Right to Bear Arms

A silly visual pun, but is it any more silly than the tortured “originalist” intepretations of the US Constitution by the likes of Justice Scalia when it comes to the right to “bear arms?”  Joe Nocera points out today in his column, that new scholarship makes clear, if it ever was not clear, that The Framers meant for citizens to have the right to form armed militias – they didn’t have, and didn’t want a standing army in those days. Now, we have quite an army; an entire military-industrial complex.  The one that the army guy, Eisenhower, warned us about.

Is Scalia listening? It really has nothing to do with hunters, homicidal maniacs, criminals, and other gun lovers, that many today feel should be regulated.

The justice likes to claim that he bases his opinions only on what The Framers said, or what they “meant,” but of course, he decides what they meant.  And his originalism is remarkably flexible, always hewing to the latest right-wing conservative line.

Now, none of this is too surprising, but what did bring me up a bit short was Nocera’s comment that this position by the Republican establishment is relatively recent, c. 1980.  It coincides with the Reagonzo Revolution, the ascendance within the Republican party of the angry, somewhat bigoted men, white men.  Thanks again, Ronnie.

American Freedom

Not the model the Sandy Hook shooter used, but hey, are we going to outlaw such a cute innovation?

My home, my castle.

In Montana, a 40-year old man was intoxicated, and angry about the affair going on between his wife and his neighbor.  He walked over to the neighbor’s house:  the neighbor knew he was coming.  He had time to go inside and retrieve his gun.  Then he shot the man three times.  No charges will be filed because of the state law allowing a person to use lethal force against anyone on your property who you feel might be threatening you.  The angry man was unarmed.

So, a man is dead, four kids have no father, because a guy was afraid of getting punched in the nose, and didn’t want to suffer the humiliation of just staying inside behind a locked door. 

As one commenter on the story said of our screwed-up thinking about the value of life, “The life of an eight week old fetus is sacred, but the life of a 40-year old father is not worth protecting.”

United States of Glock

Once again, we have a vital demonstration of the importance of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution.  (I presume the Republican Congress read that amendment the other day!)  The right to bear arms, and to use them, is essential to the preservation of our free society.  Yes, that shooter was probably mentally ill, but his intent was good…er, his aim was good…uh…his heart was in the right place.  And if he had not had the right to his gun of choice – an old-fashioned six-shooter or Saturday Night Special just won’t hack it today – he wouldn’t have killed so many people and riled up so many gun control fanatics.  And nothing gets the Holy NRA going like a little political violence to explain away.  I’m sure they’re in high gear on Capitol Hill right now.