“There is no government authority except that which God has ordained.”
Romans 13:1
"Everyone has weapons. All over. Extemist militants are armed. Violence is unchecked. There is no government authority to hold anyone accountable.”
Fawzi Bokatif, leader of the ‘Feb. 17 brigade’ which led the rebel fighters in Libya against Gadhafi
There is no government authority.
There is no government authority to demand equal treatment under the law. The unwelcome go to the lunch counter after church down the road where they allow all kinds . . . down the road . . . the church that was firebombed.
There is no government authority to guarantee universal suffrage. You vote with a valid official ID. Step lively. The precinct has only one voting machine and there’s an eight hour wait.
There is no government authority for universal access to health care. When you aren’t well you go to the emergency room with or without insurance. They have procedures for patients who can’t pay.
There is no government authority that will keep you safe. Buy guns to match the firepower of your God-fearing neighbors and the insane.
Above the curlies is the voice of the modern theocratic conservatarian.
He will tell you that the government has no authority to infringe on gun ownership. With a straight face he will tell you that his guns are a guarantee against government tyranny. For that reason, nothing may interfere with his solemn patriotic duty as he stands ready to protect freedom.
It does no good to interrupt his fol-de-rol. What greater guarantee against tyranny is there, other than the right to vote? Here the modern theocratic conservatarian sees a need for every voter to register with proof of citizenship. He defends the state's right to arbitrarily and unilaterally unregister legal voters without a second thought for protecting the republic from would-be tyrants. In this case citizens bear the burden of proof showing that they are eligible to share in solemn patriotic duty. Imagine a state keeping gun-owner registrations on a list which it purged periodically to revoke an individual's right to keep and bear arms.
The modern theocratic conservatarian surely has the sense to see that his concern about the integrity of the voter rolls deserves a matching concern about gun-owner registration. He worries about individuals who aren't qualified to vote and he's even willing to disenfranchise legal voters to err on the side of exclusion. The same should apply to gun owners.
Except that we know from certain partisans in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio that changes in voter registration requirements were motivated by the desire to give an advantage to Republican candidates. If gun-owner registration requirements mirrored voter registration, how long would it be before a Republican state government started to conduct purges to revoke owner registrations it deemed ineligible? This is where we are with Republicans nowadays. Their behavior, their dishonesty, their complete lack of loyalty makes it necessary to second guess every move each side makes.