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[guillaumeb]

2. The 2nd Amendment

Whenever I hear talk about 2nd Amendment "rights", I generally do not hear the speakers quote the Amendment in its' entirety. The very beginning words, that part about "A well regulated militia", are generally passed over in the hurry to get to the part about "shall not be infringed".
Why was the part about a well regulated militia even in the Amendment? Did the writers of the Constitution get paid by the word, or were they expressing a particular idea? Remember that the Constitution, for all you "original intent" types out there, did not and does not provide for a standing army. Thus the need for "a well- regulated militia" when defense became necessary, and thus the necessity that a military appropriations bill be included in every 2 year session of Congress.
Where is Justice Scalia, Mr. Original Intent himself, on this issue, and why does he not speak out and call for the disbanding of the American war machine? The war industry and the military apparatus must be abolished to fulfill the original intent of the Framers.

The second issue, the fear of your own government, is a mystery to me. If you elect your government, why do you fear it? The government, and all of its representatives at every level, is you. To paraphrase Jean Lesage, a Prime Minister of Quebec in the 1960's, the government is not an enemy among us. It comes from us, out of us. It does for all of us what we cannot do as individuals.

An excellent summary of right wing rhetoric about guns billh58, as well as the point that the NRA buys politicians from both sides of the aisle.