New Jersey Coalition for Self Defense

by Dan Roberts

In a shameless exploitation of the recent failed car bombing in New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg journeyed to the Capitol a few days ago to implore Congress to climb on board with his incessant gun banning schemes with hysterical pleadings to close the so called “Terror Gap” that allegedly allows suspected terrorists to purchase firearms legally. Mr. Bloomberg enjoyed full support from NJ Senator and leading contender for the next George Romero zombie movie, Frank Lautenberg.

That Bloomberg, Lautenberg and their cronies in the media are full-throated supporters and fans of anything to do with further infringing the Second Amendment rights of Americans is no surprise. The shocking thing is the new level to which they are willing to resort - essentially stripping a protected fundamental right from a Citizen for NO other reason than being suspected of something.  But saying it’s a new level of insidiousness and abuse of power is really something of a misnomer, because this type of thing has been done before - in the 1940’s and 1950’s era of McCarthyism.

For those unfamiliar with the historical context, in the waning period of WWII and the run up of the Cold War, there was significant apprehension, rampant fear-mongering and a good deal of yellow journalism concerning the presence of communist sympathizers in the United States. Although there were in fact several high profile cases of actual Soviet spies, most notably Alger Hiss at the US State Department and Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, Senator Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin suddenly sprang from relatively unremarkable service in Congress to the front and center of the American political stage when he announced in a February 1950 speech that he was in possession of a secret list of known Soviet sympathizers inside the federal government, as well as in various other high visibility and influential circles such as Hollywood.

McCarthy’s wild and unfounded accusations led to the wholesale deprivation of due process of those alleged to be on the list, and the destruction of reputations and careers. Even with no evidence to support McCarthy’s claims, many innocent people were imprisoned.  Subsequently, the Tydings Committee, chaired by Senator Millard Tyding, was impaneled to explore the veracity of McCarthy’s claims and in their report called the accusations a “fraud and a hoax” and that the intent of McCarthy’s claims was to “confuse and divide the American people to a degree far beyond the hopes of the Communists.”

Even more damning a commentary on McCarthy’s allegations was expressed by legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow during the broadcast of Murrow’s television program “See it Now”, aired on March 9th 1954, in which Murrow said of McCarthy and his outrageous assertions:

“His primary achievement has been in confusing the public mind, as between the internal and the external threats of Communism. We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men. We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home. The actions of the junior Senator from Wisconsin have caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad, and given considerable comfort to our enemies. And whose fault is that? Not really his. He didn't create this situation of fear; he merely exploited it—and rather successfully.”

One need only take the current legislation that Bloomberg, Lautenberg and others support and substitute the word “terrorist” for “communist”, and the scathing words of the Tydings Committee and Edward Murrow aptly and correctly apply.

What Bloomberg, Lautenberg and others support is nothing short of denying a fundamental and Constitutionally protected right of an American citizen based on nothing more than his name appearing on a secret government list - a list well known to be full of mistaken entries, and a list that is all but impossible to remove yourself from.  Senator Ted Kennedy, Congressman Don Young and Congressman John Lewis all found themselves on the list at one time. The list has also included such dangerous “suspects” as the former top Criminal Prosecutor for the Justice Department, and an 8-year-old boy named Mickey Hicks, who has been on the list since age two, resulting in numerous searches of the boy and his family every time they fly and no remedy in sight. As of November 2009 over 1.3 million names appeared on the list, with an additional 20,000 names added every month. Yet a Justice Department audit found an error rate of 35 percent. When a list of 216 known terrorists was compared to the list, 35 of them did NOT appear, including Ft. Hood murderer Major Hassan. The criteria for finding your way on to the list?  That’s classified.
Bloomberg claims that the legislation he wants to be able to close the so-called “Terror Gap” allows for people to challenge the reason why they are there in the first place. This is true only in the sense that someone may apply for a challenge request. But the legislation does nothing to address the fact that the government is not required to provide any evidence, is not required to reveal to anyone how someone’s name got on the list to begin with, or anything else that might actually assist in clearing an innocent person’s name.

That ANY elected official, having sworn an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution, could so callously show such utter disdain and contempt for the due process rights of those they claim to serve, no matter what the perceived positive effects, is reprehensible and should be grounds for immediate removal from office. If allowed to become law, where would it stop? What other fundamental rights will those in power feel free to legislate against for the “greater good”?

Regardless of which side of the political spectrum you reside on, regardless of your personal feelings about the right to keep and bear arms, proposed legislation of this type must be fiercely resisted by EVERY American.  To do anything else, even offering implied support by staying silent, will only serve to further encourage such actions in the future, to the detriment of all Americans. It will also unconsciously play right into the hands of the terrorist viewpoint of tyrannical, iron-fisted rule and the complete disappearance of anything remotely resembling freedom - freedom that hundreds of thousands of Americans have fought and died over the course of two centuries to maintain.

We owe it to the memory of those before us to resist this abominable policy with every fiber of our being. It is also equally clear that it is far past time for Frank Lautenberg to be voted from office. New Jersey, one of the original thirteen colonies, host to innumerable Revolutionary War battlefields and home to the turning point of the Revolution, deserves someone with a much greater respect for our history, our heritage and our principles than Senator Lautenberg.

The immortal wisdom of Benjamin Franklin seems particularly suited to this topic:

“Those who would give up ESSENTIAL LIBERTY to purchase a little TEMPORARY SAFETY, deserve neither LIBERTY nor SAFETY.”

Benjamin Franklin, February 1775