Isolated Arizona Town Resorts to Second Amendment to Save Itself

Center for Individual Freedom ^ | Dec. 14, '07 | staff

[T.L.Sink]

Our Founding Fathers insisted upon including the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights because they recognized the fundamental human right of self-defense, whether against government tyranny or individual criminal aggression. To left-wing activists, that notion is a quaint remnant of a long-bygone era. Such ideologues ignore events as recent as the 1992 Los Angeles riots, when Korean shopowners defended themselves against murder and mayhem amid the absence of police protection. Now, the tiny isolated town of Aguila, Arizona provides the latest evidence that the right to keep and bear arms remains critical. The community of 1,064 has found itself victim of a methamphetamine-related crime surge, with police protection almost nonexistent since a sheriff's substation 25 miles away closed. Today, the nearest substation is some 60 miles away. The crime wave has already left two residents dead. In addition, literally every single business owner reported multiple burglaries during the past year. The Arizona Republic reports that community residents don't even bother reporting crime or calling 911 anymore. "We've called 911 for assaults, and 24 hours later, they show up," said Fire Chief Bob Edwards. Even Aguila Elementary School found itself victimized... As noted by the federal appeals court that recently overturned Washington, D.C.'s [third-rated city in the U.S. for violent crime] firearms ban, "the importance of the private right of self-defense is hardly surprising when one remembers that America lacked a professional police force until the middle of the nineteenth century..." The Founding Fathers insisted upon inclusion of the Second Amendment because the right to keep and bear arms PRE-EXISTED the Constitution and "shall not be infringed."

[papertyger]

Actually, I was being sarcastic. That kind of disrespect in a public “servant” is inexcusable.

I’m with you on the Florida thing. I’ve been here since the early eighties. Originally, I’m from Delaware, right across the Delaware River from Tom’s River, NJ.

I told my wife when we got married “you will never get me any further north than Atlanta.”

[T.L.Sink]

I agree. I think we’ve become so used to being treated this way by the bureaucrats that we’ve almost come to expect it and take it for granted. I came to FL in the nineties and not as a retiree. For me, it was a whole series of things that, in the aggregate, made me decide to get out. I suppose the whole thing can be put under the umbrella of quality of life. The political corruption, state income tax, and the increasing population of those whom I classify as “undesirables.” It’s hard for me to define but there was also a general sense of rudeness, lack of civility, and frankly the absence of the elements that make for a civilized society. I love it here in FL. I have some great memories of NJ but as the old saying has it, “you can’t go home again.”

[traviskicks]

“We’ve called 911 for assaults, and 24 hours later, they showed up,”



Libertarian ping! To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.

[walkerk]

Well, pianomikey, I set up a news ‘bot to look for Aguila subjects in the future. Here’s an article with some other interesting items: http://www.wickenburgsun.com/articles/2007/12/05/news/news01.txt

“Later in the meeting, a young man told Penrose that his cousin had to translate for a victim when the sheriff’s arrived at the call of the burglary Reyer mentioned, expressing frustration at the lack of bilingual sheriffs that respond to Aguila calls.” (Guess those darned German immigrants just refuse to learn English.)

“If we’re going to be taxed they should be providing safety for the community,” said a member of the crowd.

...the captain promised the following changes in Aguila:

Offering training in Aguila instead of Phoenix to those who are interested in forming a posse

Cutting down on police response time - best case scenario 10 to 15 minutes in a life-threatening emergency

Forepaugh resident Elbert Bicknell passed around a list to sign for those interested in becoming deputies. Penrose promised that everyone on the list would be called and stated it would take 20 citizens to form a posse.

“What do I think of the meeting?” said one resident. “Ask me in a month.”