If there is one single, defining characteristic about the United States that makes it unique, it is that American people are legally recognized as citizens, not subjects. Citizens are full human beings with inherent rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This also includes the right to self-expression, self-defense, personal privacy, due process, and a whole host of other protections designed to ensure that every American can live free.

This culture of personal pursuit, free enterprise, and rugged individualism has made the United States the most technologically advanced and financially successful country in the world. And we have passed down this culture for generations from within our homes and our schools. It is who we are.

But things have begun to change as of late. Our schools have stopped teaching the Constitution in its proper form. If the Second Amendment is discussed at all, it is dismissed as being outdated and only appliying to the National Guard. Mainstream media has bombarded us with evil stereotypes, misinformation, and disinformation about firearms and their owners. Our own government officials have turned against by banning various types of firearms and enacting a barrage of restrictions on ownership.

But the worst is yet to come.

The United States Supreme Court refused to hear Silveira vs. Lockyer, thereby leaving the Ninth Circuit ruling intact. The Washington, D.C. District Court also ruled that the Second Amendment does not apply to individuals. And we have yet to see what will become of the ban on semi-automatic rifles selectively referred to as "Assault Weapons."

The right to self-defense and the freedom to own and use firearms as is an example of Liberty, if nothing else. That Liberty has been encroached upon to the point of becoming extinct. As our rights erode, our culture erodes with it. As our rights become extinct, our culture becomes extinct as well. And as the Second Amendment and the Bill of Rights are lost, the success of our nation will be lost as well.

It is time for the People to strengthen our culture and heritage through daily living. What we do every day, how we spend our time, and what we value has a direct effect on society as a whole including, eventually, our lawmakers and courts.