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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

The 1st an 2nd Amendments to the U.S. Constitution

I pulled these from an online "Bill of Rights" website. Article the third [Amendment I] Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. This says that we can say what we want to say to and about others. It does not say that we cannot be held responsible if our utterances are the proximate cause of a crime against a person or the state or if such utterance is a crime against sundry local, state or federal statues (libel, slander, assault--for instance) in an of itself. Article the fourth [Amendment II][4] A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. This says that we can all have guns (at least in the minds of the current SCotUS re: Washington D.C.'s ban on ownership of handguns in the District). Whether it means everybody in the country can have guns is not settled law yet. Our political opposites (and, in many cases, social and intellectual opposites--hint: smart and friendly, they're not) like to think that the 1st and 2nd Amendments are their exclusive birthright. They would have us think that, in light of their superior patriotism and obvious moral righteousness that they may decide who has the right to free-speech. In their minds that right is not universal; it is reserved for them and their fellows. They would likewise have us believe that they have an unfettered right to keep and bear arms, regardless their lethality or utility. When I have commented on other blogs that they might want to think about what that means in terms of the people they are so afraid of having the same rights they are silent or, more typically, abusive and dismissive. I often wonder at the apparent dichotomy of the pick-ups and other vehicles I see with bumper stickers that espouse anti-abortion views; the notion that GOD is actually driving/navigating the vehicle(it's often unclear which--although I don't believe GOD gets pulled over for DWI); that JESUS loves the occupant and it's reciprocal AND that GUNS are fun, necessary and BY GOD the vehicle occupant's until death do them part. I am pretty much an atheist these days, but I did spend 13 years in parochial school getting the lessons of Catholicism poured over me like the saving waters and I don't remember JESUS or GOD being Life (+eternity) NRA members. As is obvious from yesterday's post and the comments in the thread I have new readers. People like Serr8ball, who see themselves as the arbiters and guardians of MurKKKa do have those first and second amendment rights. They would do well to remember that WE ALL DO. I could simply ban the idiots but it is interesting, in the way that viewing a surgery on cable is interesting, to learn what they think. I've been invited, numerous times to various reichwing blogs. WTF? That's not an invitation any sane person who disagrees with such people would be interested in accepting--especially given comments to the effect that one would be assaulted at said sites. No, I think I'll stay here in my little blogtopia with my make-believe friends--at least they're sane and decent folks. Thus endeth today's rant.

8 comments:

Bukko Boomeranger said...

I'M not make-believe! I can pinch myself to make sure I'm real. You, on the other hand, could be a byproduct of bad acid from sometime in the late 70s...

democommie said...

Bukko in Oz:

I'm much older than that pal. I come from a time when "doing bad acid" meant snorting Drano.

And, yes, I know that you and my other blogpals are not filberts of my imagination but it's far too difficult to explain such things to certain persons.

mutzali said...

Man, I WISH i was a fignewton of somebody's imagination. I'd quit work, quit the diet, quit the exercise, and just lie in bed with the cat, watching TV and eating cookies. Obviously, if you thought me up, you like me just the way I am!!!

Nomi said...

Hi.

Keep on blogging, democommie!

I'm sometimes called "Nom" ("Gnome", K-nome, etc)

democommie said...

Thanks, guys!

I'm taking off for a few days to visit some pals but I'll be in touch.

Fran said...

It's interesting to me how the only religion to be protected is The Right One, and those of us who don't follow it aren't to be allowed to speak freely. And how their Religion is the only one this country should ever follow, and the only source of all the laws in this country. I missed that part in Civics Class, somehow. I thought my religious beliefs were equally protected. My bad, obviously.

But then, I'm one of the few who chooses not to own a gun, at least not right now, so I'm obviously not a real 'Murican anyway, so my religious rights can't matter. Ah well.

Bukko Boomeranger said...

Where's your troll? I was looking forward to seeing you "have a spray" and "spitting the dummy" (as the slang goes down here for "having a furious argument") and the troll disappeared. Bugger all! Where's the fun in that?

Richard said...

I forget who said it, but the line was, "We are tired of pulling your cold dead fingers from your guns."

The context in which the above was said was the day after Va Tech, but the context could have been virtually any day in gun-lovin', gun-totin' America.

Like today where the laid-off guy went back to his Silicon Valley office and shot 3 dead.

Just a little excercise in Free Speech now that I think of it. Just letting his guns do his talking for him.

We got a lot of work to do in this country.