Multiple
Choice
The
Second Amendment:
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 Modern Gun Owner:
Not well regulated
Not a militia
Not securing a goddamn thing except white entitlement.
---------
This following is contributed by Friend
of Raging Pencils "ChuckyPierce":
The wording of the Second Amendment always confused
me; half of it is about a "well regulated Militia." WTF?!
A little googling turned up a June
17 article in Salon by Thom Hartmann that explains how closely that amendment
is connected to Slavery:
The proposed Constitution sent to the states for ratification
already gave the federal government the power to 'call
forth the militia' (Article 1, Section 8) since we
didn't have a standing army at the time, but it was
unclear just how much control a "State" could
have over its own militia when 'called forth' by the
Feds.
This was a problem for states with a large number of
slaves, since every society with a slave based economy
has to mortally fear slave rebellions. (Slaves never
seem to be able to appreciate the benefits of having
guaranteed food and housing and of being freed from
the need to make any of their own decisions.)
Each of the slave states had its own militia, usually
called something like the Slave Patrol, whose main
duties were to ferret out indications that a slave
revolt was being planned, and to put one down if it
occurred. It was vital that these functions be preserved.
The article mentioned describes a debate in the Virginia
House of Burgesses about whether the Constitution,
as written, would guarantee that Virginia could keep
and control its own Slave Patrol after Virginia ratified
it.
"
State" is the key word in the Amendment we now
have. James Madison obligingly rewrote the proposed
amendment about the right to bear arms for Virginia,
changing "Country" to "State" in
the process. Check out the article for the fascinating
details.
"Golly gee, Sergeant Carter, I get it now!"
=Lefty=
|
