Infinite Critique

My topic is usually “taking control of your own life”, so I’m digressing a bit here, but I do find it relevant. After all, if the government doesn’t let us run our own lives, my whole topic is moot.

The Supreme Court is going to decide, once and for all apparently, if the right for the people to bear arms is, in fact, guaranteed by the constitution. The second amendment reads as follows:

“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.”

The argument anti-gun people make is based on the inclusion of the word “Militia”. They insist that only a “well regulated militia” be the folks allowed to carry guns. I think the issue here is that they don’t know what a militia is. Let’s look at the definition of the word according to dictionary.com.

“1. a body of citizens enrolled for military service, and called out periodiccally for drill but serving full time only in emergencies.”

So it’s like the army reserves then, right? Not quite. Keep reading…

“2. a body of citizen soldiers as distinguished from professional soldiers.”

Still kinda sounds like the army reserves, or maybe just a few kids being rebellious. But then you see this definition…

“3. all able-bodied males considered by law eligible for military service.”

So then it’s all the guys eligible to enlist in the army? Sort of. But judging from the other definitions, they’re allowed to fight without enlisting. Well who do they fight against then?

“4. a body of citizens organized in a paramilitary group and typically regarding themselves as defenders of individual rights against the presumed interference of federal government.”

Ah-ha! There’s the rub. A Militia, by these definitions, are a group of citizens working OUTSIDE the military to protect American citizens FROM THEIR OWN GOVERNMENT.

The second amendment exists for the very sake of turning the American people into a Militia. This protects us from overthrow of the government by a dictator, or from the now very likely scenario of the government working against us to supress our individual rights with things like RFID, The National ID Card, tougher security pretty much everywhere, illegal wire taps, arbitrary money printing, and undeclared wars that make the rest of the world hate us even more than they already do. Adolf Hitler was an elected official, and if the Jewish citizens of Germany had not been stripped of their right to own guns, he would not have been able to do anywhere NEAR the damage he did (Check this document for further reading on that: http://www.stephenhalbrook.com/article-nazilaw.pdf). America is headed for a similar scenario in that elected officials are taking measures that infringe on our human rights for the sake of “protecting” us. It was gradual, we didn’t see it coming because of that. But now the water’s a bit too hot and we’re in danger of losing our basic rights as individuals. The country is turning into Oceania as we speak. We, however, are the “militia” and as of right now, we still have the power to take action. Without our right to bear arms, we can’t fight against those in power trying to control our lives. If the supreme court rules that it is constitutional to forbid people from owning guns, we’re screwed.

Naysayers reading this are now probably thinking about the “well regulated” part. I’ve basically said at this point that the Militia is the American People themselves, and they really have no “boss” or leader of any kind to regulate them, since they are supposed to be operating outside the jurisdiction of the government. Again, it’s a question of definition, and one of the definitions of “regulated” is simply “to adjust to some standard or requirement” or “to adjust so as to ensure accuracy of operation.” Every American person owning a gun means that the Militia is regulated in two ways. One, they all have guns. That would be the “standard or requirement” that the Americans will have adjusted to in order to become part of the Militia. Two, they will be more accurate & effective fighters with guns. It takes practice, yes, but it’s easy to practice with an instrument if you own it. They all have guns, and they’re all good fighters. That is what is meant by a “well regulated Militia.”

The second amendment’s original purpose was to allow the American people to protect themselves from the federal government. The fact that there’s debate over this amendment at all is frightening to me. It is impossible for us to protect ourselves from the government if the government suddenly changes its mind on the legality of this. The government is supposed to be by, for, and of the people. If the people don’t have the power to (violently & roughly if necessary) remove the leaders in power, then it’s not a democracy anymore, it’s fascism.

Fascism would make it impossible for people to take control of their own lives. The whole idea behind fascism is that the people of a country are fine with being babysat. Most people are lazy, I can understand that. It’s easier to take Big Brother by the hand and to do what he says than to decide anything for yourself. But one day you’re going to want to do something that’s amazing and good and spectacular and world-changing. It may even make you rich, happy, successful, and adored by all those around you. But Big Brother won’t let you. And you’re going to wish you’d been less complacent back in the good ol’ days.

The American Dream is gone, let’s face it. It’s a rare thing nowadays to start from nothing & work your way up, which was the opportunity everyone wanted for their kids for the past 200 years. I, for one, refuse to believe it’s impossible though. I have pretty much nothing right now. I plan on working my way up because I have a daughter that I need to take care of, and I have myself to worry about. My life is in my own hands, your life is in yours. Lots of people whine, complain, and fight about the things going bad in our lives, when we could fix a lot of it if we actually took ourselves seriously. We don’t believe we have the power to change the world around us, or even the power to change ourselves to fit the world around us.

But if the Supreme Court makes the wrong decision here, our life won’t be in our own hands anymore. A ruling is expected in June. Enjoy your freedom while it lasts.