michaelclm
Banned from the timer
I propose that this path starts within each of us. A friend and I have recently begun the process of becoming better stewards of our gun culture and, as an extension, of our liberty. In so doing, we have each taken somewhat different approaches to the same goal: Making ourselves more knowledgeable Americans. That's really what we are, first: Americans. I'm a gun owner second and only because I had the good fortune to be an American first.
I believe that we must understand (really understand) the origins of our liberties, how they were earned, how they've been eroded and what can be done to restore them. It is my opinion that this is best accomplished through an historical perspective. You can't rest on the 10th grade American History, Houghton Mifflin account. You have to seek answers for yourself. I've started the Hillsdale series of online courses on the Constitution and am reading anything I can find on the Founders' intent with regard to the Bill of Rights, specifically the Second Amendment. The best source of this is their own words, in the form of their personal correspondence. In letters to their wives, their friends, and their most trusted advisors they open up in a way they didn't in their public papers.
The second step toward educating others, I feel, is to start within our own homes. I believe that before we can educate others we must first educate ourselves and our progeny and demand a higher level of performance as citizens. Then, and only then, can we be proper ambassadors of our heritage and have the tools to speak effectively, firmly, and authoritatively on what is happening to our heritage as the greatest experiment in the history of mankind.
I believe that we must understand (really understand) the origins of our liberties, how they were earned, how they've been eroded and what can be done to restore them. It is my opinion that this is best accomplished through an historical perspective. You can't rest on the 10th grade American History, Houghton Mifflin account. You have to seek answers for yourself. I've started the Hillsdale series of online courses on the Constitution and am reading anything I can find on the Founders' intent with regard to the Bill of Rights, specifically the Second Amendment. The best source of this is their own words, in the form of their personal correspondence. In letters to their wives, their friends, and their most trusted advisors they open up in a way they didn't in their public papers.
The second step toward educating others, I feel, is to start within our own homes. I believe that before we can educate others we must first educate ourselves and our progeny and demand a higher level of performance as citizens. Then, and only then, can we be proper ambassadors of our heritage and have the tools to speak effectively, firmly, and authoritatively on what is happening to our heritage as the greatest experiment in the history of mankind.
