" Great article Dave and you are so right. "

" Actually Dave, the Second Amendment to the Constitution does NOT give us the right to bear arms. Instead, it was put in the Constitution to protect the inherent right that was already given us by our creator. Notice, " The Right Of The People To Bear Arms... Shall Not Be Infringed". Although I agree with what you are saying in the fact that the groups who wish to disarm America, peaceful law abiding LEAGAL citizens, only wish to disarm for the sole purpose of total control. The fact that alot of people refer to the Second Amendment as giving us the right, is quite the opposite of what was meant by our founding fathers. Please, in future reference, be sure to properly state what is written. Thanks. "

" Watch it Dave, they'll be coming for your fishing poles next. lol! "

" I'm going to get my arm cut off,and have a laws rocket attatched in it's place,let them try to take that. "

" I notice you mentioned "liberal activasts" but fail to mention the "radical right wing"?
Let it be known that there are a lot of "liberal activasts", including myself, who are buying up guns. Not just the radical right wingers. "

" dave: i have followed your column in the j-g for some time. have enjoyed your fishing reports from my old stomping grounds. this column begged for a response. you have hit the nail on the head in a great way. keep up the good work. florida has a much better attitude on the subject of fire arms. i think cook county has taken over the whole state since i left 30-odd years ago. danny gray (your ol achool mate) "

" Excellent letter!
Another of Jefferson's quotes:
"The beauty of the 2nd Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it away." "

" I see JWT referred to "activasts".

Actually I thought his post was
half-"vast". "

" I haven't really heard much, on any new pushes. Here is a site listing legislation from the Illinois state rifle association,

www.isra.org/legislation/

it gives Bills, their positions and comments on them, Status, what has passed or hasn't, is still moving, or is in limbo.

Concealed carry referendums passed or failed last Nov?

I did see where felonies using BB guns, or even paintball guns I think, may get a different look, come next year.

Various new laws have been signed, and could use not only just being listed, but a laymans heads up as to what they mean and when they start. I think these are just some of what I noticed so far. Changes to landowner hunting permits requirements. Land is to get rounded to next whole acre, so only 39.5 is needed to qualify now. Something was in the pipe on deer permits possibly being available at places that sell hunting licenses and bow tags, and ending the lottery for firearm season permits. I lost track of its scope and status. I think it was in signed stuff I stumbled across, but am not sure, or if I read and understood it correctly. Legislative legalese, is hard to follow sometimes.

I know the last week of the year, tid bits of new laws get thrown together, but some could use more of a heads up than others, some stuff takes effect immediately upon being signed, and many new rules, laws, and changes, don't get discussed or mentioned much, if at all. "

" Thomas Jefferson never said any such thing, M. It's not even his style of writing. You right wingers have no intellectual standards at all anymore, do you?
GunCite, a pro-gun website, puts it under the heading of "More Bogus Quotes." The "quote" is not to be found in Jefferson's speeches or personal correspondence and has never been cited in law journals by Second Amendment legal scholars. "

" "The Question wrote on Sep 20, 2009 8:35 AM:
" Thomas Jefferson never said any such thing, M. It's not even his style of writing. You right wingers have no intellectual standards at all anymore, do you?
GunCite, a pro-gun website, puts it under the heading of "More Bogus Quotes." The "quote" is not to be found in Jefferson's speeches or personal correspondence and has never been cited in law journals by Second Amendment legal scholars. "

Well good for you, TQ. You caught me. I am....God forbid...human. I am so terribly sorry that due to my trusting nature I didn't fact check before posting such a menacing quote. Is this the only thing you ever do? Sit around trying to pick fights? You must truly be miserable Quote Czar. "

" Virginia Tech "

" Yes, M, it does bother me when the opinions of ignoramuses are attributed to our most intelligent president by people who are either too lazy to check their facts, or aren't really interested in facts at all. "

" M wrote on Sep 21, 2009 9:00 AM:
"Well good for you, TQ. You caught me. I am....God forbid...human. I am so terribly sorry that due to my trusting nature I didn't fact check before posting such a menacing quote. Is this the only thing you ever do? Sit around trying to pick fights? You must truly be miserable Quote Czar. """""


speaking of czars. just how many did bush have?.....oh yeah 47!..and if you're irresponsible enough to post drivel and bogus information, you should expect a backlash.....but again you rightwingers know very little about fact or truth. "

" M, You are very perceptive. Sitting around trying to pick fights is PRECISELY what TQ does. Oh, and lately he seems to have become the spelling monitor (or czar). "

" HEY HEY!!!!.....a disgruntled gun freak! can the gay bashers and anti-abortion nuts be far behind?

let all the magpies and lemmings ooze out of the woodwork!

the JG-TC should FIRE Shadow.

petition anyone? "

" M, what you should ask yourself is how many lies you have circulated due to your "trusting nature." I hope now you'll make sure your information is accurate before you pass it along to someone else, or even post it. "

" Trust used to be an admirable trait. Now it is perverted into a tool in an attempt to drag decent people down to the depths of the miserable and bitter. Do you not see that changing the meaning & over-analyzing the simplest of things to support your ego creates chaos & confusion? The idea that you can muddy the water enough so that hopefully you will float to the top is pathetic. Another new low has been achieved. Congratulations.

"The Question wrote on Sep 20, 2009 8:35 AM:
Thomas Jefferson never said any such thing, M. It's not even his style of writing. You right wingers have no intellectual standards at all anymore, do you?"
"father bob wrote on Sep 21, 2009 10:55 AM: and if you're irresponsible enough to post drivel and bogus information, you should expect a backlash.....but again you rightwingers know very little about fact or truth. "
"CrowWoman wrote on Sep 21, 2009 3:27 PM:
M, what you should ask yourself is how many lies you have circulated due to your "trusting nature." I hope now you'll make sure your information is accurate before you pass it along to someone else, or even post it. "

All of this, ridiculous "backlash", over a single-line quote that is widely accepted as one of Jefferson's and referenced in a small-time, local rag. Thanks, watchdogs! America is so much better off with you on duty. "

" Nutjob--You wrote". . . the right that was already given to us by our creator." Would that be the same Creator who said "Thou shalt not kill?" And, many of us have spoken--we just had an election--remember? "

" The Thomas Jefferson quote is an easily traced lie. Took me all of 30 seconds to explode it.
"Trust" but verify, M. You forgot what one of your little right-wing heroes advised you, in a genuine quotation. "

" Those who post and forward false information are the ones who have helped pervert trust, M. You have also destroyed your own credibility in that you seem more upset about being caught than you do about posting a lie.

I've noticed that conservative Christians like to quote the founding fathers. Whether you're a Christian or not, I don't know--I hope not, since you clearly are not concerned about telling the truth--but I have known several Christians who forward false information on the internet. I always correct them if someone's reputation is being hurt by the info they're sending out.

Assigning a quote to someone who did not make it is fairly benign, though it certainly doesn't help your cause--especially when you attack those who catch your mistake. You should thank us for helping you become a more credible source of information, actually. :)

On the other hand, if you forward lies and half-truths that hurt other people's reputations, supposedly to defend your faith--remember, you are bearing false witness against your neighbor. "

" Well put, CrowWoman, although I disagree that attributing a quote to someone who did not make it is fairly benign.
I think it's fairly insidious, distorting the historic record and perverting the nation's intellectual history. If we don't know what historic figures actually thought, we'll have a hard time realistically discussing public issues. But then some people don't want us to have a realistic discussion. "

" Verified by a Jefferson Historian @ U of I:
"The beauty of the 2nd Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it away." "

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Thomas Jefferson

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
Thomas Jefferson

No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.
Thomas Jefferson

Dont like those? How about these:

John F. Kennedy, quotes about Arms:
... By calling attention to a well-regulated militia for the security of the Nation, and the right of each citizen to keep and bear arms, our founding fathers recognized the essentially civilian nature of our economy. Although it is extremely unlikely that the fear of governmental tyranny, which gave rise to the 2nd amendment, will ever be a major danger to our Nation, the amendment still remains an important declaration of our basic military-civilian relationship, in which every citizen must be ready to participate in the defense of his country. For that reason I believe the 2nd Amendment will always be important.

Abraham Lincoln, quotes about Arms:
Ballots are the rightful, and peaceful, successors of bullets; and that when ballots have fairly, and constitutionally, decided, there can be no successful appeal, back to bullets; that there can be no successful appeal, except to ballots themselves, at succeeding elections.

James Madison, quotes about Arms:
A government that does not trust it's law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms is itself unworthy of trust.

Ronald Reagan, quotes about Arms:
The NRA believes America's laws were made to be obeyed and that our Constitutional liberties are just as important today as 200 years ago. And by the way, the Constitution does not say Government shall decree the right to keep and bear arms. The Constitution says 'The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.'

How about one by Samual Adams?
"Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say 'what should be the reward of such sacrifices?' ... If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were once, our countrymen!"

Or maybe one by George Washington
Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance to the nation; they are liberty's teeth.

There are lots more out there people "

" A "Jefferson Historian @ U of I" is not a citation. It's an empty fake.
All Jefferson's quotes can be dated and verified in his letters and writings. This can't. The quote is a lie.
The Washington quote is also fake. This quotation, sometimes called the "liberty teeth" quote, appears nowhere in Washington's papers or speeches.
I'm not going to look them all up for you. But putting lies in the mouth of two early presidents doesn't make you honest or much of a citizen, does it? "

" father bob,are there any white people you like? Why should the paper fire Dave? Perhaps if you request he'll turn you on to a great carp fishing hole.You do like carp don't you?
Right on Dave. "

" CrowWoman & TQ: You are both an embarrassment to decent people. If you actually believe your BS, then I suggest to you that you are totally worthless. "

" Speaking of control...

How many armed stand-offs have we had in Coles County in the last few months?

Seems like some things are out of control. "

" Likestoknow wrote on Sep 21, 2009 7:00 PM:
" Nutjob--You wrote". . . the right that was already given to us by our creator." Would that be the same Creator who said "Thou shalt not kill?" And, many of us have spoken--we just had an election--remember? "


You mean kill as in murder as in a homicide right, that is the true word used. Not trying to start an argument, just making clarification. Justifiable death is permitted in the Scriptures especially the Law. "

" If you mean by "decent people", M, people like yourself--than I do indeed hope that I am an embarrassment. I'm thinking next time you post something, you may well do a little fact-checking first. So, post away! "

" Why not cut the nonsense and properly cite the sources for your quotes, M?
Lousy scholarship like yours would get you a failing grade in any university class. "

" ~STRANGER~ wrote on Sep 22, 2009 6:54 PM:
" father bob,are there any white people you like? Why should the paper fire Dave? Perhaps if you request he'll turn you on to a great carp fishing hole.You do like carp don't you?
Right on Dave. """""


nice reference to the carp!...y'll kno alz us n*****s luv dem der carps.

and yes i do like many white people and i particularly love the white woman i'm married to. "

" TQ, is this a university class? Are you the instructor? What would we do without your ever-tactful comments and grace? "

" Sorry, BW, but if you're going to participate in a public discussion of issues, I'm afraid you can't just cite lies as evidence for your position, whether through conscious duplicity or sheer, lazy negligence.
Honest people don't function that way, inside or outside the classroom. "

" TQ, when you use the words "you" and "your" when addressing me about citing lies as evidence, I find that somewhat offensive. If such language came from an intelligent person who had an original thought and didn't just cite sources it would be extremely offensive. Of course, regarding you, this is not the case. "

" If the second amendment is breached can the first be far behind "

" If you take a carp, gut it and pack it in good clayish mud, throw it on the coals for maybe an hour then crack it open the skin comes off with the mud, what's left, less the little mud streak they have, is pure choice goodies. "

" The Question wrote on Sep 23, 2009 11:38 AM:
" Sorry, BW, but if you're going to participate in a public discussion of issues, I'm afraid you can't just cite lies as evidence for your position, whether through conscious duplicity or sheer, lazy negligence.
Honest people don't function that way, inside or outside the classroom. "


What are you talking about? You never cite your sources, why should others have to but you not? "

" What, It's a heck of alot easier to go to the ice house on fridays and get the all you can eat walleye for 6 bucks. "