Home Educators and 2nd Amendment Activists: More in common than meets the eye.

Attending the INCH Conference this past weekend - the Michigan State Homeschool Conference. Friday night is always the night where the politicians show up for a few minutes to connect with us and share a few remarks.

This year, we heard from:

• Chief Justice Clifford Taylor of the Michigan Supreme Court
• State Senator Wayne Kuipers, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, among others.
• State Rep. Jack Hoogendyk, who wants to run against U.S. Senator Carl Lenin, err, Levin this fall. Jack is getting his nominating petitions signed so he can get on the ballot.

Home Educators in Michigan have had 12 years or so of relative peace from the encroachments of the educrats and their lackeys in the legislature, because we have enjoyed Republican majorities in both the House and Senate. The 2006 shift from Republican to Democrat control of the House has changed this, and now all sorts of Legislative harassment is beginning in that chamber. One that has us most up in arms is HB 5912, which for the first time will implement a registration requirement for Home Educators in Michigan. Each child will have to be registered with the local government school, ostensibly so they can make sure that some parent isn't only claiming to home school when they really aren't. Or so claims Joan Bauer, the bill's sponsor. They don't want to restrict what Home Educators are doing - of course not. We just want to prevent abuse of the system. That's all.

Firearm people will instantly recognize this rhetoric! It is the same "logic" the gun-banners use when they want to implement gun registration schemes.

We don't want to take your guns away - heavens no! We just want to make sure that the criminals don't get them. Yeah, that's right. Criminals. Oh, and crazy folks like those Iraq war soldiers who come home and get PTSD and want to kill people. But you hunters - nahh, we don't want your guns."

What they are really saying is that they want to control you, and when they think they can get away with it, to come and take your guns away. And if you think I am some wild-eyed, smelly, snaggletoothed backwoodsman who likes conspiracy theories and believes in UFO's, I say to you: look at Great Britain. And then look at Australia. It's already happened. It's not some fantasy.

So why would firearms people want to have anything to do with homeschoolers? Aren't they just a bunch of religious nutjobs? Aren't they socially retarded misfits who are bringing up children who are unable to function in the "real" world? In a word - NO.

Home Educators see the same government encroachments and abuses of power that you do. They see their rights being trampled the same as yours are. The want Liberty and limited government just like you do.

If these two groups ever got together and acted on their common interests, congresscritters and legislators of all stripes would sit up and take notice, because these two groups can guarantee election wins! They are very vocal, and very active, and for the most part put their money where their mouth is. And their time too.

So think about it folks - take it from one who is a member of both groups: We can accomplish a lot together.