Editor, Times-Union: The following is the fourth part of my letter on freedom and self defense, which is part of my series of letters on fundamental human rights. Previous letters discussed the importance of this right along with the Second Amendment and other rights. The start of a recommended reading list for further research was also given in those letters for the definition of freedom of self defense, which appears below. Freedom of self defense is the inalienable right of each person, whether alone or with others, to peacefully, openly, freely and with respect for legitimate laws and the rights of others decide for one’s self what form of proper measures, whether it be the collective democratic process, civil disobedience, nonviolent and nonlethal resistance, or armed resistance, is necessary in order to protect one’s life, health, property, liberty, family, community and country from harmful actions perpetrated by common criminals, crime syndicates, warlords, domestic tyrants and foreign invaders, and for each person to be free from the suppression of such measures and the wholesale disarmament of the general public by any part or whole of any local, state, regional, national, continental or world government. While all of us are familiar with the harmful actions of common criminals and crime syndicates, the full extent of democide, one of the most heinous harmful actions perpetrated by warlords, domestic tyrants and foreign invaders, is less well known. Democide, which is the intentional industrial-scale mass murder by government of its own citizens and/or foreigners during peacetime or war because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, language, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, political affiliation, mental or physical handicap, health status, open criticism or opposition to the ruling regime or major social institutions, etc. This term was originally coined by political science professor R.J. Rummel and documented in the books that will be listed later in the recommended reading list portion of this letter. Professor Rummel gives a probable mid-range estimate of 170 million people slaughtered between 1900 to 1987 in his book “Death by Government.” This estimate excludes soldiers killed in combat, civilians accidently killed during war, capital punishment deaths and “deadly force used against armed civilians” who are participating in riots and mob action. These exclusions should further illustrate the scope and severity of the crimes that professor Rummel has tried to calculate. While this estimate may be revised in the future in light of new information and analysis, the fact will always remain that tens of millions of people were killed by primarily 15 regimes with the same horrific inhumanity that one sees in the mass shootings that occur here in the United States with the exception of some important differences. In order to conform to the Times-Union letters to the editor policy the second half of this letter will follow shortly. Alexander Houze Leesburg
