Steve Eichler, MMP Exclusive — Do the citizens of the United States view the Federal Government as an oppressive force occupying Washington?
There came a point in American history – April 19, 1775 – that the colonists could no longer tolerate oppression of the occupying forces that consumed their rights and led to the revolution. It was a moment in history, which not only shocked the Kingdom of Great Britain, but also set off a cascade effect that is still felt today.
Recently, many people have changed their assessment regarding our Federal Government and now see Washington, with all of its power, as an encroaching force against freedom rather than a reflection of the will of the people. Federal encroachment has reached into our states, communities, homes and now into our very rights. What right do I speak of? The right to bear arms. The arrogance of those who believe that somehow the U.S. Constitution can be relegated to a document of the past, be brushed aside as if it had no weight in today’s society, cannot be more wrong. I fear there will come a day in the near future when the Federal Government will issue orders to seize firearms across America. This seizure will be viewed as an attack against citizen rights, citizen security and citizen sovereignty.
A flashpoint will quickly become evident as these two masses meet, not on battle field, but in our cities and homes. There will be one moment, a Lexington and Concord moment, and a shot or an action will become so vivid in the minds of the American people that they no longer can stay silent and no longer sit on the sidelines. The federal encroachment on our rights will not be tolerated for much longer. I speak this not as a threat, but as a fact coming to fruition. No doubt there will be those in the Federal Government who take a position of fear once that first shot has been fired – like in World War II. A phrase will be uttered but this time in the halls of Congress: “I fear that all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.”
The giant that will be spoken of is not a hierarchy, but a nation of people who desire life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness being guaranteed by a sense of privacy, ownership and security all of these rights. The people’s rights are protected by the Constitution but this goes far beyond that founding document and reaches into the very soul of man – the very right of the individual to protect himself, his family and his property. If the Federal Government believes that “We the People” will go silently into the night they couldn’t be more wrong! Once ignited, this flash fire of anger will force the Federal Government to go quietly into the night. How do I know this? Because the American people are loving, giving and compassionate… they care for their families and are goodhearted… they believe in the moral fiber, which made this nation great. When people having those qualities believe their very souls are threatened, they will rise up and stop at nothing to abolish their predator. When threatened, the American people, with all of their tolerance and greatness, will come to a threshold of rebellion and will no longer be restrained.
The Federal Government will try to turn its own people against one another with the use of the military and police forces. These are the very same people – the sons, daughters, moms, dads and grandparents – of those they order to strip their liberties. What type of a government can demand the destruction of their own people at the hands of their own family members? In my humble opinion, the arrogance of Washington could be crushed under the heel of national resistance. If this is done it very well could be a greater struggle than the one embedded in our heritage, which started in April 19, 1775 in Middlesex County within the towns of Lexington and Concord.
The Minutemen do not desire or demand violence or hostile reactions, however, nor will we go quietly into the night. It is becoming painfully apparent that this sleeping giant had better not be awakened.
