Wouldn't it be sad?! Castle Doctrine and our Veterans

By Rick Jones

With the upcoming celebration of Veterans Day, I would like to take a moment to just say "Thank You" for all you've done for our country, our citizens, and for the sacrifice that you've given for our freedoms. Our veterans on their day should be rightfully placed upon a pedestal for all to see and to be praised for what they've done for us all. Unfortunately we can only do these things for those who have survived the terrible ravages of war. Let us not forget those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for us.

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I personally try to make it a point to say thank you to each and every veteran that I meet that served our country in a time of conflict. I've met many a vet that has told me "no one has ever taken the time to say thanks". How sad is that? Our government should make available whatever services it takes to make our veterans secure in their future when they come home and make sure those services should never end.

Recently a bill was presented to our political leadership requesting an elimination of certain types of taxes for our veterans and will soon be passed through both the Ohio House and the Ohio Senate, then sent to be signed by Governor Strickland. I don't think anyone will have any problems with this small token of appreciation to our vets. Our veterans deserve all the benefits we can get them. They were well trained by our military regarding all aspects of combat, survival in the field, first aid when treating an injured soldier, marksmanship, the safely handling of many types of firearms and many other topics for them to survive and to complete their missions.

I really don't think I've ever met anyone who really didn't trust a veteran. A veteran is someone who is tried and true, honest, trustworthy, dedicated and someone who can see things through to the end.

Wouldn't it be sad if one of our dedicated veterans were violently attacked, forced to defend themselves, and then treated as guilty until they could prove themselves innocent? Our WWII veterans are really up in years now and many are still living in the homes that they've had for many, many years and will probably remain their until their final calling. This home is their castle! Many still remember what they learned in their military training regarding defense. With the laws that are now in place should an honorable veteran be forced to use that past training to defend their family and his castle with deadly force. They'll soon be forced to "prove" their innocence in a court of law. We've trusted our veterans to protect our liberties, why shouldn't we trust them in their decision to protect themselves and family?

Please contact your state representatives and state senators and encourage them to pass the "castle doctrine" bill so our vets and other citizens of Ohio won't be forced to PROVE their innocence and place the burden of proving their innocence on the invader of your castle.