Life with ISIS is here. It is time to become the heroes we need.

Now is the time to change how we live and think.

We, awake, aware, free-thinking individuals, have known for quite some time that it hasn’t been a question of “if” an ISIS attack will happen in the US, but rather, “when” will this attack happen? The answer to that question came sooner than any of us would have imagined. It was with bitter disgust that I listened to the scene unfold on the radio as we took our monthly resupply run down the mountain, back to civilization and the wholesale grocers. It mortified me that it had been just days since the last active shooter situation had occurred in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It struck me, we are now living in a new reality. From this week forward, things will, most likely, get far worse before they start getting any better. I believe that we need to rethink how we, as modern American patriots, go about living our day to day lives. We must look to history and current events from around the world, to see how this new reality is going to be shaped for us, and what, the terrorists and the powers that be, would like to see America transformed into.

Those of you that follow my work know that I am very much a champion of freedom of religion. I try my best to be tolerant of other people’s beliefs, as long as they do not interfere with my own freedoms. Unfortunately, the more I look into the ideologies of radical Islam, specifically those that are espoused by ISIS, the more I see that they have declared war on you, me, and anyone else on the planet that does not believe exactly as they do. I find myself facing an inner briar patch of turmoil by trying to reconcile our cherished constitutional rights with a radicalized sect that would use those very rights to further a world view that would have us convert or be tortured to death. This is not some wild notion that I am blowing out of proportion. One merely has to look to the areas of the world that these radicals already control to see what they will do with anyone and everyone that does not believe as they do. I conveyed these inner struggles to my friend and fellow Oath Keeper, Stewart Rhodes, last night. His answer was clear, concise, and correct, we must look to the constitution, we must as always remain steadfast in our sacred duty to protect it. Period. Again the founding fathers in their monumental wisdom gave us a way to weather the storms of bankers, gun grabbers, and even foreign enemies coming to our shores as sleeper terror cells.  It is by exercising and protecting all these very rights themselves that we will fend off these wolves, for example we are free to pursue any god (or not) in our own way but we cannot deprive others their rights to life and liberty in that pursuit. The second amendment is very clear “A well regulated Militia* being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall NOT be infringed.” *The Militia being defined as our forefathers as such;

“The militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves, … all men capable of bearing arms;…”

— “Letters from the Federal Farmer to the Republic”, 1788 (either Richard Henry Lee or Melancton Smith).

 

“Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own bosom? Congress shall have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birth-right of an American … The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the People.”

— Tench Coxe, 1788.

So then it is each of ours’ sacred duty to be the first responders, the protectors. As the Constitutional Society put it so well;

“When we are alone, we are all militia units of one. When together with others in a situation requiring a defensive response, we have the duty to act together in concert to meet the challenge. Those two component duties, of individuals to defend the community, and to act together in concert with others present, when combined with a third component duty to prepare to do one’s duty and not just wait until the danger is clear and present, comprises the militia duty.

The gun grabbers wasted no time what so ever to yet again declare that it is the fault of law abiding citizens that these shootings keep happening. In fact, on Dec 5^th, the New York Times ran its first front page editorial piece for the first time since 1920, and what a piece of work it is. The title and subtitle spell it out pretty clearly:

“End the Gun Epidemic in America, It is a moral outrage and national disgrace that civilians can legally purchase weapons designed to kill people with brutal speed and efficiency.”

The editorial board goes on to try and shame us into going along with outright banning and turning in any weapons that they would deem to be “… weapons of war, barely modified, and deliberately marketed as tools of macho vigilantism and even insurrection.” These weapons are meant to be equal to what a citizenry would need in order to stop an overreaching force of tyranny. When our founding fathers were lining up across Lexington green to face off with the red coats, do you think Captain Parker was thinking that they should only arm themselves with a lower class of firearm because they were mere citizen soldiers and they should leave the more effective weapons to the king’s military and police??? I think not. I was rather impressed with the response “Fighting Words” published on survivalblog.com by my friend and fellow patriot, James Wesley, Rawles’. Please clck here to read it.

We need to start looking at our approach to modern life differently. Instead to allowing them to put on more chains in the name of security, and allow the powers that be to keep us “safe” from every possible danger out there, we must come to grips with the truth that the only people that can truly give us a fighting chance at security are ourselves! We must begin the active process of changing our mind set and how we live our lives. If you are able to carry a firearm, then begin to do so, everyday. If you are not comfortable with firearms then it is your civic responsibility to seek out good, competent firearms training, and learn to become comfortable with them. Teach your family how to do the same. If you do not have your conceal carry permit and wish to be less conspicuous than open carrying, get signed up for that training and apply today! If you already carry a handgun with you day to day, maybe it is time to put together a ready bag for your vehicle. You will be prepared to defend yourself and stop these criminals, terrorists, and foreign enemies that have already declared war upon us and attacked our very way of life. Today is the day we need to show these villains that they truly have just awoken a sleeping giant! We need to start living in a way that would make our founding fathers proud of us.

Jason Van Tatenhove

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