Rebuilding The Walls

I was pretty upset at first that none of the gun rights groups thought that The Armed Citizen was important enough to be worth their assistance in this legal fight--especially because I know some of these groups were actively using our archives for article research, and others relied on me to provide them with historical research.

I am still not happy by the lack of assistance.  However, I am really touched by how many people have contributed to The Armed Citizen's legal defense fund: students making $10 contributions; complete strangers kicking in $20 or $25; names of regular readers kicking in $50; people with more resources and names that you have heard of making $100 and larger contributions.

Others have contributed in labor, helping The Armed Citizen to prepare a project that was ongoing when this suit struck, and which we expect will contribute significantly to the fund.  As my wife and I were praying before bed, it struck her how apt Nehemiah ch. 3 was to all of this, in its description of the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls.

It wasn't a task of a big organization or even of the government, but of individuals, each doing his litttle part:

¹ Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel. ² The men of Jericho built the adjoining section, and Zaccur son of Imri built next to them.
 ³ The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place. ⁴ Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section. Next to him Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs, and next to him Zadok son of Baana also made repairs. ⁵ The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors. 
 ⁶ The Jeshanah Gate was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place. ⁷ Next to them, repairs were made by men from Gibeon and Mizpah—Melatiah of Gibeon and Jadon of Meronoth—places under the authority of the governor of Trans-Euphrates. ⁸ Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired the next section; and Hananiah, one of the perfume-makers, made repairs next to that. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. ⁹ Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section. ¹⁰ Adjoining this, Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house, and Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs next to him. ¹¹ Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens. ¹² Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section with the help of his daughters.

 Instapundit has a book called An Army of Davids, about how individual efforts that aren't much, properly coordinated, can collectively turn into something really quite astonishingly powerful--as this fundraising effort has been.

Big organizations are dinosaurs.  They get something done, no question, but not very efficiently--and like most big organizations, shortly after they get full time staff, they start to become more concerned about maintaining their organizational budgets and individual jobs.  From then on, they get a fraction of the work done that their resources should produce.

And that's where you, this Army of Davids (some of you even named David!), rebuilding this wall really show your strength and power.  Individually we are tiny; collectively, we are powerful.  Never forget that.