Fair Trade?

Let’s move this gun business along quickly.  Let’s repeal the 2^nd and 4^th Amendments to start with.

Hold your constitutional horses!  What’s the 4^th Amendment got to do with guns?  I just want to change the law—OK, the Supreme Law of the land—to take away protection for guns.

You don’t need a Constitutional Amendment for that.

No?  Really?

In fact, you don’t have to do anything.  Guns have no protection.  The 2^nd Amendment protects the right of the people.  Our Constitution protects the rights of people, not things or places.  These first few amendments protect people.

But what’s this 4^th Amendment business?

It protects people as well.  It secures the right to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures.  It’s tied in closely with the 3^rd Amendment that says that the government can’t just start quartering soldiers in your house. 

I’m missing the connection with the 2^nd Amendment.

If we take all the guns from those whom currently are guaranteed them as an individual right necessary to the security of a free state, that means we are relying solely upon our government for security and liberty.

Sure.  What’s wrong with that?

Nothing, unless you are ready to surrender in short order all forms of privacy.  The government will provide for the continuation of the government.  It will capriciously search any and all information that previously belonged to you--all with good reason, of course.  Security and safety will be their mantra.  They will place enforcement officials wherever they want, to include your homes.  Privacy as you know it will be gone.  Liberty will be something you can only read about in history books, until they too are prohibited or at least redacted.

That’s just crazy.  We would vote out anyone who took away those rights from us.

And if they suspended elections in the name of security.

We would not let them do that.

How would you stop them?

With protests.

And when those were outlawed?

We have the right to protest.

Today you do.  Will you still have it when the people are no longer capable of taking back their government when it has ceased to be their government?

That could never happen. 

You are entitled to that belief.  I hope you will search through the history of humankind and see what happens when power is unchecked.

Are you telling me that the 2^nd Amendment is part of the checks and balances process?

No.  It is not a part it is the sine qua non of that process.

This self-government business is tough business. 

We can agree on that.  The question is are we dedicated to preserving the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity?

That sounds familiar.

It should, it’s from the Preamble to the Constitution—good stuff—if you are into liberty and opposed to government having too much power over you.

But, and this is a big but, is the price that we pay for the right to bear arms too high?

That is the heart of the question.  How high of a price are we as Americans willing to pay to preserve liberty?  And how do we measure this price?

That last one is easy.  We measure it in lives lost. 

Fair enough.  There are metrics available for that.  Should we just look at school and church shootings are all gun deaths.

All.  Definitely all. 

OK, sounds good.  The CDC reports that there is an average of 33,000 deaths per year in this country due to firearms.

Wow!  That should be convincing enough in itself.

That is a big number by anyone’s measure.  Before I jump on this bandwagon based upon numbers, I must ask if you are in favor of slavery?

What?  Are you crazy?  Nobody is in favor of slavery.  I think slavery is an abomination to the human spirit. 

I agree.

So why do you bring such a bizarre question into this discussion?

Because despite the very exceptional efforts of our Founding Fathers in drafting our Constitution, they did not guarantee liberty to all.  There was a movement to rid this new nation of slavery during the Constitutional Convention, but it could not garner enough support.

But we fixed it later.

Yes, we did.  Were you glad that we did?

Of course!  Who wouldn’t be!  You can’t just deny a certain group of people liberty.

No?  I think that you can, and we had done just that for almost a century as an independent nation.  Slavery was the order of the day in many states.

Yes, but Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation set the slaves free.

At what price?

What do you mean?

We are measuring the cost of liberty in lives, are we not?

Yes.

How many American lives were lost in the Civil War?

Well, I don’t know, let’s say a bunch.

Bananas come in bunches.  Civil War casualties come in the hundreds of thousands.  I think the conservative estimate is 618,000.  Other estimates push 700,000.

Those were not all from firearms.

Correct.  About one-third to one-half were killed in during the course of the battle.  About another third due to infection and disease that followed being wounded.  There were—as always in battle—some non-combat casualties.  But the direct and indirect number of deaths from guns was pushing half a million.  That’s a big number.

Yes, but that’s war.

Yes, a civil war with nearly all casualties being American.

But, it’s still war.

It was a war with the liberty of some Americans at stake.  Was it worth the price paid in American blood?

Who can answer that?

I will rephrase.  Would you be content to be an American and have a segment of the population that was still enslaved today?

No.  Of course not.  But I don’t think slavery would have continued this long.  The world is changing.  Slavery is not acceptable.

Again, I suggest a review of history and current events.  There is still slavery in the world.  It might be called indentured servitude, but it is modern slavery.

Yeah, OK, but we would have gotten rid of it here by now.

So, instead of a violent civil war, you would have just let things run their course for another 100 or 150 years until people saw the light and the commercial interests of slave owners would give way to public opinion?

That’s not fair.  How can you ask me to decide that?

You don’t have to.  Others decided it was worth the very high price.  Your decision is how high of a price are we as a free people willing to pay to preserve liberty in this modern century?

But so many victims are innocent.  They did not deserve to die.

That is beyond discussion.  So many lives have been taken maliciously.  We are in total agreement.

So, what are we to do?  Is there no other way than protecting guns?

Remember, our Constitution does not protect guns but…

People.  I understand.  I get it.  I also get that the other protections guaranteed to the people might fall as well if the ultimate protection—to kick an unjust government to the curb forcibly if needed—was surrendered.  But, I can’t stomach the violence anymore.  What course of action is left to us?

For the past half-century, we have ignored the problem and cried out against the symptoms of our national disease.

What?

We don’t value life as something sacred anymore.

What?

Life is a gift from God.  It is special.  It is beyond special.  It is sacred.  We must value life from the womb to old age.

You mean our thoughts and prayers are with you.  I’m tired of hearing that.

Those words do get old after a while, especially, when nothing is done to treat the disease.  Those words are the best that we can do if we choose to continue to ignore the real problem.

Valuing life?

Yes.

Do we need a law?

We have plenty of laws.  In fact, we surely have more than we need.

So what do we need?

Love.  We need to commit to loving one another.  This is God’s model.

Do you still want to keep your guns and love one another?

It would be wonderful to see the day when we turn our weapons into farm implements and pruning shears.

You mean swords into plowshares.  Not all gun control people are biblically lacking.

Touché.

But until that time…

I will stand vigilant against all enemies, foreign and domestic.  The latter has not reared its ugly head to the point that the election process has become obsolete, but I would prefer to be ready and provisioned if it does.

But is it worth the cost?

Good question.  What’s your answer now?

Let's have the gun debate

Let’s have the gun debate.  Let’s consider all factors not just those that support your slant on the subject.  Let’s consider the intent of the founders of our Republic, the cost of liberty in this post-modern world, and the consequences and sequels of repealing or eroding the sanctity of the Second Amendment.  That is what most people who advocate gun control are asking for—to make an ordinary law supersede the Law of the Land or to amend that supreme law.

I just ask that we consider what happens if we remove something that is a part of a very interconnected system.  Let’s not ride the wave of emotion while ignoring that we might be crashing into a rocky coastline instead of a sandy shore.

It’s just one amendment, right?

Yes, and no.  Consider that the first few amendments to our Constitution are about personal rights and liberties.  We are free to peacefully assemble, worship as we desire, and even petition the sovereign for redress of grievances.

We are free from excessive government intrusion in our lives.  We can’t just be rounded up and sentenced.  We have legal protections from our own government.  We even have a right to privacy that is not enumerated but which our highest court found in the penumbras or edges of other rights.

Within these first few amendments are contained the right to free speech and a free press.  Most believe these are critical to a free society.  But what if, speech and media became inundated with falsehood and deception.  Oops.  That’s happened.

Are we ready to regulate the press?  Are we prepared for censorship of our tweets and posts and all things communicative?  With the amount of fake news and never-ending editorials masquerading as news across the modern media, maybe the price we pay for free speech and the free press is too high.  Let’s consider kicking it to the curb as well. 

And this whole business of the right to privacy might not fit well in our modern world.  If the government could keep better watch on everyone, we might have fewer school shootings.

Hold your constitutional horses!  I thought that we were talking about guns?

We are.  I will make my point.  The right of the people to keep and bear arms is the right to make sure that the other rights and freedoms of the people are not revoked.  If our government becomes tyrannical (the concern of our founders) or perhaps Orwellian would be better suited for this time, we must be equipped to take our government back.

I don’t ever want to see that day.  So, I ask that those who want to enact some measure of gun control, consider that our founders connected this whole business of self-government by first separating executive, legislative, and judicial power at the federal level; then separating rights and liberties that belong to the federal government, state government, and the individual.  The mainstay of individual freedoms resides in the Bill of Rights.  The founders of our republic also buffered the potential for emotional tidal waves that might put an Oliver Cromwell on an American throne.  We know this as the Electoral College. 

Individually, we might not like the college or the right to bear arms or the protections afforded liars posing as journalists; but these are not stand-alone protections.  Our system of government was surely blessed by God to withstand the consolidation of power in any one area.

It’s not the most efficient system in the world.  Dictatorships are generally much more efficient, but for almost 242, we have valued liberty—especially individual liberty—over efficiency.

So, let’s have the debate.  Let’s bring in all the facts and information including the impact on our Constitutionally guaranteed liberties.  I would think that you might perceive my political and constitutional leanings, but I am willing to listen to facts—complete data not something skewed to support any position—and I will see if I need to accept some or all of the factually supported proposals.

Part of this consider-all-factors discussion must be the motivation to amend the Constitution.  Why do people want gun control?  Is it to give the government more control?  Is it to save innocent lives?

This is where some people are going to become angry that they read this far.  If it is to save innocent lives, then let’s include the abortion issue in this all factors discussion.  Those are the most innocent of lives taken by the hundreds of thousands each year.

But, the Supreme Court says that the fetus is not a life. You can’t argue with that!  The Supreme Court also upheld that the Second Amendment is a right guaranteed to the individual. 

So, if we are going to change things at the fundamental level to save lives—innocent lives, let’s get to some real life saving and remove the right to choose (kill) from our acquired individual liberties. 

This business of self-government is tough business.  Emotions must never carry the day.  We must have the same inspiration and dedication to make changes that we believe essential to preserving our liberties not just for ourselves but for our posterity. 

Let’s have the full discussion on guns and life and liberty.  Set aside the vitriol.  Use all of the facts and statistics and make a case for what you think is best.  Listen to the positions of others who abide by the same inspiration, dedication, and self-discipline in their arguments.  Then see what the best course for our nation is.

This is discussion and debate not a vitriolic condemnation of opinions other than our own.  If we are going to have a real debate, then do it right.

Let's talk about guns in America, and while we are at it, the shootings as well

Let’s talk guns.  Everyone else is breaking out their clichés for and against them, so let’s break the mold of immobilization and actually talk about the issues.

First in any discussion that pertains to guns is the fact that the crux of the discussion cannot be about the tragedy of the moment.  The shooting of the week will surely bring the discussion to the forefront of the national discussion; but the two are separate issues.

There is senseless killing, very often accomplished with guns; and there is the issue of guns in America.

Let’s begin with the latter.  The United States of America is a unique nation in that the right to bear arms is fundamental to our foundation.  It is the second of ten initial amendments to our Constitution.  It is integral to the operation of our system of government.  It is not a standalone provision that may be removed without impacting the system.

If you don’t want satellite radio on your vehicle, then you don’t get it.  The vehicle operates just as well.  If you don’t want a suspension system; the ride might be much bumpier than you had anticipated.

If we want to have a national discussion on guns in America, then let’s do it in the proper arena—the constitutional arena.  I find it odd that the National Rifle Association has emerged as the leading advocate of Second Amendment Rights.

Who better?

How about the American Civil Liberties Union?  What!  Those guys won’t get anywhere near this.  That’s too bad because the Second Amendment is the ultimate civil liberty. 

If we want to restrict or do away with guns in this nation, we must first answer a fundamental question.  Do we no longer fear tyranny or oppression from our own government?  Our system of government was not set up for efficiency but for stability—that no branch or individual was able to seize too much power.

Do we no longer fear tyranny or oppression from our own government?

We must first answer this question before proceeding.

The right to bear arms is about throwing off a government that no longer represents the people.  I hope that we never see that day, but if we do, a few handguns against the full force of whatever government has supplanted our republic won’t do the trick.

The very weapons that cause the most damage in these mass shootings are the ones that would be needed to overthrow an unjust government.  Yes, if we are at odds with tyranny in our own government, we will need assault weapons not small caliber pistols to wrestle back our liberties.

Our government is a mess, but I don’t think we need a call to arms at this point; but the question is, “Must we preserve the power to overthrow our own government should it cease to be one that is of the people, by the people, and for the people?”

That’s a tough question.  That is a gut wrenching question.  That is a constitutional question not a matter for simple legislation or executive order.  Constitution amendments are difficult by design, but not impossible.  We have knocked out more than two dozen after the Bill of Rights.  That’s an average of more than one each decade in the life of our young nation.  It can be done.  If it is important, it will be done.

It can be done and it should be difficult.  We must decide if our duty to preserve the blessings of liberty not only for ourselves, but to our posterity, is at risk when we change the system.  Make no mistake; changing the Second Amendment changes the entire system.

If we need to do this, then let’s do it as a constitutional amendment with the labyrinth of process that must accompany it.  It should not be done lightly but if it is necessary, then let’s have a true national, constitutional discussion.

Knee jerk legislation and executive orders are not the answer.

But what about all of the people who will die while we are having this protracted constitutional dialogue?

That’s another issue.  That is about the sanctity of life.  Addressing this doesn’t take any laws or amendments.  It takes a willingness to return to seeking God.

Even without another law hitting the books, it is already illegal to murder one, two, or two dozen people.  Whether it is done with a truck bomb, pipe bomb, or assault weapon; the malice aforethought is what is responsible for the killing.

We as a nation must once again value life.  Black lives?  Yes!  Hispanic lives?  Yes!  Asian lives?  Yes.  Christian Lives?  Yes!  Lives of people who don’t even believe in God?  Yes!

Unborn life?  Yes!

Ouch!  Let’s frame that as a woman’s right to choose.

Let’s not.  Let’s look at it first from the sanctity of life.  We don’t need more abortion laws or overturned court decisions.  We need to value life from conception to the last breath.

We don’t do that!  We do not value life.  We get upset—for a while—when a couple dozen people are killed in a school or at a Christmas party or one person is shot by a police officer but by and large, our culture does not value life.

We must return to God and value the sanctity of life if we want to see the shootings and bombings and other recurring forms of human hatred stopped in our time.

If we need a constitutional discussion of the right to bear arms, then let’s have it.  It needs to be one of the most robust discussions that we have ever engaged in as a nation.  It will take at least a decade.

If we want to stop the senseless violence, then let’s stop it.  This has to do with everyone—not just the faithful few—the modern day remnant—but everyone repenting of their selfish ways and returning to God.

Jesus broke it down to one command, that you love one another.  This is what will stop the violence.  This turning from the wickedness of this age can begin now.  It doesn’t have to take a decade.  Once we as a nation turn to God, he will draw near to us.

We will know his blessings.

The challenge is that this will take courage.  Do we have enough men and women of courage left among us to lead us back to God?

Where are you men and women of courage?

Will you lead this nation back to God and out of this senseless violence?

Where are you?

Getting out of our government quagmire

Look at the news.  It’s same stuff, different day.  Our national leaders are at odds about everything.  Everyone has an agenda.  If you don’t agree with it, then you must be evil.  A little gridlock is not a bad thing, but gridlock as a way of life has become counterproductive.  How do our elected officials break this gridlock?

I think I know of something that we should all agree upon.  It is the Preamble to the Constitution.  It is sort of the mindset of our government—the why of everything that follows.  Perhaps it might get us moving towards something better than the quagmire that has sullied our statesmanship.

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

More perfect union.  We have many different opinions but one Union.  Quit polarizing our nation.  Realize that you won’t get everything you want, but work together to maintain a strong union.  You all work for the same boss—the people of the United States.  We are tired of your dissension.

Establish justice.  Our justice system is surely the worst ever, except for those in other countries.  Yes, we have some problems, but ours is better than most man-made systems.  That means you have time to focus on other areas right now.

Insure domestic tranquility.  Knock off all the discussion about guns and gun laws.  The Second Amendment has nothing to do with hunters or home defense.  This is the most basic element of liberty provided by our Constitution.  If we want to change something, then let’s have the national discussion and put forth an Amendment to repeal the Second Amendment, but only after we decide as a nation (it is intentionally difficult to amend our supreme law of the land and with good cause) that our government will never be too powerful and too abusive that we must do as our founding fathers did and overthrow it.  Yes, there is a higher price to pay for this liberty today than in the late 18^th century.  We don’t need laws to circumvent this amendment.  We need as a people to affirm it at its current price or repeal it.  Our government has circumvented our constitution too many times.  Change it, embrace it, but don’t ignore it.

Provide for the common defense.  Our service men and women are the very best in the world—the very best.  Our equipment, research and development, and pay should reflect this.  We should never again engage them in an undeclared war.  For over half a century, our nation has gone to war without the backbone to declare it and the mission of our federal government seems to have been to lessen the impact of our wars upon the general population instead of to engage the entire population in winning our declared wars.  War should never be our first course of action, but when we do declare war our enemies should tremble in fear all the way up to the day of their surrender.  NO MORE UNDECLARED WARS!  The Congress of the United States needs to grow a set and step up to their responsibility.  Arm chair quarterbacks are a dime a dozen (even cheaper among the legislature).  We elected men and women to lead, not to second guess. 

Promote the general welfare.  This has been misconstrued to getting everyone on welfare.  We need to get America back to work.  That means that both major parties must set aside their absolutes and do what is best for the American people.  None of you have all the answers.  Together, you have enough answers.  The American people sent you to work on their behalf.  Finger pointing and never-ending rebuttals and vitriolic banter don’t count as work.  Work together for the welfare of our nation or file for unemployment because you are not doing the job for which we hired you.  Promote the general welfare or find yourself on welfare.

Preserve the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity.  Tell all special interest groups to take a hike.  They are looking out for their own interests.  You were sent to look out for ours.  If every decision other than giving yourselves a raise each year results in brinkmanship, this union will not continue.  Will you let it crumble on your watch?  It is time to put aside partisan politics and put on the clothing of statesmanship.

Actually, that time has come and gone.  You need to play catch-up.  Realize that we have trusted you with our liberty and the liberty of our grandchildren.  Right now you are getting a D- in the trust department.  That dog don’t hunt!

Remember that our fathers not only established this wonderful constitution; they ordained it.  It is set apart from all the other laws of the land, and if we would look at the magnitude of its purpose and scope, we would see that it is set apart from every other man-made law on the planet.

It is time to live up to the expectations of the electorate and those who ordained this more perfect union.