Defend Thyself Brother Floridian

Florida, the Sunshine State, has just flashed the spotlight on human predators. A new law explicitly recognizes every person's natural right to defend him or herself from predators without first having to try to escape. In Florida a person now has "the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force, if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so, to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another."

In other words, inside the home, an intruder is fair game even prior to attacking the resident. Outside the home, any person under attack may defend with deadly force without trying to run away first. The law also immunizes the victim from civil liability for exercising the right to protect him or herself, or the home.

The left and France is just beside themselves over this law. The law gets Florida closer to the "Wild, Wild West," said Rep. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood. Of course, the left is always against legislation that protects the law abiding over the criminal.

This law provides the right to self defense. What an outrageous concept. Governments are formed, primarily, for the purpose of defending the people that formed them. The U.S. Supreme Court has held, however, that a person has no special right to expect law enforcement to protect him. Thus, we have a duty to protect ourselves to the extent possible. The recognition of our right to self defense is reaffirming to our individuality. We are not the government's citizen, waiting for rescue, and dead if the government comes late. We are individuals with rights. And the predator that ignores that does so at his own risk. The Florida legislature, by and large, gets it.