Any Limits On 2nd Amendment? Not Today

Soooo.... Guns.  Sandyhook, Aurora, Portland, Milwaukee, Jackson.  According to the Nation 88  people died in mass shootings but I cannot tell you how they define that.  http://www.thenation.com/blog/171774/fifteen-us-mass-shootings-happened-2012-84-dead#
But so what?  300 million guns in arguably the safest country in the world. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_gun_owners_are_there_in_the_United_States_of_America
Were number one!  Once again we are exceptional Americans.  Exceptionally frightened Americans.  I have no answers and no pearls of wisdom.  We cannot put 300 million guns back in the bottle.  We cannot take back the assault weapons (whatever that means) that have already been sold.  We cannot reinstate the mental health funding which is the first thing cut at every budget impasse.  We cannot remove with the stroke of a pen the violence in videos, movies , games and TV that Hollywood enshrines.

But we should think about it.  And we should be ashamed.  Not just for Newtown but for the people killing each other in Chicago without headline or national comment.  I don’t promote any answers but the one thing that has to be clear is that removing funding for mental illness along with dramatically increasing the availability and number of guns makes things like Newtown a natural result.  We reap what we sew.  The chickens do indeed come home to roost.

So, think about it.  Think about the 2nd Amendment that called for well regulated militia. And what had become of it with high powered weapons available for every household.  Are there ANY limits to the 2nd Amendment as currently interpreted?  If so, what are they?

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.-2nd Amendment of The United States Constitution

Under our current interpretation of this language, what would it not allow? Below is my idea for a movie, or more likely a Saturday night live skit.  I did it on December 3rd, well in advance of Newtown.  It could be funny... and really, really sad.  

***
Mohammed, Aarif, Abdul and Hamdan are in Tehran working on the Iraqi nuclear bomb project.  They are constantly beset by poor working conditions, unreasonable Mullah’s, and UN Nuclear Inspectors.  They cannot get work done.  They cannot build the bomb for Islam.  They are denied the working materials they need and have constant saboteurs (Israeli and American provocateurs) who are constantly undermining their work.  It is a disaster where they have to work each day and the dream of better labs and equipment and materials.

They have a conversation about where they could go to make the bomb for the Jihad.  They consider Afghanistan and immediately disregard it after disparaging comments regarding camels and thieves.  They consider briefly North Korea and then they make disparaging comments about the food and the little dictator that runs the place.  

They go home and in their cramped apartment are watching Al Jazeera’s coverage of the American Election and see the NRA shouting about the second amendment and the right to bear arms...they see southern Senators talking about standing their ground and every man’s right to defend themselves.  Then they see the Republicans on the floor of the house decrying bans on automatic weapon sales and speaking about it being a violation of rights for Americans not to have their own mortars and tanks and bombs.  An idea is borne.

They move to America and with funding from their government open a new nuclear research program at Millsaps or some other small piece of shit southern college.  They start to build their bomb and they defend it against all objectors as they build the bomb.  When people express concern Wayne La Pierre of the NRA goes on meet the press and suggests that every American ought to have access to nuclear technology.  Boeing announces a partnership with Colt to start research to introduce tactical nukes to “defend” your home.  They are defended as they make their bomb and they and others, state that every American should be entitled to have a nuclear bomb.  Why shouldn’t an American citizen be entitled to a nuclear bomb?  It is right there in the Constitution!  During a press interview Hamdan gets carried away shouting “Alluah Akbar” and then catching himself in the dead silence that ensues screams “I mean DON’T TREAD ON ME” to raucous applause.  Fade out to a mushroom cloud over Birmingham.

I don’t know how it ends.  It might be funny.

***

Think about how you should react to gun violence. With fear?  As a Christian... I ask you to find something in the New Testament or something in what Christ said that justifies shooting another human being... Show me where Jesus tells us to “stand our ground”. There are no easy answers or quick fixes but thoughtful Americans should be thinking about these questions.

This is the day....

Sooooo... the election is over. Democrats are still talking like idiots about a mandate they don’t have in a divided country. Some Republicans are soul searching like Austin Powers looking for his mojo but many have made up their minds that the “takers” won and that it is all about Republicans (makers) and Democrats (takers). The facts unfortunately do not bear this out as the solid Republican South (minus the great nation of Texas) represent the biggest block of “takers” from the Federal Government. This election, surprisingly was not “about the economy stupid”. If it was in our weak recovery, likely soon to slide back into recession, would have tanked Obama and the Democrats. This election was about tolderance. Tolerance of immigrants (illegals too), tolerance of gays (we dont know that we need same sex marriage but we do not believe in a homosexual agenda to undermine our values) and an ackowledgment that for most of us, even if we believe life begins at conception, that abortion is a very difficult, heartbreaking, soul wrenching problem which does not lend itself to simple answers in a broken world. Economically our country might be swirling in the toilet (although I don’t think that is a foregone conclusion) but this time, tolerance won. Individual rights won. Arguably America won because it stepped back from demonization of those we dont agree with and sent a message...a “mandate” to our leaders to get their shit together and walk us back from the precipice. If it can be done.

Right now they are again failing us miserably. Obama has doubled down on increased taxes for those who make over 250k. Although this makes sense to me I think we all forget that we still live in aprogressive tax system. We will not tax everything they make at that higher rate, just the amounts they are making over 250k. Republicans demand entitlement cuts but there is no one who believes we can cut our way out of this defecit. The main thing they cannot do is give ANY ground. The main thing we need out of Washington is certainty. If we are going to be taxed more, TELL US! If we are going to not get social security till we are 70...TELL US! It will all suck but at least we can plan for it and try and do our best. But they won’t. They will not do it becaus we have a broken political class that we have made scred of their own shadows. These margianalized people who we have elected do not have the courage of their convictions and the ones that do are frankly so crazy on the right or the left that I wish they did not.. So what is going to happen is another round of can kicking. Debt cieling raised. Sequester delayed, each side getting a bone of compromise out of the other with a promise to do something way out in the future and we will remain uncertain and continue to have to find our way in the darkness.

Which we can do. If we have the courage of our convictions. If we work hard. We can take care of our families and ourselves. Meet our needs. Take care of those who God throws into our poath who need our care, worship as we please and speak as we please and be blessed even as these idiots drive the ship into the rocks. I decry the Republican visage of “the exceptional American”. I decry it, not because I don’t believe it in my arrogant heart, but because these people who trumpet American Exceptionalism are the ones that are so afraid. they cannnot do anything because the government. they are uncertain because of the government. they cannot sleep at night because of the government. they are worried for their childrens futures BECAUSE OF THE GOVERNMENT! What is exceptional about fear? What I see on FOX news are “Exceptionally Afraid” Americans. What I hear when I listen to Glenn Beck is a man who makes money off of that fear. It sickens me.

 

We are all blessed to live in the greatest country God has put on earth at the greatest time ever to be an American. We are the most powerful Country with the most natural resources in the world. The best combination of soil, water, timber, oil and gas on the planet. We can leave a legacy for our children and granchildren of peace, stability, wealth, strength and kindness if we all just work and take care of ourselves, our families, our churches, synagogues and masques. If we take care of people like we are all taught to do it. We will be great, our children will thrive.

We are responsible for our families and out values. Not the government. We are responsable for our finances. Not the government. If they take more of our bread, exceptional Americans figure out a way to bake more bread. Who are we? We are going to find out. It is going to be hard and it is going to be great. Who are we? Get to work and stop bitching. Who are we? Stop pointing the fingers at other. Who are we? Bake the bread. Enjoy your family and love your neighbor and get to work.

 

Psalm 118: 24 “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”