By Ed Fancher
Guest Columnist

Congress does not give Americans their freedom.

First and foremost, it comes from God. Then, veterans past and present step up to preserve those freedoms.

With this in mind, I find it very disappointing and somewhat cowardly that anyone would want to disarm veterans who under the Second Amendment have the right to bear arms like anyone else.

There are other groups of people in this country that should be monitored much more closely than those who fought for it. I do not fear these patriots who have shown their love of country. Instead, perhaps it is those who would disarm citizens of a free nation that we need to be wary of.

If politicians in Washington really are sincere about protecting young citizens, they might start by trying to curb some of the Hollywood movie violence and monitoring the violence on television and in video games that numbs the minds of our youth until they think of it as normal.

Recently, a Senator in California made statements that compare our military veterans to mental cases. She should be ashamed of herself. What misguided message was this sending out to future young men and women who might enlist in our armed forces?

If I had the opportunity to speak to this senator, I would tell her she should learn a little humility and be thankful these veterans have ensured her own personal freedoms.

She might also be reminded that, despite her self-perceived greatness, she is merely a civil servant elected by the people. Finally she might remember that neither she nor others in Congress put their lives on the line every day for our nation. This task goes to our men and women in uniform.

I do not expect our government officials to head for the battlefield. I do, however, expect them to support and respect those who have earned freedom the hard way.

Anyone who would label our veterans potential terrorists is uninformed and ungrateful.

I once read that “a veteran is someone who at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to the United States of America for an amount up to and including their life.” May God bless each and every one of our honorable veterans who continue to preserve America’s freedoms for all of us.

Please leave our veterans alone.

Ed Fancher is a Suffolk resident. Email him at eddie_seawolf26@yahoo.com.