Saturday 6 March 1993 Letters From Readers The Dallas Morning News Dear Sirs: The recent a

Saturday 6 March 1993
 
Letters From Readers
The Dallas Morning News
 
Dear Sirs:
 
     The recent actions of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
deserve the censure of all Americans.
 
     While our country is shocked by the bombing of the World Trade Center,
an even deadlier terrorist attack has taken place in the American
heartland.  But there is no doubt as to the identity of the responsible
organization: it is a rogue agency of our own government.
 
     While Texans celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sam
Houston, and the 157th anniversary of the revolution which created the
Republic of Texas, their lives and freedoms are being threatened as never
before by domestic terrorism financed by their own tax dollars.
 
     The BATF assault on the church compound near Waco was a grotesque
violation of the 1st, 2nd and 4th Amendments to the Constitution.  Such
attacks on religious freedom, firearms ownership, and the right of private
citizens to be secure in their persons, homes, and possessions are
reminiscent of the high-handed actions of British troops at Lexington and
Concord.
 
     When our Constitution was being drafted, Thomas Jefferson wrote of the
need for "a bill of rights providing clearly and without the aid of
sophisms for freedom of religion, freedom of the press, protection against
standing armies, restriction against monopolies, the eternal and
unremitting force of the habeas corpus laws, and trials by jury in all
matters of fact triable by the laws of the land . . . . a bill of rights is
what the people are entitled to against every government on earth, general
or particular, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on
inference."
 
     Later, in his first inaugural address, he enumerated the "essential
principles of our government," among them "equal and exact justice to all
men, of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political . . . the
diffusion of information and the arraignment of all abuses at the bar of
public reason; freedom of religion; freedom of the press; freedom of person
under the protection of the habeas corpus; and trial by juries impartially
selected . . . . should we wander from them in moments of error or alarm,
let us hasten to retrace our steps and to regain the road which alone leads
to peace, liberty, and safety."
 
                                        Sincerely,

                                        Jay Manifold

                                        Publicity Director
                                        Libertarian Party of Dallas County

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