"Every once in a while, a book comes along that defines a society. Nation of Cowards, by Jeff Snyder, is one of these. A seminal treatise on liberty in the tradition of Madison and Jefferson, Nation of Cowards is about the constant struggle between individual rights, and the inherent, incremental tyranny of government, written in language so eloquently simple that even a youngster can understand.
"What Snyder says will forever change the way you view the citizen/government equation. It's about the difference between free people, and people who, with the grudging permission of their government, proudly possess a symbol of freedom, yet remain utterly ignorant of the reality of their circumstances....
"At its core, Nation of Cowards is a very personal book about you. After you read it, you will never think about yourself in quite the same way again. That's a guarantee." -- Dr. Joanne Eisen and Dr. Paul Gallant, Gun Week and Gun News Digest, October, 2001
Selected Quotes from Nation of Cowards
Forward
"This book is a collection of essays about what may be loosely described as the ethics of owning, carrying, and using arms, and to the efforts to restrict those policies.... [T]he essays generally endeavor to uncover and bring into stark relief the quite different values and choices that underlie gun control and the liberty to keep and bear arms."
Introduction:
Guns and the Instrumental Theory of Salvation
"The right to keep and bear arms is generally justified as a necessary corollary of the right of self-defense and of the principle of government by consent."
A Nation of Cowards
"[W]hile people are encouraged to revel in their individuality and incalculable self-worth, the media and the law enforcement establishment continually advise us that, when confronted with the threat of lethal violence, we should not resist, but simply give the attacker what he wants."
A License to Save Your Life?
"According to HCI, we should implement a licensing and registration system for handguns..."
Guns and Feminism
"[M]en, who are on average bigger and stronger than women, will never lack for a means of killing, maiming or beating women. Women will, however, lack the most effective means to deprive men of these advantages if they cannot and do not own firearms."
Other Chapters from Nation of Cowards include...
- The Ethics of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms,
- Who's Under Assault in the Assault Weapon Ban?
- Fighting Crime by Creating Crime
- Guns and Schools
- Utility, Destroyer of Rights
- The Line in the Sand
-More about Nation of Cowards