Thoughts on Security

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

The ancient Hebrew king Solomon was a wise man. After years of observation, he wrote for future generations three books Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes. These books contain the vital lessons he learned from his generation. Remarkably, his knowledge is still relevant today. In his time he saw that there was a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. The same is true in our day. We must perceive the time and respond to it.

Our life’s trip through time is beyond the control of anyone. We are captive to the events that occur between our birth and death. For some, the circumstances of their day has been peaceful, uneventful, and prosperous, others live lives of oppression, struggle, poverty, and injustice. The events of your life makes no difference to time, time just continues to unfold. It is observable, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year as time marches on.

Of course, we cannot stop its progression, or predict its course. Its events are often mundane and uneventful and at other times shocking. Yet, however time turns it is only our response to those events that matter.

Remember September 11, 2001, the day started like a thousand before, but within minutes the morning abruptly changed the course of our lives. The direction of then future events was permanently altered. As a nation, we were not prepared for the brutal terrorism that was witnessed that day. Though we were unprepared, we quickly responded to the threat and met force with force. We brought the battle to the terrorist.

As long as we have stayed alert and prepared, we have been safe. Nevertheless, when politics inserted itself into national security we once again dropped our guard and allowed political correctness to dictate our response to threats. Therefore, we wavered; we failed to respond to perceived threats, and 13 brave and decent soldiers died needless deaths. The recent Fort Hood terrorist attack indicates that our leaders again prefer to put Americans in harms way and sacrifice lives for the politically correct fantasy that Islam is a religion of peace. How long will the America voters waver between two opinions and allow idiots to govern?

As for you and I we see this most recent fanatical belief that virgins and honey await those who will kill the infidel as reason to make preparations. What can we do? After the massacre of 24 people at Luby’s Restaurant in Killeen TX, the Texas legislature recognized that the slaughter on that day could have been prevented if one diner with a handgun had been prepared to defend himself.

Therefore, after much debate in 1995 the 74^th legislature passed a Concealed Handgun law and the new Governor George W. Bush signed the concealed carry bill. Throughout the long struggle to get a concealed handgun law passed for Texas there were a number of people who risked their political lives to accomplish what many thought might be an impossible task. Two stand out.

One is Texas Senator Jerry Patterson, who sponsored and shepherded a number of the bills, including the successful 1995 effort and the equally important 1997 revision. The other is Suzanna Gratia, who rose from the tragedy in Killeen to provide essential testimony at a critical time. As Suzanna Gratia-Hupp she become a Representative in the Texas Legislature and served several terms, always speaking up for gun owners.

In a society where a lone gunman, a murderer or rapist, a deceived jihadist, or a sneak thief can rob you of your life or your family’s life, it only makes sense to purchase a concealable handgun and get a license to carry it. Join a gun club. Practice shooting. Teach your children to respect firearms. Learn how to load, clean, and oil your weapons. Stay alert to your surroundings. Learn to avoid imminent dangers when at all possible. In the future, preppers and their families will need to be prepared for many threats. In Texas, this is a legal way to respond to those threats. You do not have to be a sitting duck for the demonic beliefs and behavior of foolish men. Stand up and be prepared or passively sit back and allow the events of time to crush you. Your family’s future ultimately depends upon you.

CK in Southeast Texas