by John Hall
Twin Falls, ID

Today (16OCT00), I received a phone call from the local sheriff's office. After waiting almost 90 days, I am finally being issued a Concealed Carry Weapons Permit (CCW). Now, my occupation isn't dangerous (I'm a broadcast engineer), nor do I live in a dangerous neighborhood. The reason why I went through the Personal Protection Course, and subjected myself to the hassle of applying is because it was MY responsibility to exercise my 2nd Amendment Rights.

When I was younger, I remember my dad telling me that along with freedom, comes responsibility. If I exercise that responsibility, I'll have earned my freedom. If I neglect my responsibility, I'll eventually lose my freedom. I believe this is where we are at right now.

Many of the younger crowd tells me that they aren�t going to vote because they are disgusted with politics all together. Al Gore has repeatedly proven himself to be a liar, and George Bush comes off as being nothing more than a self-serving politician. They add to this that it would be a waste of time to vote for another candidate, because they wouldn't have enough votes to win, and besides, "everyone knows that the elections are rigged".

While it grieves me to agree with them, to an extent, I must also strongly encourage them not to throw away their responsibilities in voting. Voting is not a right; it's a responsibility. Like so many other aspects in our lives, whenever we neglect our duty to defend our freedoms, we will lose them.

Out here in Idaho, there are many good people involved in militias. These people love their families, their country and their Constitution. For them, to be willing to lay down their lives for freedom is noble, but the battle today doesn't need to be fought with guns and bullets. Right now, while we continue to support our local militias, we don't need to make a stand with our guns drawn. Now, we have the opportunity to battle in the voting booths. We can fight those who would deny our freedoms through supporting patriotic groups like KABA, NRA, and GOA. We don't have to chance the bloodshed on some hillside, but instead take to our keyboards and fight online!

We can also invest our time and efforts into education and training. Find out where there is a local NRA Personal Protection Course. Get involved with supporting your local police departments and even get involved in community politics. Teach your children the truth of our American Heritage and help them to understand our U.S. Constitution and Bill or Rights. These are our modern battlefields. This is where the true fighting can be.

Someday, we might just have to draw a line and physically defend our Constitution against the enemies both foreign and domestic. But right now, please, vote this November! If you know of others who are not registered, convince them of its importance. Also, don't stop at the voting booths. Register for a CCW, if your state allows, and actively work to defend YOUR Constitutional Rights. For if we don't exercise our responsibilities, we will lose our freedoms.