A Dark and Desperate Hour

This is the text of my address to the Pike County Board
June 24, 2013
Dan A. Mefford, D.C.

Little did the preacher know yesterday I would borrow part of his text for my introduction remarks this evening?  Pastor took part of his text from this verse in Galatians:  It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Let me repeat that:  Stand firm then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.  This a directive to the people, “…do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery!  The people are directed to participate in their own freedom.

Let me tell a very short story. 

On Christmas Day 1776 George Washington was desperate.  That year had been the darkest in American history. He had just endured a whole chain of military disasters. The morale of his remaining army, starving and freezing, was very low; hundreds desert during the night. He is down to 2,400 troops. At least one-third have no shoes and wrap their feet in burlap during the all night march, leaving a trail of blood in the snow as a sudden and fierce northeast storm engulfs his Continentals. It all has come to this; facing impossible odds the American Revolution is down to one last desperate attempt to succeed.

Listen to Washington’s own words on this night: 

“The reflection upon my situation and that of this army produces many an uneasy hour when all around me are wrapped in sleep.  Few people know the predicament we are in.” (G. Washington)

Washington goes on to lead a tremendous surprise attack with his men, many with no shoes and bleeding feet on a cold stormy Christmas night crossing a dark icy river. 

A few weeks ago at our March meeting this body considered the Self Defense and Firearms Freedom ordinance for the first time.  I mentioned that in my opinion our country and our state was indeed at a time in its history when we were at a dark and desperate hour.  I further mentioned a number of reasons why I said that, primarily the travesty of national healthcare run by the IRS and not by, for instance, the Center for Disease Control.  I mentioned federal agencies arming themselves with enough rounds of hollow point ammunition to last over 20 years if the agencies burned up ammo at the same rate as the height of the Afghanistan war.

Since then we have now learned our federal government is recording every conversation that we citizens make on our phones.  We have learned that the IRS, by its own admission, has been targeting for audits the supposed enemies of the current administration.  There is the Benghazi story.  The Justice department secretly has chosen to wiretap reporters who are in the process of investigating and reporting news.

The list can go on.  I am not blaming the current administration alone; it was the previous administration that authored the infamous Patriot act, which has become the tool of the current administration.

Our Chicago Attorney suggested that the simple ordinance might create confusion and then refused to expound on what the confusion might be.  I respectfully suggest that the confusion he is thinking of is that the Second Amendment, and the Founders, might actually mean what it says, “shall NOT BE INFRINGED.”

Many of our Illinois legislators imply that the Second Amendment is window dressing and that the Founders didn’t really mean what they wrote.  If that is the case then at what point are the other bill of rights to become the bill of “suggestions,” like the Second Amendment has been treated? 

After the last few weeks it is proof positive that government will overstep its bounds in the name of the public safety and the children, terrorism, or what have you?  I ask you friends, “Where is it going to end?”

I ask you this, “If the Second Amendment is the supreme law of the land at the federal level, and at the state level then it is also the supreme law at the County level; how can we go wrong passing the identical language at any level, especially when it comes to the preservation of the fundamental rights of man?

Last week, the village of Pleasant Hill with a unanimous 100% vote adopted a similar resolution to ours; thus recommending that the County Board take this step also.  The People of Pike have declared their intent via referendum.  And that is to stand with preservation of their constitutional rights.

You may recall Patrick Henry when he said, “…it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope.  We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth…”  I think friends that we are at that time in history when we would hold out an illusion of hope.  Hope that our leaders who we have revered and respected would not be led astray by the power and influence of their positions.  Nevertheless these leaders continue to want to rule every aspect of our lives in every way, from the food we prefer to eat and to drink and to our activities and to how we choose to raise our children.  We are informed that children no longer belong to their parents; rather they belong to the community.

Can we seriously believe that our government is buying ammunition by the billions of rounds for domestic use with no intent?  We must open our eyes and see that our government wants to disarm the people while at the same time it arms itself with bullets by the billions, armored vehicles at rate of 2,700 on order, and 7,000 personal defense weapons for the feds, but the same rifle for citizens is referred to as an assault rifle?

Patrick Henry said, “Our chains are forged!  Their clanking may be heard on the plains…”

Did our Forefathers indeed dream of a time such as this, where the insidious registration of gun owners and then registration of their “Personal Defense Weapons,” which has throughout history always led to eventual confiscation?  I say they did and to counter that, in the plainest and most simple language, in an amendment all on its own, declared, “…the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

Win lose or draw on this resolution, it is my intent that when my children and grandchildren ask, “what did you do to preserve Liberty for us?  I can say I stood to best of my ability.  I ask what are your children and grandchildren going to say about you down the road as the regulations and the snooping and the spying continues?

State’s Attorneys and sheriffs all across this state are beginning to take a stand and go with the Constitution by declaring that the People have a right to carry.  Are the citizens of Pike County so bad, so mean, so irresponsible that they cannot be trusted to carry with intelligence?

Remember slaves must ask permission of their owners to act, freeman act on their own choice.  At this moment you must ask permission to own a firearm and buy ammunition, unless, of course you are from out of state, and then you are automatically okay.

As I did last time, I would remind myself and each of us of the number one function of government, which comes from our first legal document, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness-- that to secure these rights governments are instituted among men…”  Therefore our number one function as we sit here at this table, serving our County is to secure these fundamental God given rights.  I didn’t see anything about public safety, terrorism, the children, public highways, catching dogs, etc.  Those may be important functions but Liberty is the highest goal.

A couple minutes ago I related a story about George Washington’s army.  Their feet left a bloody trail in the snow.  Their sacrifice was not for public safety, or the children, or public highways.  It was for Liberty. 

I also quoted a scripture the key point being, “do not let yourself be burdened again into the yoke of slavery.” 

Are we going to ignore the blood of those died for our Liberty?  We have somehow let the Illinois legislature woo us into bondage once again, by allowing them to ignore the plain language of the second amendment.  They are good at it.

William Pitt said, “Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.”  Beware of necessity.

Shall not be infringed, does not mean, shall not be infringed very much.

I ask, who will stand with me in this dark and desperate hour in our nation and look the Illinois legislature in the eye and say, “We side with the Constitution of the United States of America as it is written?”

Therefore Mr. Chairman, Fellow board members, Mrs. Boyd, and Fellow Citizens, I respectfully make the motion that the Self Defense and Firearms Freedom Resolution be passed as written.

Source #1:  1.6 Billion rounds
http://news.yahoo.com/homeland-security-cache-bullets-190840538.html

Source #2:  1.6 Billion rounds
http://www.wnd.com/2013/02/why-is-government-stockpiling-guns-ammo/#UM64p5fYGvYGwUOI.99

Source of the phrase by Obama: “civilian national security force”
http://www.wnd.com/2008/07/70160/

Video with the phrase by Obama:  Youtube.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Df2p6867_pw

Obama DHA Purchases 2,700 Light-Armored Tanks
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/03/obama-dhs-purchases-2700-light-armored-tanks-to-go-with-their-1-6-billion-bullet-stockpile/

“General Washington’s Christmas Farewell – A Mount Vernon Homecoming 1783″ by Stanley Weintraub. The 174 page book is readily available.  http://www.bizpacreview.com/2012/12/17/george-washingtons-mount-vernon-christmas-47876