As long as we’re quoting Thomas Paine

Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property…

Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them.

How Thomas Paine is being completely taken out of context

This image and quote from Thomas Paine is being circulated around the net by leftists who are still trying to do damage control from Obama’s “You didn’t build that” attack on business owners.

That quote was taken from a pamphlet Paine wrote during the time of his support of the French Revolution titled, “Thomas Payne à La Législature et au Directoire. Ou la Justice Agraire opposée à la Loi Agraire, et aux privilèges agraires. Prix 15 sols. À Paris, chez la citoyenne Ragouleau, près le Théâtre de la République, No. 229. Et chez les Marchands de Nouveautés.” Gutenberg.org has it here.

Here is the context that was omitted by the left when they started this meme.  From the introduction of the pamphlet, emphasis mine:

Liberty and Property are words expressing all those of our possessions which are not of an intellectual nature. There are two kinds of property. Firstly, natural property, or that which comes to us from the Creator of the universe,—such as the earth, air, water. Secondly, artificial or acquired property,—the invention of men. In the latter equality is impossible; for to distribute it equally it would be necessary that all should have contributed in the same proportion, which can never be the case; and this being the case, every individual would hold on to his own property, as his right share. Equality of natural property is the subject of this little essay. Every individual in the world is born therein with legitimate claims on a certain kind of property, or its equivalent.

This is a direct refutation of everything Obama and the left stand for.