B. F. Skinner (1909-1990) was a prominent professor of psychology at Harvard (1958-1974) and a founder of Operant and Behavioral Psychology.

Surgical Neurology International publishes a two-part series entitled "America, Guns, and Freedom: A Recapitulation of Liberty" and "Shooting Rampages, Mental Health, and the Sensationalization of Violence."

Open-access journal weighs in on the gun control debate from a neurological perspective

Georg Hegel (1770-1831), the father of dialectical idealism, which Karl Marx transmogrified as Marxist dialectical materialism, lamented that what we do learn from history is that man does not learn its lessons!

The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all. I like a little rebellion now and then.

— Thomas Jefferson

Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom of Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretence, raised in the United States.

— Noah Webster, An Examination of the Leading Principles
of the Federal Constitution, 1787

DATELINE: Warsaw, Poland, 1943

In the wake of President Barack Obama's re-election on November 6, 2012, and the virtual demoralization of Republicans, it is important to recognize that the political mastery of the left does not last forever. Moreover, three new conservative, pro-Second Amendment senators and several freshmen representatives were elected. A solid Republican majority was preserved in the House of Representatives. So, the election did not mean complete defeat for the GOP.

The need for reducing gun violence is discussed along with the necessity for citizens to assume some responsibility for protecting themselves, their families, and their property from criminal elements because the police cannot physically be everywhere to protect us all of the time. The problem of sensationalization of gun crimes by the media, multiple shootings by deranged individuals, accidents with firearms, suicide rates, and children with guns are discussed.

Miguel Faria, MD, a neurosurgeon and Emeritus Editor of The Journal of The American Physicians and Surgeons, formerly the Medical Sentinel, and Associate Editor-in-Chief of Surgical Neurology International and its World Affairs Section, has written a two‑part Editorial on “America, Guns, and Freedom.” These essays address a very important topic to physicians everywhere, relate to the often, distorted media reports advocating the disarming of citizens, and the costs of health care of guns in the hands of citizens.

The role of gun violence and street crime in the United States and the world is currently a subject of great debate among national and international organizations, including the United Nations. Because the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the individual right of American citizens to own private firearms, availability of firearms is greater in the U.S. than the rest of the world, except perhaps in Israel and Switzerland.

This is the story of a liberal Catholic priest who gets mugged with reality when he finds out he's actually a Holocaust orphan survivor. Suddently, his life is turned upside down, but supported by a coterie of old and new friends, he learns the fundamentals of the Jewish faith. He goes on a soul searching trip to the Holy Land, where he figuratively and literally learns of man's God-given right to protect oneself from unimaginable evil acts. His book is highly recommended, as the subtitle stated, "For those who love freedom and for those who should."

The Ballad of Carl Drega by journalist Vin Suprynowicz is an eye-opening book that libertarians and informed conservatives will cheer. His uncompromising stance and indefatigable pursuit of freedom is sure to inflame the minds of those who worship omnipotent government.

Yet despite his passion and stridency, of which he is proud, Suprynowicz wants to ignite the spark of freedom in his readers' hearts, not trap them in polemic argument.

Some say we have a criminal government in America today. Do we have a government, all three branches of which are making a mockery of the three instruments of liberty: the Bible, the Declaration of Independence, and the U.S. Constitution? Do American citizens have a God-given, natural right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Is a government-granted right a natural right or is it a largess of plundered property seized by regulatory fiat or administrative law that so often violates constitutional law?

French social critic Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850) once said, “The worst thing that can happen to a good cause is not to be skillfully attacked, but to be ineptly defended.”(1) During much of the history of our republic, our intellectuals and those who digest these ideas for consumption by the general public, did a poor job of defending the basic foundations of our freedom. Until the sixties, it was taken for granted that private property, absolute moral principles, and free enterprise were desirable.

At the time of this writing, the President of the United States, Bill Clinton, is applying political pressure to tempt members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate to forsake the rule of law, the foundation of our constitutional republic. Suggestions that charges of perjury, suborning perjury, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering should not be carefully and thoroughly investigated (because of Mr. Clinton’s high job approval ratings) are dangerous.

Something rarely acknowledged but which is basic to a Biblical understanding is the fact that God gives man the freedom to sin. This is something the modern state increasingly denies to us. In one area after another, we are being denied the freedom to do whatever the state sees as sin. At one time, the U.S. by a constitutional amendment denied people the right to drink intoxicating liquors, and we are now nearing a like view of tobacco.

Memorial Day, the first long weekend of the summer, picnics, hamburgers, hot dogs. Summer is finally here. But that’s not what it means. Is it?

Webster says that “memorable” is something worthy to be remembered. “Memorial Day” is a day set apart  in most states for observances in memory of dead soldiers, sailors, and airmen.

The ancient poet best describes the horror of battle better than any one:

Charles W. Adams, a U.S. tax attorney, states the purpose of his book is to "set taxation apart and bring it into focus as one of the most powerful forces at work structuring society, today as well as in the past." He points out this is a formidable task, that there is no formalized discipline on this subject and this book is "to help fill that void." He starts out with a quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes, a well known Supreme Court Justice of the early 20th Century. The quote is over the entrance of the IRS building in Washington, D.C.

The advocates of greater governmental control of the medical profession --- and of all professions for that matter --- have decided they must first demonize the defenders of limited, constitutional government. For it is this philosophy, as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, that stands in the way of their socialistic schemes.

No free man shall be taken or imprisoned or dispossessed, or outlawed, or banished, or in any way destroyed, nor will we go upon him, nor send upon him, except by the legal judgement of his peers or by the law of the land.
Magna Carta, par. 39

No More Wacos --- What's Wrong With Federal Law Enforcement and How to Fix It

In his second Inaugural Address, President Clinton called for a new Constitution. He borrowed language from the Declaration of Independence where, in 1776, Thomas Jefferson presented the argument for a new government. While Mr. Clinton did not refer to the Constitution in so many words, his meaning was clear. "We need a new government for a new century," he proclaimed on January 20, 1997. Unlike our present one, his new government would "give" a number of benefits to the American people.

In a National Review article ["Post-Federal Case," September 1, 1998], John McGinnis offered the following insight to explain why big government apparently will be with us forever: We are in a prisoner's dilemma: we would all be better off with a smaller government, but it would be irrational for any group to surrender the money or regulatory advantages it gets from the state without a guarantee that all other groups will, too.

Saving Childhood opens with anecdotes that epitomize the modern trend toward treating children like adults rather than nurturing them. The authors quote Marie Winn's prophetic book, Children without Childhood, which maintains that civilization has recently shifted its fundamental attitude toward nurturing the young. The new trend is based on the belief that children must be exposed early to adult experience in order to survive in an increasingly complex and uncontrollable world.

Dear Editor,
Harry Browne's point about the difficulty of incremental change in the welfare state is very well taken. But I believe he underestimates the difficulty in achieving dramatic change.

Recently I attended a seminar in which the facilitator spoke about how we should all pay our taxes joyfully, as he does.

My father kept his in the bedroom closet. My grandfather said he didn't need one, but when I had to crack his safe because he forgot the combination, I found two old ones in there. My uncle kept his on top of the chest of drawers in the bedroom. As a child, all of my friends had essentially the same experiences.

In my 14th summer, Elvis made the charts with "Heartbreak Hotel." I had a little jingle in my pocket from my paper route, mowing grass and caddying for the rich folks down at the fancy golf course. Because, you see, I wanted one, too. So I worked and saved for it.

As the Republicans and Democrats move closer to becoming a single body polity, the two faced basilisk which they have become, is rapidly devouring the last remnants of privacy and freedom. The promise of the "1994 Conservative Revolution" has come and gone in a shameful display of pusillanimous groveling by the Republicans. GOP efforts to "please" have been so absolutely devoid of substance and ethical principle, that even the most loyal are beginning to look elsewhere.

Recently, a number of people were interviewed and asked to list their priorities in terms of which national problems should be addressed, with the solutions to these problems to be paid for with the anticipated surplus of the next 15 years. Their answers went something like this: First, there was education, then fixing Medicare and Social Security, and finally tax reduction.

As we learned from the Clinton administration and much of the media, a machine gun in the hands of a federal agent is now a symbol of benevolence and concern for a child's well-being.

James Bovard
Author, Lost Rights

The U.S. owes a great debt of gratitude to the men and women of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who after ten years of painstaking intelligence work finally led to the location in Pakistan and death of Osama bin Laden on May 1, 2011.

What I have written some time ago regarding gun registration and tyranny in Ideas on Liberty and NewsMax.com still holds true today for the establishment of a National Identity Card and paving a road to the new authoritarianism:

It is very unfortunate that the National Rifle Association (NRA) leadership in today's declaration stating that it plans to remain neutral in the political fight against the (Anti-Freedom) DISCLOSE Act (HR 5175) of 2010 appears to be going along with the divide and conquer strategy of the Democrats in Congress, who are once again attempting to silence political speech.