TownHall Columnists

Well, an interesting day on Townhall.com. First up is Walter Williams talking about the real moral and legal problem with the welfare state here. The problem of course is that using taxes, taken by force of arms, to support another is slavery. (Charity, the voluntary giving of one person's property to support another is not slavery, because no force is involved. I add this for some of the more obtuse among the Leftists and "Liberals" who may be reading this.)

Next up is Michelle Malkin who writes about the lack of debate in Congress on a variety of issues. The latest outrage involves parliamentary shenanigans to avoid debating the cap and trade taxes said to be necessary to eliminate the non-existent global warming.

Then there is the always thought provoking Jonah Goldberg asking where's the outrage when the Obama Administration argues that banning politically relevant books is Constitutionally acceptable. I remember the arguments in the 60s over outrageous free speech. I reluctantly supported such free speech precisely because by defending the extremes, I was protecting my own right to free speech. Now that they are in power, the Left seems to be moving to constrain and silence the free speech of conservatives. Jacob Sullum has more here.

Finally, if you are not disheartened enough, there is this this piece by Bobby Schindler on the fourth anniversary of his sister, the Terri Shciavo's case.

What all of these things have in common is that they represent the constant spate of brush fires set by the Left on all fronts to keep the rest of us divided and off guard. While we are fighting one thing, they are over there doing something else. I have been especially concentrated on gun rights, not because I particularly love guns, but because it is the guarantor of all the other rights. But, I cherish all our rights. First Amendment rights are included in the First Amendment for a reason. As a Christian, I have watched for years as religion has been denigrated and life cheapened. I believe that God is life affirming, from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. But the government has taken positive action after action to weaken life, often for mere economic reasons. What ever happened to "if it saves just one life?" I have watched Congress curb the right to speak out about our politicians, and now enough precedent has been set to allow them to go after the press. This is especially ironic as so many newspaper editors supported Campaign Finance Reforms when they thought THEIR rights would be protected.

Along the way, there have been losses to property rights (see the Kelo decision). If you think you have rights when innocently arrested, you may want to study a number of recent cases.

As we enter Holy Week, I pray for the country that I no longer recognize.