INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

President Bush speaks of breathing freedom, but failed to tell us where to
go to do that, because you won't do it in this country. Actually, what he
means is freedom for the federal government rather than freedom for the
individual.

People speak of rights. The only rights anyone has are the rights he can
enforce for himself. If you can't enforce a right, you don't have it. The
state's main goal for years has been to deny the public and the individual
any enforcement capabilities. As the saying goes, if you want a helping
hand, look at the end of your wrist.

As a student of history, I noted long ago that the older a government is,
the more corrupt it becomes. The founding fathers found King George's
policies of plunder and seizure so distasteful that they were opposed to
property seizures under any circumstances, even in the case of treason.
Here the culprit, after having been found guilty, would be executed and the
property returned to the deceased's family. Contrast that with today and
note the true face of organized crime. I know of people here who have had
property seized and were never convicted of anything.

Philosopher John Locke said, "Whenever the legislatures endeavor to take
away and destroy the property of the people ... they put themselves into a
state of war with the people."

BOBBY WADDELL

Hays.