Subject:
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Re: Those stupid liberal judges are at it again!
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Thu, 19 Sep 2002 21:22:46 GMT
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Viewed:
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1004 times
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"David Koudys" <dkoudys@redeemer.on.ca> writes:
> Furthermore, as sometimes I am prone to doing, *if* I concede your full
> understanding of the 2nd, can't we all just say it was a dumb-ass ammendment
> written in a time before street lights and police, and it should be stricken
> from the books? The frontier *has* been tamed (yes is quoted from WW--get
> over it ;) )
The US Constitution is designed to ensure a reasonably fair government
that doesn't have too much power over the people. But if that were to
break down, the 2nd Amendment is there to provide the people a last-
ditch method of regaining the control over the country. Because in
the philosophy of the DoI and Constitution, the people hold the
ultimate power. Not a king or tyrant. This is as true today as it
was in the 18th century.
Honestly speaking, it would be an uphill battle: the U.S. military
against the ragtag collection of people who own guns (i.e. the "well-
regulated militia"). It may not be a fair fighting chance, but it's a
chance. And with enough deserters from the Army it *could* succeed.
I'm not advocating that this should happen; I think that despite the
erosion of civil liberties that has been going on for some time, and
that has accelerated significantly since September 11, 2001, there is
still a great deal of power left to the people without an armed
uprising. But the bottom line is, that there is always the potential
for an armed uprising as a backup, in case the mechanism of democracy
were to break down. The threat of such an uprising makes it less
likely the government will try to declare martial law, cancel an
election, or take other steps that have occurred in many democracies
(especially in Central & South America).
I do not subscribe to the idea that all citizens are members of a
"well-regulated militia" however. I do think that all citizens are
*potential* members of such a militia, in case the democratic system
should fail. This is what the misguided fools who were battling the
ATF in the late '90's were thinking. I disagree with them that the
time has come. I hope it will never come. But if it did, the 2nd
Amendment provides a way to ensure the "Security of a Free State."
--Bill.
--
William R Ward bill@wards.net http://www.wards.net/~bill/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Verbing weirds language. --Calvin
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: Those stupid liberal judges are at it again!
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| (...) If the US gov't were to break down, laws are irrelevant, and we're back to... who said it, Lock, Hobbes? can't remember polisci 101 (such a long time ago)...'natural law' or, as I like to think of it, 'He who has the biggest stick, rules' The (...) (22 years ago, 19-Sep-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Those stupid liberal judges are at it again!
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| (...) Nowhere in my postings did I *ever* imply that. I will reiterate--it is *not* because of the guns the police officers have, but because it's the law, that I obey the law. You are putting the emphasis on the wrong part of the equation. I don't (...) (22 years ago, 19-Sep-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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