This is Viewpoints for Thursday, 06/30/16

An opposing view

In the week just past, the Macon Telegraph has printed three cartoons and several letters that vilified the National Rifle Association and Republicans unfairly. Permit me to give an opposing view.

The murders at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando were truly horrific. The first reaction of most people was shock and disbelief. Equally shocking was the manner in which President Obama cynically politicized the tragedy by calling for more gun control before the bodies were even cold. He thus deflected focus from his own failed policies to effectively fight ISIS as well as the radicalized Islamic terrorist who committed the murders onto guns. True to their anti-gun agenda and predictable effort to politically capitalize on yet another tragedy, the Democrats hurried bills to the Senate floor, counting on emotion without rational thought to carry the day. As with any rush to judgment, the bills were unreasonable and ultimately defeated. For that the Republicans and the NRA have been roundly, and unfairly, criticized.

While President Obama and the Democrats were feverishly pushing for more gun control, more rational folks recognized the dangers therein. In this instance the NRA not only fought to preserve the Second Amendment but also to prevent power hungry Democrats from violating the Sixth Amendment and the right of due process. An individual cannot be convicted of a crime or denied their rights without being proven guilty FIRST. The Sixth Amendment also provides that the accused has the right to face his accusers.

The Democrat sponsored bills to deny individuals their right to own firearms if placed on the “No Fly” or “Terrorist” watch lists had no provisions for due process or protection from wrongful inclusion on those lists. They were therefore legislation of the worst kind and, if enacted, would violate the Constitutional protections every U.S. citizen has a right to expect. Additionally, the attempt to bring back the so-called “Assault Weapons Ban” bill failed because it was poorly written. It was “feel good” legislation with more holes than Swiss cheese.

Rather than the NRA and Republicans being unreasonable, it’s the Democrats who tried to shove bad legislation down the throats of the American people. They acted like 2-year-old children who have been told “no” when they held their sit-in in the House of Representatives following defeat in the Senate. Rewrite the legislation and provide adequate Constitutional safeguards against government abuse of the Second and Sixth Amendments and maybe it will pass muster. It should bother any thinking person that the president and the Democrats are willing to further their anti-gun agendas on the fresh graves of the victims of a terrorist act. President Obama and the Democrats do this every time there is a tragedy and it’s disgusting. ISIS is a genuine danger to this nation but so is any legislator willing to trample the Constitution under the guise of improving security. Thank the Republicans and the NRA for denying the Democrats’ efforts to grant unreasonable power to the government in violation of the Constitution and the individual rights of our citizens.

Guns not to blame

Read in the Telegraph what seems to be a regular occurrence of President Obama visiting families of the deceased and survivors of the Orlando murders. Which is good but not good enough, for in doing so he blames such crimes on guns.

I read in the same paper 2,477 individual on the terrorists watch list applied to purchase weapons between 2004 and 2015. Of those, 2,265 were approved, more than 91 percent.

Read Wednesday, June 22, 2016: Illegal immigrants charged with violent crimes and serious felonies were among the hundreds of criminals the Obama administration released from jails across the country in February 2013, newly released documents show.

According to records obtained by USA Today, the government released inmates charged with offenses ranging from kidnapping and sexual assault to drug trafficking, armed assault and homicide. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) admitted to the newspaper that numerous dangerous criminals had been released but denied direct responsibility.

Instead of Obama using tax dollars flying all over the country raising money for already well-off politicians, that tax dollar could be used to hire more FBI personnel or other certified agencies to put a stop to approving gun sales to criminals. But to keep harping over peaceful gun owners, maybe he needs to think twice about all the criminals he releases from jail. Did he obtain proof they did not own a gun before releasing them? I guess not due to the fact he wants all employment applications to delete any applicants’ criminal records. Therefore, it seems to me he might be some of the problem why terrorist and criminals can easily be legally approve to purchase guns. He is eliminating important information employers need to know, alerting them to those who might do harm against his employees.

Rights null and void

In less than a week rainbow flags were flying everywhere in response to the shooting deaths in the Orlando nightclub. You would have thought a revolution had broken out. One person was reported to have said the sight of such flags was unbearable. Who sanctioned these banners to fly? Is this right? If so, who made the decision? A moment was seized, regardless of law or right or wrong, just like it has been in the year since the Charleston church shootings — one flag down, another up — an expression denied those of Southern heritage.

Are the laws of this land now formed on the basis of public outcry? Are we now governed by a liberal media alone? Why are Southern and Christian rights suddenly made null and void? If this is truly a land of liberty, should not everyone be allowed to celebrate and honor their heritage — not just a few? Are only politically correct rights sanctioned, protected and yes, tolerated in this great land of freedom?

It will never matter to me, at all, what people do the privacy of their own lives but it matters a whole lot to God. I can only express my opinion about things I deem totally unacceptable. God can do more. He can and He will set things right one day soon. Be sure of one thing, God Almighty will decide.

This story was originally published June 29, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Thursday, 06/30/16."