A recent headline asked, “Do we really want to make the nation great?” Well, whose definition of great would that be? We ought to restore American greatness.

I don’t know anybody with an automatic assault weapon. The licensing and taxes for ownership of such weapons is designed to discourage ownership of them. I do know some people with semi-automatic rifles that can use high capacity magazines.

The 2nd Amendment in part was designed to protect the rest of the Bill of Rights from over-reach by the central government.

Today the federal government is over-reaching in many areas and infringing on the Bill of Rights: seizure of American’s property without due process because of traffic stops, laws regulating types of speech that aren’t approved by some in Washington, lots of things tucked into the Patriot Act using terrorism as an excuse and attempts to strip American citizens of their 2nd Amendment rights.

I can foresee government agents marching door to door to seize our guns. After a shooting in Australia the government passed strict gun laws. Once the Australians were disarmed, crimes such as home invasion increased because burglars had nothing to fear.

In England women aren’t even allowed to carry pepper spray when walking at night. If a person carrying a cane used it as a weapon the British have so distorted the common law that any object used as a weapon is viewed the same as carrying an illegal weapon.

Senator Diane Feinstein of California was quoted years ago as saying something to the effect that if she had the votes in Congress she’d ban all guns and there would be confiscations. Governor Cuomo of New York was recently quoted as favoring confiscations. That is the goal of people like Senator Feinstein of California. Registration is a first step. Since they can’t do it all at once they want to do it bit by bit.

Around here lots of people can say that their family is pure American or at least mostly. I would guess that the Sons of the American Revolution could have a very successful membership drive if people knew their own family histories.

More understanding of everyone’s rights? Why do foreigners have any right at all to violate our borders and break our immigration laws?

People bring their culture with them. Immigrants from similar cultures like Germany and Ireland were willing and able to integrate. We used to insist on it with pro-American classes in American history and citizenship. When people integrate they become part of the country.

Looking at the culture of modern Mexico, it isn’t a place where I’d want to live. When people live in ethnic enclaves they don’t assimilate. There are parts of California and the Southwest where it would be useful to know Spanish. Some Chicanos even have the idea of a Reconquista, taking back the southwest for Mexico.

California in the 1950s was a state Americans wanted to move to. Now they’re fleeing a sinking ship and California is having budget troubles.

We aren’t getting Mexico’s best and brightest. It isn’t Mexican professionals or Mexican business owners sneaking over our border. I’ve read that second generation Mexicans whose parents are under-educated tend to be under-educated. We’re importing cheap labor which corporations like because it depresses wages. The Republicans like what corporations like. We’re also importing new Democratic voters which the Democrats like.

Meanwhile, a majority of Americans don’t think illegals should be given citizenship. Poor Americans who may be under-educated themselves have to compete for jobs that pay depressed wages with people who have no respect for our laws, which they demonstrate by violating our border.

We didn’t start this country as we the people, we started this country as British colonists. We became a people here. We didn’t sneak across a border. There was hunger, sickness, trees to chop down, Indian attacks to survive, civilization to build and wars to be fought.

Our ancestors, some of us, paid for the land with their sweat and their blood.

I think the politicians of both parties will vote the way their campaign contributors want them to. For many of them their top concern is getting re-elected.

The Constitution is there to protect our liberties which it does not grant but recognizes and affirms. The campaign contributors might think we have too many liberties for us to be managed efficiently if we ever realize the government has been taken from us.

I think Americans should reserve the right to be well enough armed to resist tyranny. Some people say if the government wants the guns there’s nothing you can do.

Hopefully not all Americans share that attitude and will realize that they can resist and be good examples to their neighbors so that they will also resist.

Guns can’t fight tanks and aircraft is another favorite saying of those who are eager to surrender. Tell that to the Syrian government.

Joe Belcher

Ironton