This is the problem with Sacred Documents like the Constitution or the
Holy Bible. They tend to become cast in Marble or Gold, and they
become locked in, in so far as their being the Infallible Word.
As with the Word of God, the US Constitution was handed down to the
People by Wise and impeccably Honest Statesmen.
The only difference, of course, is that the Holy Bible presenters are
quoting God, and the Constitution presenters are quoting...a Higher
Power.
But in either case the assumption is that the Word is Perfect. So
without touching "the Word", we learn to come up with our own
interpretation. Which is why we have a never ending number of
Christian denominations, and as many "True Meanings of the
Constitution".
Carl Jarvis, still using the old musket my great great grandfather used.
On 8/10/19, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hijacking the Second Amendment
August 8, 2019
The gun lobby has hijacked the Second Amendment, which was intended for
citizen militias to provide domestic "security" without a standing army.
The
amendment is a dangerous relic, never clearer than after El Paso and
Dayton, writes Joe Lauria.
By Joe Lauria
Special to Consortium News
The Second Amendment was written after a war in which a new nation without
a
standing army defeated the biggest standing army on the planet. To defend
itself, the new country relied on citizens arming themselves in civilian
militias.
Ever since Britain had permanently garrisoned troops in Massachusetts to
put
down the brewing rebellion in 1768, opposition to standing armies ran deep
among Americans. The Revolution was nearly lost because the Continental
Congress for years refused George Washington's pleading for a standing
army.
Sam Adams, before he and his class of merchants had won, believed a
permanent force was "forever dangerous to civil liberties."
"Soldiers are apt to consider themselves as a body distinct from the rest
of
the citizens," Adams said. "They have arms always in hand." But, "the
Militia is composed of free citizens. There is, therefore, no danger of
their making use of their Power to the destruction of their own rights."
Trump boards Air Force One on Wednesday for Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso,
Texas. (Official White House Photo/Shealah Craighead)
Adams amended his position as the war dragged on, realizing the necessity
of
a trained, disciplined force in extreme circumstances. But once the war was
over, he returned to his earlier position, saying a standing army was no
longer needed.
Because of this distrust of standing armies the new republic wrote into its
Constitution the Second Amendment, ensuring that citizens, and not a
permanent state military, would bear arms to protect the land. However, the
United States today has the largest standing armed forces ever assembled.
The militias are now called the standing National Guard.
Thus, the rationale for the Second Amendment is completely lost in history.
It has as much relevance and moral force today as Section 2 of Article 1
that permitted slavery. The Second Amendment means nothing unless we
disband
the National Guard and America's armed forces.
It is a dangerous absurdity to think it can justify the sale and possession
of handguns (and even more lethal firearms). The Framers would surely be
horrified by the events last weekend in Dayton and El Paso and would wonder
what had become of their republic. The Second Amendment must be repealed.
This article, originally published on Dec 17, 2012, has been updated to
mention the latest massacres, illustrating that nothing has change in seven
years.
Joe Lauria is editor-in-chief of Consortium News and a former correspondent
for The Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Sunday Times of London and
numerous other newspapers. He can be reached at
joelauria@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and followed on Twitter @unjoe .
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