Gun control advocates are quick to point out that the 2nd Amendment pertains to the " militia" , not individuals.....or so goes their reasoning. The next time you hear this statement made the best retort to be found was made by George Mason himself during the Constitutional Convention debate:
" I ask, Who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people, except a few public officers."
I would offer, in my humble opinion, this to still be the best reply! For those interested in a little more" The following excerpt came from a site that I will link to at the bottom of this message. It bears thoughtful reading!
{The militia of 1788 was the whole people. A basic republican principle was the viewing of the body of the people as society' s natural strength, and combined with a fear of a standing army, dictated a reliance on the militia. The only exclusions from the militia were those who enjoyed less than the full benefits of citizenship. Any attempt at understanding the Second Amendment and similar provisions of the States must be in this context.
The National Guard of the United States is not the militia consisting of the whole people, but a select militia which is exclusive of the people. The dual enlistment leaves some state authority over the National Guard, but this authority is exercised only in the absence of federal dictates. All states and the federal government have provisions dealing with the militia independent of the National Guard of the United States.
Even if incorrectly interpreting the nature of the militia, the weight of reason dictates that the Second Amendment conveys a right to keep and bear arms to the whole people. Professor Sanford Levinson has suggested that it is incongruous to read the First, Fourth, Ninth and Tenth Amendments as applicable to the people without giving the same dignity to the Second Amendment.[92] Chief Justice Rehnquist has applied the same logic in reaching the conclusion that the Second Amendment protects " the right of the people to keep and bear arms." [93]
Advocates of gun control will argue that the militia, however constituted, is so outmoded as to warrant judicial nullification of any provisions that would permit individual ownership and use of firearms. Although recent militia history would lend substance to (p.25)those arguments, Patrick Henry provided the answer in 1788 that is relevant today:
The voice of tradition, I trust, will inform posterity of our struggles for freedom. If our descendants be worthy the name of Americans, they will preserve, and hand down to their latest posterity, the transactions of the present times.[94]}
The debate over the meaning of the 2nd amendment is clear....having been debated over many years....It means as it seems....you and I have the RIGHT to own a gun....(assuming we' re of age, not a fellon, not deranged, and ain' t politically incorrect and pissed off our x-wife).....our forefathers were incredibly wise folk.....I only wish we had their balls.
Vapo I agree. Given enough time and " Ritalin" we will eventually all have NO balls! As a society we may well have already " peaked" and started the inexorable historical slide into decline. (But why should anyone bother to learn history? After all we all know, " it can' t happen here" !)
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You can live life, or simply grow old!
Location: land of the Lilliputians, In the state of insanity
Posts: 24,186
RE: A lesson from history!
Quote:
(But why should anyone bother to learn history? After all we all know, " it can' t happen here" !)
akbound
Truer words have never been spoken. I am constantly expressing my
discontent with our youths intolerance to learn form the past. They are
destine to repeat.[X(]
I have always found it interesting how the youth will immolate the pasts
styles, trends, and ideologies with out understanding the time. An example
would be in the 90s, we saw a reemergence of the hippie generation with
nothing to protest about. Ask someone during that time what fueled their
liberal ideas and they couldn"™t give you any thing above a placid fashion
statement.
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kaafir mushrik
Unintended consequences and God have one thing in common: Liberals don’t believe in either of them.
" .........the right of the people to keep, and bear arms shall not be infringed"
I take that literally........no exceptions for ANYTHING, from " assault weapons" , to " convicted felons" . A .17 cal air rifle can be an " assault weapon" if stuck in your face, and a " convicted felon" paid his dues. if you don' t trust him, keep him in jail, but don' t tell him he is free, then rob him of his rights.
If you " think" the neighbor may go biserk, to bad. Thats the risk of living in a " free" society. I' d rather see his rights upheld, then your fears put to rest.
I take that literally........no exceptions for ANYTHING, from " assault weapons" , to " convicted felons" . A .17 cal air rifle can be an " assault weapon" if stuck in your face, and a " convicted felon" paid his dues. if you don' t trust him, keep him in jail, but don' t tell him he is free, then rob him of his rights.
I agree 100%[8D]
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Obamanfreude - 1. taking pleasure from the misfortunes of an Obama supporter as he or she is adversely affected by the policies of their Dear Leader.
I agree with you absolutely. What usually " passes" as U.S. History in many of today' s public schools can best be described " as revisionist dribble" ! And precisely because we can no longer trust our public schools to be accurate depositories and dispensers of our history....it becomes all the more imperative that we assume this responsibility for ourselves.
If you are a parent, uncle, aunt, grandparent.....or even just an " involved adult" make a point of knowing and relating accurate history to our children. To a large degree the time has come for us to no longer entrust the public school system with this responsibility. Many of us have allowed the schools to " teach" morals, values, pseudo physcology, and in essense to become surrogate parents.
Particulary parents....and grandparents....need to take back this responsibility. It is far to precious a " gift" we have been given in this country.....to allow it to be squandered! We can not " cry foul" if we refuse to step up to the plate and shoulder the burden. If we don' t pass on the information, teach our children values, and cause them to learn critical thinking skills....we will have thrown it away!
They are our children....and they are our responsibility. To a large extent what they grow up " not knowing" is because of " our failings" ! It is time for us to make a difference. First learn history for ourselves, and then pass it on to those we care about!
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You can live life, or simply grow old!
I ask, Who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people, except a few public officers."
akbound, not only are you ABSOLUTELY, 100% CORRECT about this, the " unorganized militia" is recognized and established in Federal law. (I forget which Title, but I believe it is either in Title 10 or Title 18, U.S. Code.) It consists of all able bodied persons between certain ages (18 to 55?) who are not officials, not members of the National Guard (the so-called " organized" militia), or the regular Armed Forces. As a person on the Army retired list, I am NOT a member of the unorganized militia, but you probably are, unless you are a member of the regular military establishment.
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"Bitte, trinks du das Wasser nicht. Dahin haben die Kuhen gesheissen."
I am also Army retired. I am not a member in any other militia. But my first and last allegiance will always be to the United States Constitution and the principles upon which it was founded.
As you know we are bound to follow the orders of officers appointed over us....but never in contradiction of the U.S. Constitution...to which we swore an oath and hold the highest allegiance to.
And for me....so it will always be!
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You can live life, or simply grow old!
A lesson from history!
