Too often, everyone resorts to name-calling and accusations regarding these matters.

However, I am compelled to reply.

I have a wife, and two very young sons. I am not always with them, as we work different shifts.

I cannot imagine anyone suggesting that my wife and children are somehow "unworthy" of the most effective means of protection that a person can now have. Nor can I imagine that the safety of myself and my family should be potentially sacrificed in the name of "safer streets."

I am sure you have been bombarded with numbers and statistics from both sides of this argument. I am sure that others will continue to furnish you with facts and figures, each supporting his or her own particular position.

I respectfully furnish you with this: The lives of my family will be protected, to the best of my ability, because I love them more than I love any laws, more than I love anything, even more than I love my own life.

This is not about "safe streets", or a "polite society", for me. This is not about patriotic arguments or statist belief systems. It is not about government at all.

This response is not about flag-waving, or who is right and who is wrong. This has little, if anything, to do with any written document or court decision.

It has nothing to do with any public opinion poll.

This response is about a two year old boy named "Dewey", who loves Star Wars and monkeys and parks, his baby brother, who now has three teeth, and their mother, who makes beans and cornbread sometimes, which is nearly as good as Grandma's.

It’s about a hard-working couple doing the best they can to guarantee a safe and happy future for their beloved children.

This is not about anything but my family, and my ability to protect them.

This, dear legislators, judges, and members of the press, is personal.

This is about a man's love for his own. There are no greater arguments or more compelling reasons from where I sit, than my wife, who works late into the night so we can have a better future, and our two precious boys who are upstairs sleeping. Indeed, it is lunacy to suggest that any further reasons are necessary.

I love my family, and I will protect them as best as I can, always. I think most Americans feel that way, too.

I only wish that our legislators would see that....

-Lee Miracle

(Note: Since this was written, in 1999, I have since gotten a divorce, and remarried. I am now with my high school sweet heart, my one true love, and together, we have eight kids, two cats, a dog, a goldfish, and a pet rat. We will defend them with as much fervor as necessary....)

By now, all across the country, kids are back in school, paying rapt attention to their NEA and AFT trainers.

These students will be taught that individualism is bad, and that collectivism is good.

They will be taught unquestioning obedience to authority. They will be taught to seek permission for each thing that they wish to do.

They will be taught that "It takes a village to raise a child", a global village.

They will be taught that the self is relatively worthless in the face of some "greater good."

They will be taught a twisted view of history, that distorts and diminishes the causes and results of the ongoing American Revolution.

They will be force fed all manner of mind-altering drugs, to make them ever more compliant.

They will be herded together in undefended buildings, providing easy targets for the next lunatic, which in turn furthers the agenda of tyrants.

They will be asked if their parents have any guns. They may even be asked to tell the teachers where Mommy and Daddy store these guns.

They may be given intrusive physical examinations without parental permission, for their own good, of course.

They will be taught that all individual rights are granted by the government, and therefore subject to withdrawal by the government.

They will be taught that "A" only equals "A" if they feel good about it, because feelings are the only true "facts".

They will be taught that one man’s need is always another man’s obligation.

They will be taught that they are just a small cog in a much bigger machine.

They will be taught that The Constitution is meaningless and out-of-date.

They will be taught to be obedient soldiers, eager consumers, productive workers, and compliant citizens.

They will be taught to "shut up", "get in line", and "do as you’re told."

They will be taught to turn their minds off, and let their rulers think on their behalf.

They will be taught to pay their taxes, get the necessary permits, and do whatever the police officer tells them.

They will taught not to think.

They will be good slaves…

-Lee

Suppose you were on an airplane.
Now suppose that this airplane was in some turbulent air. It would be nice to have a parachute, wouldn't it?
Just in case....
Some people think that the plane is going to be fine, despite the turbulence. They think that they won't ever need a parachute. They refuse to believe that even well-made planes do have accidents. Still, the bumpy ride may give them reason to be concerned...
Some people, most people, probably, think it's good to have a parachute, but talking or even really thinking about using it makes them very frightened. They can become very hostile if you even suggest that they check their parachute. Some will even deny that they might need one, while nervously checking to see if it's still there....
Some people, the smart ones, I think, admit that they have a parachute, and they check it periodically to see if it's there, and to see if it still works, see if it's packed correctly....just in case....
Some people want to jump from the plane right now....
The shakier the ride gets, the more turbulence the plane encounters, the more people will be driven deeper and deeper into their beliefs. Some will deny, in a much louder voice, that there's anything wrong...probably trying to convince themselves more than anyone. Some will reach under the seat, or wherever they store their parachute, and seriously think about strapping it on. The smart ones, who have their 'chutes on already, will check the straps and harnesses, because, maybe, just maybe, the time to jump is coming soon. The less-than-calm crowd will begin flinging themselves from the plane.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm. We are experiencing some turbulence…"
-Lee

There can be no doubt that our gun rights are currently under the most severe assault ever. We all know that if gun rights are eliminated or reduced, then that can also spell the end of any other rights that you might think you have.

Aside from gnashing your teeth a fair bit, what can you do to help protect your gun rights, and therefore, the right of "a body of citizenry capable of bearing arms" to even exist?

One of the most basic, critical flaws behind any discussion put forth by those who refuse to acknowledge your rights is the failure to grasp where our rights come from.

Most people argue against your right to bear arms from the viewpoint that since such a right has been granted by the state, then such a right can be withdrawn or reduced by the state. This is the argument of statists all the time, regarding anything. They hold that all power rests with the state, and all rights are granted only by the good will and authority of the state. They could not be any more wrong.

So, the first step in educating someone about your rights is to clear up that misconception.

Your rights, my rights, any rights are not the products of a merciful government, to be parceled out like candy.

Rights, real, actual rights, exist above and beyond any government or document. Rights do not require supporting evidence or documentation. Rights are obvious, to all but the most dim-witted of morons.

Rights are not subject to the herd mentality of the majority, the will of the Attorney General, or public opinion polls, either….

You could say that we’re "...endowed with certain inalienable rights…", but you might be called an extremist for that. Really…

-Lee

While I am at work, or out and about doing militia things, who is home watching the children? My wife is.

Now, my wife needs to clearly understand one thing for certain: When I am not there, she is the person most responsible for defending our home and our children.

We can never expect that we should try to force our wives, daughters, or sisters to do anything. Lord knows that would be a wasted effort. But we can try, and should be as persuasive as possible when trying to convince them that they should learn how to use our weapons as much as they can.

To start, we can tell them how much they really mean to us, and that we cannot stand the thought of them being harmed, by anyone. Tell them how empty our lives would be without them. Explain to them how utterly devastated we would be, if anything ever happened to them. Then, to seal the deal, tell them that we still haven't gotten the concept of sorting laundry down, and without them, our fabrics will be gray and grungy looking...

Laundry sorting aside, home defense is a serious issue. How many of us have shotguns that our wives or daughters have never fired? How many of us take the key to the gun safe with us when we go to work? How often do we make sure that we are carrying the right weaponry to protect our own miserable backsides, while the home front sits bereft of proper armaments? Let's get our priorities straight here....if anything happened to my family at home, I don't really know how much I would even care if my pistol was on straight.....

Guys, I know it's hard, but we need to do a better job of bringing the wives, daughters, mothers and sisters to the range.

Ladies, I know you might think this is some kind of macho hobby, or "gun phase" that your husbands, sons, brothers or fathers might be going through, but believe me, your

welfare and protection are the most important thing to us, and it breaks our hearts when we fail to convince you of the serious need to get in some self-defense and home-defense training.

All the weapon training and range time that we spend, and every round fired downrange by us, will be of no use if we are not home when needed. It falls on you, especially the mothers who are home with the children on a daily basis, to develop the skills necessary to safeguard that which we treasure so much.

We know that nothing in nature equals the fury of a mother protecting her young, so why not hone that protective instinct to the point of being able to calmly and effectively dispatch any threat to the household? If you are going to protect our children, then why not use the best tools available?

It's important to us that you learn how to use our weapons, not because we want you to clean the rifles after you fold the socks, but because we love you.

And that's a fact.

-Lee

Okay, we know you send letters to the editor of your local paper all the time. We know that they don’t print your letters, because THEY are liberal media pukes who only run op-ed pieces from Handgun Control and The Committee to Worship The Government. So we have come up with a solution. (Sometimes we do that….)

This will be our new "We’ll Print These Letters Here, Then, Dammit" section of The Field Report.

This is how it will work: First, you send your magnificently crafted, pro-freedom missive to some local commie rag. Then, they don’t print it because it comes from someone who can actually think. Lastly, out of frustration, you turn to your local misbegotten militia people, who will happily run your letter in their own newsletter.

This makes you happy, because at least SOMEONE prints your letter.

This makes us happy, because we have to look for less filler articles.

And the only people whom it would not make happy would never be caught dead reading a militia newsletter anyway, even though they should. (Be caught dead, that is…)

So, after a week or so of not seeing your letter published in the "letters to the editor" section, send us a copy. If you want, you can tell us to which paper(s) you sent it, so we can mock them for not running your finely produced prosaic views.

If they DO mistakenly publish something you or I have sent them, let us know that, as well. Sometimes you see your militia cohorts on the letters page…

Hey, we can’t all be Carston Seales, but we can fire off a letter now and then.

When you do, don’t get frustrated at the lack of response….we’ll print it here.

Dammit.

-Lee

Here is a letter I sent to The Detroit Free Press, in response to a letter writer who suggested abolishing the 2nd Amendment….

The writers who wish to bring The 2nd Amendment into the discussion regarding the right to keep and bear arms always seem to avoid discussing The Constitution for Michigan, which states that "Every person has the right to keep and bear arms for the defense of himself and the state." This is not subject to the lies and distortions that the left often turns to when mentioning the 2nd Amendment.

Furthermore, many such writers tend to hold the mistaken belief that our Constitutions and Bill of Rights are what give us our rights. These rights exist above and beyond the scope of any mere written document. Our Constitutions only serve to define and limit the powers of government, not give people any rights which they already have, and which are naturally occurring.

Every living being has the right to safeguard itself from aggression. The most effective way for humans to do so is to arm themselves.

-Lee Miracle

Here is a letter I wrote concerning the Million Cow March. I sent it to the local rags, and all around. It is probably too long to get printed anywhere but here:

The landscape of human history is riddled with the bones of innocent civilians who, believing their own governments to be just, disarmed themselves quietly, complacently, and with little resistance. From across this tragic landscape, these same bones scream out to the living, "Do not disarm yourselves! Do not surrender your means of self-defense!"

And do we hear them? Do we hear the Armenians? Do we hear the Cossacks? Do we hear six million Jews? Do we hear the Chinese

peasants? Do we hear the Cambodians? The Bosnians? The Rwandans? The Kosovar Albanians? Do their screams fall upon deaf ears?

Or do we ignore them? Do we trample their bones with contempt?

Do we proclaim, as they most certainly must have proclaimed in their

day, in their nations, "It cannot happen here?"

How arrogant of Americans to believe themselves immune to tyranny. How foolish to believe that genocide and oppression can exist only in other countries. How stupid of us to disarm....How utterly stupid.

Now comes The Million Mother March....A group so bent on kneeling before the altar of the almighty state that they are willing to feed their own children to the always-armed criminal element. We have never before been witness to such a complete abdication of parental responsibility than the mother who proclaims loudly, "My children are not important enough to defend. I will leave their protection in the hands of the state."

Did the mothers in Armenia think the same thing? Did the Jewish mothers across Europe reach the same conclusion? Rwandan mothers? Bosnian mothers? Did they so willingly offer their descendants to the state? Where are their children now, Million Mom Marchers? Where are the Jewish children of Europe? Did gun control keep them all safe? Did it? Is this the same "safety" that you would impose upon my children? IS IT?

I can only pray that there is a special place in Hell reserved for mothers who refuse to safeguard their children by the best means available. And, Million Mom March, if you think that by whoring yourselves out to the government you can lessen my ability to defend my family, then I can only pray for the chance to send you there....

God Bless our Free and Armed Republic.

-Lee Miracle

The question has been asked, "Why should I get involved? What can any of us do?" I propose to furnish some answers, and perhaps to encourage greater involvement in these and other such efforts.

Before we can suggest to you why you should get involved, we will tell you, briefly, why we are still involved.

We choose to remain here, in the public, in the light of day, looking forward to the time when the very forces that threaten our liberty have to develop a bunker mentality; when the bloated, bureaucratic gasbags have to have secret meetings; when jackbooted bob himself has to flee to the hills. We are involved for the cause of freedom and liberty, for these causes, you yourself should become involved. Let us examine some specifics.

You should get involved because freedom of speech is under attack by the telecommunications law, the anti-terrorism bill and the intentions of a ruling class that has no respect for you and wants to hear no part of your complaints.

You should get involved because the right to peaceably assemble, as we have done here this evening, is threatened by those who have contempt for any gathering of free minds.

You should get involved because the basic, natural right of self-preservation is now denied us by a monolithic, uncaring bureaucracy. You should get involved because whether or not you even own your own life is a matter that the legislature and the courts have given over to tyrannical gun boards; boards who take delight in the fact that they believe they can deny you something that god himself has given you.

You should get involved because we have an educational system whose only goal is to furnish mindless worker drones to global corporations; an educational system that drowns our nation's children in a sea of failure and despair; an educational system that refuses to teach about God or the Constitution; an educational system that fills our children with drugs to make them more compliant; an educational system that seeks to undermine the basic family values that hold the country together.

You should get involved because we cannot ever truly own property unless we pay a tribute to the state. You should get involved because we need a permit to improve our own homes and property.

You should get involved because we are forced to get a permit to buy or sell anything, and all that we buy or sell is subject to more and more taxation and fees, and costs. You should get involved because forfeiture and seizure laws continue to raise revenue for law-enforcement agencies at the growing expense of our constitutional rights; because property seizure is portrayed by the media as a good and necessary thing, and not the abomination that it truly is; because there are even weekly television shows that highlight the terrible violations of constitutional rights, and no one seems to be outraged about it.

You should get involved because the directive that sent our troops to former Yugoslavia, PDD-25, has not yet been made public, and we have a congress that refuses to demand that it is, and a media that ignores it.

You should get involved because the media, instead of being the bearers of truth that they should be, only serve as propaganda for the socialist agenda of the New World Order.

You should get involved to help combat their lies, cover-ups, and deception.

You should get involved because so many people who would claim that they love freedom. Are at home watching television right now.

You should get involved because we must toil for six months or more each year to feed the ravenous beast in Washington; a beast that continues to grow hungrier and hungrier at your expense.

You should get involved because certain agencies of this nation have committed a string of barbaric atrocities upon American citizens, and little has been done about it.

You should get involved because someone, somewhere, has an implantable biochip destined to be installed in your right hand, and those of our children as well.

You should get involved because GATT and NAFTA are grotesque violations of our sovereignty.

You should get involved because the money that's in your pocket is not real money.

You should get involved because Vincent Foster did not kill himself.

You should get involved because a mother was shot to death while holding her baby.

You should get involved because a church was burned to the ground with people trapped inside.

You should get involved because too many people live in fear of what should rightfully be their servants.

You should get involved because many others are not.

You should get involved because there remains much work to be done.

You should get involved because the nation is still threatened by the global elite. You should get involved because we are still here.

We are still here; we will not be disarmed... And we will not rest.

We will not rest until citizens are free to live their lives with minimal interference from government.

We will not rest until the basic God-given right of self-defense is again recognized by our representatives. Not granted, not given or bestowed, but recognized.

We will not rest until the threat of a one-world global government has passed. We will not rest until the United States has withdrawn from the United Nations.

We will not rest until our elected public servants realize that they are indeed just that: our servants.

We will not rest until the Constitution is once again the supreme law of the land.

We will not rest, and we will not go away.

And to those who fail to see that this struggle is theirs as well, to those who do not recognize the threats that hang over the land, to those who have yet to join the cause:

We implore you to look at the reasoning, the evidence, the facts. Look at what is happening around you. Look at how your elected officials treat you. Look at the sheer passion of those who have joined the struggle. That alone should encourage you to investigate.

We implore you to read the Constitution; learn the history. Read the federalist papers; develop an understanding of how the country was intended to be; and then look at what has become of freedom in this country.

To those of you - watch, hesitantly while the work of freedom is being done, we implore YOU in the most humble of terms, to rise up now and join the cause. Find a group or unit or organization that you can work with, and jump in with both feet. The need has never been this great and the battle has never been this desperate. The cause of freedom needs you all, and it needs you now.

Let this be the moment in which you decide to commit to the battle. Let this be the moment in which you decide to begin or renew your activism.

There can be no gain from watching television. There can be no gain from complaining or grumbling. There can be no gain from hiding in a bunker.

Be proud to be a patriot! Rally around the cause. And carry the flag forward and keep it up high!

And to those of you who are in the fray, to those of you who play a part no matter how small, to those of you that come to the meetings, make contributions of any sort; to those who care enough to stand with us, we continue to offer our time, our efforts, and from our heart we offer you our most sincere gratitude. Thank you so much, God bless you all, and God bless the republic. -Lee

One of the points that we like to stress here in The Michigan Militia, is that your rights DO NOT COME FROM THE GOVERNMENT. Nor do your rights come from The Constitution.

You have rights simply because you are a human being. No government or document can give or take these rights.

Governments exist to protect these rights, and constitutions exist to ensure that governments do not exceed this function.

Yes, it really IS that simple. -Lee

The very valid argument was made that we are the greatest nation in the world. I compared that to being "The Most Powerful Football Team In Alaska."

"The Most Powerful Football Team In Alaska?"

Someone once said that Princess Diana was the most beautiful member of the Royal Family, and the response was, "so is that like the most powerful football team in Alaska?" Meaning that it really doesn't take much.

"The most free country in the world." Given the current state of things, this is not really an overly spectacular title.

Consider the following analogy: We have a truck with 8 cylinders, it runs, but only 6 of the plugs are firing; and it could use an oil change and maybe some other minor work. Should we be content to drive it in this state of disrepair just because the rest of the world is still on horseback?

No, my beef isn't that we are not great, or prosperous, or free. My beef is that I see signs that many of our elected officials view Americans as property to be taxed and utilized to further their own agenda. Of course, we de-elect them, but then the next schmuck sticks it to us anyway.

Personally, I do as much as I can within the system. I write the newspapers, my congressmen and try to publicly spread the word. But I proclaim loudly that I own myself. When government, or anyone else wishes to contest that proclamation, I have to be ready to enforce it, by force if necessary.

"A well-regulated militia..." What does this mean? Regulated by whom? It means "well trained". Self-regulated. How would this come about with no standards? "A mob-like association...being necessary...." to what? What will be regulated with no standards? What will be achieved or demonstrated? Nothing....

What of a militia with no standards? No training requirements? No demonstration of BASIC COMPETENCE AND DEDICATION? What does it become? A social club? You want to DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION WITH TEA AND CRUMPETS? In matters of defending this nation, this way of life, a standard of skill is DEMANDED AND NECESSARY. Anything less is not acceptable. Anything less weakens the cause, and demonstrates the pre-ordained failure of our endeavors. I will neither embrace nor tolerate such weakness among my cohorts.

These (Level One) are not difficult standards to accomplish. They place no undue burden upon anyone. They are basic and simple self-regulation. Without them, we are a mob, we become a democracy, instead of a militia. We do not prohibit anyone from reaching these standards, and indeed are willing to help each and every interested citizen achieve them.

A militia cannot, and will not, be conducted from the comfort of the couch, or a desk. Many of our projects require desk work, but the ultimate crux of what we are, what we represent, what we do, lies in our simple training standards. If we, as citizens, intend to EVER serve as a credible counter-balance to tyranny, we must train to a level of competency, not complacency. To dilute that, to weaken that, to lessen the impact of whatever warning signal that we can project as ARMED citizens, willing to defend ourselves and our freedoms, is not sane.

It is not hard to qualify as level one. Most people can do it. To decry it as unfair to those who do not wish to make an effort is ludicrous. Is it fair to take on the responsibility of defending the Republic, while rejecting the notion of COMPETENCY AND CAPABILITY? Is it fair to the Patriots who might one day share a foxhole with you, to never have proven to anyone, even yourself, that you belong in that foxhole? Is it fair to the militia, to not even MAKE AN EFFORT to be self-regulated?

What sets us apart from the beer-and-burger militias? Why do we get overwhelming praise from our web page? Because we have set standards. Standards that many of us worked hard to test, develop, and promulgate. No, these are not the standards of an elite military unit. We know better. They are the ideal standards for a citizens' militia. Never let go of these standards. Never surrender that which makes you different from a bowling league or a knitting club. Always, always, always, be self-regulated. Always, always, always, make it MEAN something to "be in the militia".

You don't join the militia by signing a piece of paper, or raising your right hand. You join the militia by DEMONSTRATING that you are SELF-REGULATED, and ABLE-BODIED, and CAPABLE. In other words, you earn it. Just like anything else that has any value.

You earn it.

-Lee

Damn your laws. Damn your lies. Damn your public opinion polls. Damn your "safe streets". Damn your gun bans. Damn your pro-government, liberal media.

Americans will never be disarmed. Americans will never be defenseless.

Americans are neither stupid nor cowardly enough to hand in their guns.

You’re going to have to come and take them.

And we’re ready for you…..

-Lee

No matter who falls
Broken
By the wayside
No matter who flees
From the fray
No matter who
Loses interest
Or Faith
Or Hope
No matter who laughs
At my efforts
No matter who mocks me
Or spits upon me
No matter what barbs
Are flung at me
In disregard for what I believe
No matter how slim the chance
No matter how high the mountain
No matter how mighty the enemy
I WILL NEVER SURRENDER

And while I yet breathe
And think
And stand
And hope
While I live
Tyranny is not safe
As long as ONE MIND
ONE HEART
ONE FREE MAN
Still lives
The dawn will come
No matter how dark the night
No matter how long the road
No matter how heavy the chains
If free men live
To cast them off
The dawn will still come
As long as I live...
I will never surrender

-Lee Miracle