To read my morning email from the Seattle Times in the morning and not in the evening. As it is, Rustmeister got the jump on it.
That way I would have been the first to see Lee Gaillard calling the Second Amendment “Outdated”.
The nine justices should hone their grammar skills. The introductory absolute phrase (“A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State,”) preceding the main clause sets the condition for why the people collectively had a right to keep and bear arms: to be able quickly to muster their local “well regulated Militia,” individually lifting smoothbores down from over their fireplaces so they could assemble and march off to defend “the security of [their] free State” against aggressors.
In 2007, however, the U.S. has a large, active-duty military establishment. Replacing 1791’s militias, today’s local “well regulated” National Guard units maintain armories stocked with government-supplied weapons, each pistol and M-16 assault rifle carefully inventoried upon its return after weekend and summer training periods. Citizen-furnished smoothbores? Long gone.
Given the Founders’ original intent clearly contained in that introductory absolute phrase, the consequently irrelevant Second Amendment should be long gone, too.
So now you say “No Mr. Gaillard, “Militia” couldn’t mean the National Guard, they weren’t even created until after the Bill of Rights was written.”
But Mr. Gaillard doesn’t care. If you read at the bottom of the above link, you’ll see that Gaillard’s byline says “He frequently writes on defense and aviation, among other subjects.”
And he does.
He writes for The Center for Defense Information, most prominently about the V22 Osprey, which he calls “The Widow Maker” (pdf file). Despite their name, CDI is not a pro-defense industry gang of folks. Missile Shield, waste of time. Iraq, failure. Afghanistan, not worth the effort.
He also has a connection at a place called The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. Yes, a leftist group that actually has what they stand for in their title. Honest gun grabbers, but gun grabbers nonetheless.
I do find it odd that this is the first we’ve heard of Mr. Gaillard. After all, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, this same “Guest Editorial” was published previously on the 4th of December. I don’t know how all us gunnies missed it. Hit the link and check out some of the LttE from the locals. Oddly, his original piece is missing.
Conspiracy? Probably not, but conspiracies aren’t out of Gaillard’s realm of published pieces either.
Back on the 28th of last month, Uncle linked posts by Sebastian at Snowflakes in Hell about the possibility of a Troofer on the board of the hyperbigot group, Ceasefire PA.
Well, Gaillard is old school. Loose Change are whippersnappers compared to him. He wants the government to reveal the truth about Pearl Harbor.
Unreasonable and quite possibly a mentally unbalanced man telling me that I need to give up my right to self defense for “The Good of Public Safety”.
Can you guess what finger I’m holding up right now?
UPDATE: In the comments, Rustmeister remembers someone pointing out the December publication of Gaillard’s spewing of ignorance.
Via a lucky Accident, I have found that it was most likely The Gunpundit (aka Murdoc) who has written a fairly heavy LttE to the Seattle Times.
Your trigger finger?
“From my cold, dead hands” and “Come and get them” certainly apply here.
While this toady Gaillard has probably come close to Treason, let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and say he hasn’t crossed the bright line just by saying that one Amendment in the Bill of Rights is “irrelevant”.
Instead, let’s REQUIRE him, on pain of being declared irrelevant himself, to explain just how ANY Amendment to the Constitution, especially in the Bill of Rights, might be declared invalid, and what that would mean to the future of this Constitutional society.
We’re waiting, Mr. Gaillard. There’s time for scholarly discussion now, but let me assure you, if ANY action, such as you might envision to declare the R2KBA invalid, were to arise, without a process such as the Founders would have put in place, it will be met with force, armed force, which is PRECISELY why we have the R2KBA, Mr. Gaillard. You see, the Founders worried about people like you, Sir. They knew that an armed citizenry, acting as a Militia to protect the interests of this Constitutional Republic, would one day be necessary.
THAT, sir, is what the Second is for. Armed Response to tyranny from within the Government.
Such response was expected then, and it’s becoming more likely by the day, now. Perhaps the short fracas that will be needed to restore the Constitution to it’s former place of respect might even carry YOUR name to the history books, Mr. Gaillard. How does THAT possibility strike you?
The Ft. Worth startle gram is not even good for bird cage liner as it will poison any thing but a buzzard.
Point number one–The Constitution does not grant rights to citizens. We the citizens delegated the authority to the government by the Constitution. Only the powers defined in the Constitution were to be performed by the government. It was intended to restrict the actions of the Government from infringing on the citizens. We own all the rights; some are delegated to the government.
Point two–The right to keep and bear arms is an inalienable right that predates the constitution. Therefore it can not be granted by the constitution.
Point three—We the people are required by God, common sense, and for our survival to vote in this election to return this, the greatest country in the history of man, to a constitutional republic. ( And that is an endorsement for Fred Thompson )
Excuse the rant—Assholes piss me off.
I find it funny that still deep in a time these people think they live under a rights-grabbing Bush tyranny, they argue in favor of more rights being restricted and more potential abuse from tyranny. But they imagine their rights-grabbing is “for the common good” whereas they think Bush restriction of freedom is to enslave us or make him & his cronies rich. WTF?
Man needs to buff up on his American Revolution history if he doesn’t grok the point of the 2nd.
Nice job digging up his affiliations! Another commie exposed. Oh, and thanks for the recognition. =)
I do think someone picked up on the December posting of that crap, wish I could remember who.
53, Grandfather of 4 with one more on the way. Retired from Active Service, VAQ-140, NAS Whidbey, Island on 30 September 1993. I guess I am in the militia. Even though I am now on the Permanent Retired List, I can be recalled to Active Service. Only if they need tough old airframe mechanics.
HMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!
I do have legal firms on retainer. One is English, Lee-Enfield. The other is Swedish, O.F. Mossberg and Son. Cold Dead Hands!!
Molon Labe! Come and get them Hillary, Maria, Patty, Diane, Babs. Come up my driveway and try!!!!!
Actually, I heard Hillary has Janet Reno tapped for a position in her government. And we all remember what a flaming success she was the last time she served a Clinton White House.
By law, most of us are indeed members of the militia.
U.S. Code TITLE 10 > Subtitle A > PART I > CHAPTER 13 > § 311
§ 311. Militia: composition and classes
(a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard.
(b) The classes of the militia are—
(1) the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia; and
(2) the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia.
As a member of the ‘unorganized militia’ I will continue to exercise my 2nd Amendment rights. Lee Gaillard obviously can’t do any research or he/she/it would have found this easily. My state (Ohio) has much the same law on the books.
Correction: The Center for Arms Control and Non Proliferation advocates for a reduction in nuclear arms and does not include guns or 2nd amendment issues in their (our) work.
http://www.armscontrolcenter.org
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