The Supreme Court just ruled to protect the Constitution.Not any of the good bits that have to do with stuff like the right to privacy, or habeas corpus, or anything like that.
No, the Court in a 5-4 decision split along politically idealogical lines, decided that putting a gun in everyone's hand is a pretty good thing. They ruled to enforce the 2nd Amendment along a pretty broad definition. And although Antonin Scalia, one of Bush's choices for the Court has said that while "an individual now has a constitutional right to own guns, that new right is not unlimited", this will almost certainly open up future challenges to laws limiting access to guns, like the mandatory waiting period before purchase, or limits on where it's non-permissible to carry guns, such as within federal parks and in government buildings.
So, they've made damned sure to enforce the 2nd Amendment in an election year, while the 1st, 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments are still under attack by the Bush/Cheney regime.
And unless we all work together this fall, we'll likely see even further erosions of our rights.
Except the right to bear arms...
...that one's safe.
Disclaimer: While admitting this may put my "lib cred" at risk, I have to say that I am a gun owner and I possess a Connecticut pistol permit. That doesn't mean I want to see guns dispensed through vending machines, or want the process to legally acquire guns made any easier. There's never a valid reason to have to buy a gun on a moment's notice; someone who can't sit out for a minimum waiting period is a person who will probably put the weapon to immediate and tragic use. Follow link below for some instances of bad things happening when guns are too easily available:
Link: Deadly Mass Shooting in the United States timeline
2 comments:
There was a really nice essay by Cenk Uygar in the Huffington Post this morning. You can read it here.
I sent him this comment:
Cenk's argument is crystal clear and 100% valid...and not likely to change anything with the Conservative Republicans. Too bad.
The Fourth Amendment, which gives us the right of Habeas Corpus and hearkens back to the Magna Carta, is the deepest of American philosophies and, I daresay, if any of the Founding Fathers had to pick and choose among the first 10 entries that make up the Bill of Rights, it is the one they would be least likely to change.
I'm hauling out my flintlock musket, however, to protect my home and property (and wait for the general Militia call). I only hope I don't shoot anyone by accident (my vision is faltering with old age.)
Under The LobsterScope
Yeah, as a gun owner I'd look a bit silly saying that I'm in favor of complete gun control. However, I think the NRA's policy of automatically working against ANY legislation designed to make the public safer isn't necessarily a good thing.
Besides, I don't think trading ANY of our rights for other rights is smart. I wouldn't even give up that amendment that has to do with the quartering of troops!
Although, I do think the 2nd Amendment didn't clearly anticipate the advent of automatic weapons or even the simplest repeating arms. You rarely saw a guy in the 1700's walk into a school and execute a bunch of kids then turn the gun on himself. I think after the first shot, the children would get the message and be hundreds of feet away by the time the killer reloaded!
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