After watching some home videos of the recent situation in Boston, I am deeply saddened at what I have seen. If you watch the video below, and others on YouTube, you will notice several violations of Americans' rights...

Just in case you're not sure what exactly is wrong with what happened in Boston, and more specifically what happened in this video, let me remind you of a small clause in the Bill of Rights:

In this video we can see a small example of what happened all around Boston. SWAT teams evacuated people from their own homes and searched private properties for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the younger of the two brothers suspected of being the Boston City Marathon bombers. However, this is in direct violation of the Fourth Amendment in the Bill of Rights. These people, being taken from their homes and told to keep their hands over their heads as they leave are far from secure in their persons, houses, etc. 

Now there are those people who will argue that 'there was a suspected terrorist on the loose, so of course the searches were reasonable.' However, without a warrant these officers have no right to search these homes because they do not have warrants, and warrants could not be issued without probable cause supported by oath or affirmation. The residents of Boston rolled over and submitted themselves to unconstitutional and un-American behavior by the city's police. (And what else could they do? Sue the city after the fact? Refuse to be searched and likely be arrested or shot?) 

I will get straight to the point here.  Americans' rights are not suggestions, nor are they archaic ideas that can be tossed aside in a time of crisis (unless you're in Boston apparently). My encouragement and challenge to you is this: Know your rights. Stand up for them. 

This is America. The land of the Free and the home of the Brave. We are not cowards to be led from our own houses at gunpoint by those who are sworn to "serve and protect." We are a free people. Let us live like a free people. 

As a resident of Colorado, I am especially distraught over several of the bills that are passing there. (I know what you're thinking... 'This guys is launching a blog with that? You bet I am!). Take for instance the recent decision to limit ammunition magazines to no more than 15 round capacity, the decision to require universal background checks on ALL firearm transfers, and the even more recent decision to allow illegal immigrants to acquire Colorado Drivers Licenses. While I could write several pages on each of these topics--and probably will as time goes on--I'd like to focus on a somewhat broader topic... a higher wrung on the ladder of abstractions, if you will. That topic is the meaning of a democratic republic.

It just boils my blood when I hear people, whether it be politicians, newscasters Joe Schmo at the gas station bragging about the U.S. spreading democracy to the rest of the world. First off, who said they wanted democracy in the first place!? (yet another topic for another day). Second, and more importantly to this blog, what happened to the little piece of our government called a REPUBLIC? Let me break this down for you:

DEMOCRACY - Government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. (Dictionary.com)


REPUBLIC - A state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them. (Dictionary.com) 

Now out of those two definitions, which one seems to describe the United States. I'll give you a hint: Both. The United States was organized as a democratic republic. Each and every citizen (of age) is represented and has a chance to vote as the Democracy claims, but little to no emphasis is placed on the fact that we have representatives as the Republic points out. Why am I harping on this so much? I'll get there in just a second. 

In Colorado on March 4 something happened that I think is much closer to the center of the issue than a bunch of unconstitutional and oppressive bills. Colorado citizens were denied the opportunity to testify against the proposed legislation. There is a much more in-depth account on Sheriff Terry Maketa's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/maketaforsheriff) and you can scroll to his post on March 12 to read about it. What is even more astonishing is that the husband of shooting victim Gabrielle Giffords was allowed to testify for the proposed "common sense" legislation. I couldn't care less that he testified against it. Everyone has a first amendment right to speak their mind (ahem... so long as there is a second amendment to protect it). What I am so incredulous about is that he is not even a Colorado resident. He is from Arizona. Why was he allowed to testify regarding the bill when literally thousands of Coloradans lined up out the door were unable to?

This is why I mentioned the importance of the Republic. The people who hold political office do NOT hold political power. They are merely there as representatives of those individuals who elected them democratically. And when you have thousands of people who you supposedly represent show up at your doorstep and call you on the phone and send you letter after letter on how they want to be represented, and you ignore that in favor of what you feel will make a safer community, we have a problem. 

Something stinks in the city of Denver.