Always remember Rahm Emanuel and those of his ilk who are opposed

"Always remember Rahm Emanuel and those of his ilk who are opposed to our fundamental civil right to keep and bear arms when you donate to NRA-ILA or the NRA Civil Rights Legal Defense Fund." Thus thundered Wayne LaPierre, a figure who stood as a sentinel over one of America’s most contested freedoms. His words are not spoken in soft tones, but in the fiery cadence of warning and remembrance. He urges the faithful not merely to act, but to remember—to keep in mind those who would diminish or destroy what he calls a fundamental civil right, the right to keep and bear arms. Memory here is not passive—it is weapon and shield, meant to guide action and sustain vigilance.

The origin of this wisdom lies in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, a provision born out of the fires of revolution. When America broke from Britain, it was not only speeches and documents that secured liberty, but also the arms of farmers, blacksmiths, and common men who stood against an empire. The framers, having seen tyranny firsthand, enshrined the right to bear arms not as a gift, but as a safeguard—a warning to future rulers that power would never again be unchecked by the people themselves. LaPierre’s words draw upon this origin, casting those who oppose the right to arms as enemies not just of a policy, but of the founding covenant itself.

History offers us many reminders of the fragility of liberty when the people are disarmed. Consider the story of the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943, where Jewish resistance fighters, armed with little more than pistols and homemade weapons, rose against overwhelming Nazi forces. Though they knew they could not win, their possession of arms gave them dignity, resistance, and the chance to wound their oppressors. The lesson echoed: a people stripped of weapons are a people stripped of options. LaPierre’s warning, though situated in modern America, invokes this eternal truth—that the right to arms is entwined with the right to resist.

Yet his words also carry the spirit of battle not just in action, but in memory. To remember Rahm Emanuel and those of his ilk is to create a mental ledger of those who, in LaPierre’s eyes, would strip away liberty. He calls for vigilance not only in thought but in deed, urging his listeners to sustain the struggle with their resources, to fund the defense of rights through the NRA-ILA and its legal battles. Here, memory is not history alone—it is fuel for the ongoing war of ideas, courts, and legislatures.

There is also an emotional force in his declaration. For LaPierre speaks of the right to keep and bear arms not merely as a policy question, but as a civil right, placing it alongside speech, assembly, and due process. To him, opposition is not simply disagreement, but an attack upon the very pillars of freedom. His tone is defiant, his language absolute, for he seeks to stir not lukewarm supporters, but warriors of a cause who will guard the right with fervor and sacrifice.

The lesson for us, whether we stand with LaPierre or not, is this: rights are fragile things, and they survive only if they are remembered, defended, and nourished. Every generation must decide which rights it will uphold, which it will neglect, and which it will surrender. For LaPierre, the battle line is drawn at the Second Amendment, but the principle is universal—where vigilance fails, liberty decays.

What practical steps shall we take? First, know the history of your rights—how they were won, and at what cost. Second, remain vigilant against those who would erode them, whether by open decree or by gradual encroachment. Third, if you believe a right is worth defending, support the institutions, voices, and legal defenders that guard it. And above all, do not forget—do not let complacency or apathy dull the memory of those who fought, or blind you to those who would take freedoms away.

So let LaPierre’s words echo with the gravity of a warning: remember those who oppose your rights, for forgetting them is the first step toward losing what is yours. Whether one sees arms as the safeguard of liberty or as its danger, the deeper teaching endures—that freedom is never free, and that it survives only when the people stand watch, fierce in memory, and steadfast in defense.