Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory!

Yes, I’m a Detroit Lions fan and yes I am very familiar with this term. Usually, it’s because someone forgets that the Lions play other teams and those teams have a say-so in the scoring outcome, yet Lions fans want to simply blame their own team. This results in a perpetual pessimism in the fan base. I get it. Other times it’s all-too-true that the Lions seem to squander leads.

However, the title was envisioned during a recent (as in five minutes ago) conversation between my wife, best friend, and myself about what is going on in the world. Specifically, my wife was talking about how the general population was just now getting a big exposure to home schooling now that all the schools are shut down. This, in the long turn, will reflect positively on homeschooling as we are no longer the unknown crazy people that the pundits told you we were. My best friend chimed in stating that this pandemic will also cause people to rely on their neighbors again and to bring communities together. I then spoke of the over 300% increase in first time gun buyers in the panic buying of guns, as this will cause more people to realize they have to rely on themselves for protection. Then it dawned on me that, online, everyone seems more concerned of how our “rights are taken away.” First, our rights have not been taken away. Most communities and States and even the Federal Government have taken great strides to be as accommodating our of our freedoms when measured against public safety. We have a “stay-at-home” order that actually encourages us to go outside and use the trails and parks but to keep our distance. Gun Stores are kept open, despite the reality is that they are not needed for society to function – they are needed to keep us free. Guns keep us safe, sure…..if they are not on back order, or awaiting a background check, or the person doesn’t know how to store them, can’t buy ammo for them, doesn’t know how to aim, etc, etc. I would say that purchasing a gun at the last minute offers you only a false sense of security.

We can petition our government online. We still have our freedom of religion and can watch church service online. We can speak online and share our grievances against the government online, too. Did people get to do that in 1918 with the Spanish Flu? Or during WWI when the media was heavily monitored, and even a sitting US Senator was thrown in jail for criticizing the President? We still got our rights back after having them on hold. Did we lose any rights during the Civil War when Habeas Corpus (due process) was suspended? Not only did we remain free, but the slaves were made free after the 13th Amendment was passed shortly after the Civil War. When Martial Law was declared during the Great Chicago Fire, did people get their freedoms back when the situation calmed down? Yes. Every time an emergency has arisen, the Constitution has pulled through largely unscathed.

The people who want you to think our rights are under attack, the “Alex Jones” of the world, they want you to buy their product and they want you to be focused on fear, not reality.The reality is that we are again on the verge of a major victory. Victory for homeschooling, for gun rights, and for communities. Victory for independent minded people everywhere. Our society is being forced to ween themselves off of public education, to be responsible for their own security and to look out for your neighbors. And yet most of us still tune out that reality and look online or the radio and hear the conspiracy theories and the bad news. A perfect example is HR 5717. This bill was brought to the news again this past week because the fear mongers were telling us all that the democrats were trying to “sneak the bill under our noses.” The truth is that the bill was introduced 2 months ago, with a press conference no less. And then on March 10 it was merely referred to a committee and then subcommittee and not yet scheduled for any action, whatsoever. The Fear Mongers used this bill as a lie and most everyone believed it willingly. The truth is that the bill wasn’t going anywhere. Even if it did, it would die in the Senate as Senate Majority Leader already promised that it wouldn’t see the light of day. In other words, we will win and the democrats didn’t try to sneak it under our noses….and yet the Fear Mongers got everyone thinking they were.

We need to focus on reaching out to all the new gun buyers, the temporary home schoolers and our neighbors. We need to draw them in. And in doing so, we will emerge from this a political juggernaut that will squash gun control, state sponsored indoctrination of our youth and the break down of our local communities for the next generation. All we have to do is shut the Fear Mongers up first and get to work on helping our fellow Americans out.

Did you believe HR5717 was being pushed? Do you think your rights are being taken away as opposed to being put on hold? If so, I have some bad news. You are snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. You might want to re-evaluate your priorities and outlook on life. Jesus gave us a Spirit of Power, not of Timidity (2 Timothy 1:7), so stop reacting in fear and act in power. Be the guy that is there for your neighbor. Take the new gun owner to the range (when they open) and teach him how to be safe….or better yet get him enrolled in a quality training program! Show the neighborhood that CNN is stupid and we all really do love each other and get along despite what MSNBC says, regardless of our differences.

Ensure the God-given gift of this trial of our nation is used for good, not evil. Faith and action, not fear. Fear is irrational, fear is the enemy. Love wins and love never fears. Patriots love their country, they shouldn’t fear their government (government should fear us!).