freedom is not Free' is correct. There are always controllers who want to coerce and demand obedience under the threat of incarceration or death. Where is that battle for freedom fought? Is it really in Ukraine, Israel or China as the President and Press propagandize? Or is it right here, in our backyard?

Our Republic and our State both have Bills of Rights written to remind governments those Rights are ours as individuals, and to guarantee their preservation from peeping government eyes, and prying government minds. In this post I just want to highlight a few of both importance and concern.

Bearing Arms
Protecting ourselves and defending our families, properties, and friends is vitally important in a free society. Arms ownership was one of the first things that Lenin banned in 1917, and that the Nazis banned as they conquered their neighboring countries. Now Biden wants to ban them in America. Here is what two Bills of Rights have to say about bearing arms.

United States Bill of Rights Second Amendment
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.
Kansas Bill of Rights Paragraph [4] Individual right to bear arms; armies.
A person has the right to keep and bear arms for the defense of self, family, home and state, for lawful hunting and recreational use, and for any other lawful purpose; but standing armies, in time of peace, are dangerous to liberty, and shall not be tolerated, and the military shall be in strict subordination to the civil power. (History: Adopted by convention, July 29,1859; ratified by electors, Oct. 4, 1859; L. 1861, p.48; L. 2009, ch. 152, § 1; Nov. 2, 2010.)

Remember first or second grade when most of us learned to read and write, we read that Jack and Jill went up the hill . . . . Then we learned that Jack and Jill and Joe and Julia (and Spot) went up the hill . . . . Then we learned to replace 'and' with a comma, and discovered that Jack, Jill, Joe, and Julia went up the hill. That is how to read the US Second Amendment, take out the comma and insert 'and'. That Amendment speaks to two separate and equal issues, the militia and the right to keep (own) and bear (carry on our person) arms. One is not dependent on the other, nor subordinate to it.

More of us need to open carry, or conceal carry, arms, on a voluntary basis. And we need to do this in public places, especially in so-called gun-free zones where that gun-free status alone promotes mass shootings by emboldened psychopaths who correctly anticipate no armed resistance. Were we more routinely armed, we would have less crime, have less need for enforcement, and have less need of taxes to pay for enforcement. That sounds like a plus-plus-plus to me.

I am looking at Dying Longton's City Council members right here, right now, and saying, do two things. One, pass a Resolution supporting the second amendment (and Kansas' 4th 'article' in its Bill of Rights). In the resolution, reaffirm to Right to concealed or open carry, with or without a permit.

Two, step up to the plate and pass a charter ordinance, changing State legislative code so Longton allows concealed carry in ALL public spaces, including bars, cafes, markets, banks, schools, city offices, fairgrounds, etc. Then if a business owner doesn't want them in his or her business, he or she paints themselves as anti-gun and soft on crime. If individuals do not want concealed carry they are not forced to carry. If they do not want others to conceal carry, they may be the ones stealing Longton blind. Act on it, City Council. Do something besides authorize unlawful charitable donations to non-City organizations and functions. Do something meaningful.

This is also a shout out to the retired owner of the hardware store. Good old retirement, aka, the golden years, huh?! I have a bucket list item that is perfect for you between health spa and acupuncture visits (you're not alone in those). Open a private property gun club and shooting range. Arrange for instruction for boys and girls, starting about age eight. Teach gun safety, gun responsibility, gun handling, and marksmanship. Create a family environment. We need such a club in the area. Contrary to AOC and other noses-in-the-air, education and experience offset the proclaimed danger-to-our-kids mantra of the Left. I know you know this. And please open the business in or near Longton, this town, and this end of the County, need the business and the traffic. It might pioneer a bit of an economic recovery. And, as you well know, it is not something government would or should promote, it is up to private investment to accomplish. It would be positive PR for Elk County. There, I see more pluses.

Speaking Freely
How many thousands of immigrants risked weeks at sea in small sailing ships in the 1600s because their homeland was abridging their religion, their speech, and their privacy? Those Rights were fundamental to them, worth risking their lives crossing the Atlantic to have. Below is what the federal and state Bills of Rights say about speaking freely.

United States Bill of Rights First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Kansas Bill of Rights Paragraph [11] Liberty of press and speech; libel.
The liberty of the press shall be inviolate; and all persons may freely speak, write or publish their sentiments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of such rights; and in all civil or criminal actions for libel, the truth may be given in evidence to the jury, and if it shall appear that the alleged libelous matter was published for justifiable ends, the accused party shall be acquitted. (History: Adopted by convention, July 29, 1859; ratified by electors, Oct. 4, 1859; L. 1861, p.48.)

Privacy
Those migrant ancestors of ours also risked their lives to be secure on their property and in their personal identity, secure from church or secular government's prying and confiscation. Below is what the federal and state Bills of Rights say about protecting our privacy.

United States Bill of Rights Fourth Amendment
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Kansas Bill of Rights Paragraph [15] Search and seizure.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons and property against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall be inviolate; and no warrant shall issue but on probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or property to be seized. (History: Adopted by convention, July 29, 1859; ratified by electors, Oct. 4, 1859; L. 1861, p.49.)

In practice Fourth Amendment prevents the government from conducting unreasonable searches and seizures. Needing to carry, show ID, or state your name without probable cause has been determined to be unreasonable. One must be under suspicion of having committed a crime before probable cause comes into play.

At the start of this post I said these Rights were both of importance and concern. I said of concern because a neighbor, Robert Walker, has his Rights of free speech and privacy being challenged by the Elk County Sheriff's Office and District Attorney's Office. Part Two of Questioning Respect for Our Inalienable Rights will look at the events that led to his arrest, and the challenge he is undertaking to protect our Inalienable Rights. It is not just his fight, it is one ALL of us share with him.

[CCarl]

NYSRPA v. Bruen

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/did-loosening-gun-control-cause-nationwide-drop-homicides

[CCarl]

More positive changes coming from  NYSRPA v. Bruen.

https://www.newsbreak.com/news/3297204273470-ban-on-guns-in-post-offices-is-unconstitutional-us-judge-rules?noAds=1&_f=app_share&s=i3

Public spaces now open to lawful carry. Anyone want to walk into the the Elk Courthouse packing a few revolvers?