Gun Rights

 Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution

“The Congress shall have power ...:

To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;”

Amendment II

“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.”

There is no language in the Second Amendment that repeals any or all of Article I, Section 8 of the constitution. Furthermore, Article II Section 2 of  the Constitution states that the President is the Commander in Chief "of the militia of the several states."  What this means is that a “well regulated militia” is one that is under the regulation and control of congress and the President. Contrary to the lies of the NRA, a “well regulation militia” as provided for by the constitution is not Billy Bob and his beer drinking buddies playing with assault rifles and babbling about the imagined threats of government tyranny. Indeed, Article I Section 8 specifically says that “congress” has the power to provide for the use of the militia to “execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions[!]”  

If I were to hazard a guess as to the reason behind the Second Amendment, I would say it was a sop to people on the frontier who joined the rebellion against Britain because Britain was trying to adhere to its treaties with indigenous people. In other words, it was a wink and nod indicating that settlers could form militias to fend off attacks from Indians who were trying to defend their lands from encroachments by the white settlers. This muddies the water a bit, but regardless of the reason for the Second Amendment, that amendment does not change the definition of a well regulated militia, nor does it reduce in any way the power of congress to form or regulate militias.

So Much Bad Stuff

There is much bad stuff going on right now. We have a failing and desperately aggressive kleptocracy in Russia trying to achieve legitimacy by using force against its own citizens and waging war against its neighbors. In this country an illegitimate, fascist supreme court is trying to repeal voters' rights and the twentieth century, while a Neo-fascist movement is trying overthrow 200 years of democracy. Anyone who doubts the threat to our political system just has to look at the congressional hearings now trying to uncover the truth about an attempted coup d'etat perpetrated by former President Donald Trump. In regard to fighting off the destructive efforts of the fascists I must say that although it is horribly frustrating and frightening to have to depend on voters, many of whom are woefully ignorant, to give those of us who still believe in the constitution and the republic the power to win the fight for democracy, our dependence on those voters is both the strength and the weakness of any democracy! As Jamie Raskin said: “It is our job to move public opinion and bring the political center to the moral center.” We must impress upon the uninformed the extreme danger posed to our fragile democracy and the need to act decisively in defense of the liberties we cherish.

Waging war against the fascists is much easier for we Democrats than it is for Republicans, most of whom have had a hand in turning control of their party over to the paranoid, and delusional people who now form the base of the MAGA (fascist) movement. As Robert Kennedy said:

“Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change. And I believe that in this generation those with the courage to enter the moral conflict will find themselves with companions in every corner of the globe."

It would be disingenuous of me not to acknowledge the danger posed by the feckless and foolish decisions voters frequently make, but Bobby Kennedy's optimistic statement that “...those with the courage to enter the moral conflict will find themselves with companions” seems to be justified in this generation as well as his. Most of the Republicans who have displayed the moral courage to brave the disapproval of the base Republicans are no longer Republicans – some as a matter of choice and others as a result of purges. But this fact, this wrath of Trump and the MAGA base, gives Republicans opposing the dangerous drift toward fascism an authority and dramatic impact that instantly draws attention and respect. When Liz Cheney talks about moral courage she does so with a well earned moral authority, as does Adam Kinzinger.

Ms. Cheney notably praised the female witnesses appearing before the Jan 6 committee and she spoke glowingly about Cassidy Hutchinson,

 “...the 26-year-old aide to Trump’s former chief of staff, who has endured violent threats that forced her to go into hiding since she testified in June.

'She knew all along she would be attacked by President Trump, and by the 50-, 60- and 70-year-old men who hide themselves behind executive privilege,' Cheney said of Hutchinson Thursday night. 'but like our witnesses today, she has courage, and she did it anyway.'”

There was no need for Ms. Cheney to elaborate on the contrast. Everyone knows that those “50, 60, and 70-year-old men to whom Ms. Cheney referred are demonstrating a moral cowardice equivalent to the Josh Hawley fascist quickstep. I thank the committee for showing us the cowardice and the quick step. I wonder how many times Meadows muffin would have to take the fifth? I wonder if he would have to drink a fifth to gin up the courage to testify at all. Oh Garland where is thy sting? A pissed off nation wants to know!

Regardless of the fact that the Fox disinformation factory and other right wing flatulence dispensers are trying to ignore the Jan 6 hearings, there is a lot of evidence that those hearings plus the sanctimonious, misogynistic, undemocratic decisions by Moscow Mitch's politicized abomination (aka SCOTUS) are having a negative impact on the campaigns of the R-MAGA Party fascists. The latest polls are showing the Democrats gaining ground, and if they continue to do so they could negate what should be an off year advantage for the Republicans. There is still a long ways to November, but I do not see it getting any better for the R-MAGAS -- even with Joe Biden's low approval ratings.

The big question is whether the gains of the Democratic Party will be enough to allow us to save our democracy. Close is not a option. This is a scorched earth war at all levels of government. The fascists are burning books, trampling on our liberty, suppressing our right to vote, and even casting doubt on whether all or any votes will be counted! Now is the time. This is where we must make our stand. We must crush the fascists! Do not wait for a 2024 election that may become a totalitarian sham. Get involved now! Campaign like you have never campaigned before!

To You Who Vote To Defend Our Democracy

A Democratic Party Toast:

To Health

Yours and the Earth's

To Choice

Your body, Your Choice

To Democracy

Voters Rights and Majority Rule