Jazz Shaw:
This story already popped up in the headlines earlier today, but there are a number of other goodies in this particular package. In some coverage of former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens’ new book, Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution, people were understandably focusing on his proposed change to 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 when serving in the Militiashall not be infringed.”
This long discredited, but highly useful to the Left Wing interpretation of the Second Amendment would serve many purposes for those who would see American citizens disarmed. Such a change would essentially alter the foundation of the concept – as well as the vision of the Founders – to essentially declare that the right to bear arms was not onlynot an individual right, but would be specifically limited to those in military or law enforcement service, and even then, only under the strict supervision and with the permission of government agents. The fact that there are still more than a few people desirous of such a change is disturbing in the extreme. But it also serves as a reminder of what we are constantly fighting against.
As I mentioned above, though, Stevens doesn’t stop with his vision of a gun grabbing despotic central authority.He goes on to list five others, covered here by Josh Blackman, which are worth a brief look as well.
The “Anti-Commandeering Rule” (Amend the Supremacy Clause of Article VI) This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges and other public officials in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.
This is the first of Stevens’ thinly – if at all – veiled efforts to prevent conservative, state level officials from arguing against constitutionally dubious commands from on high. In short, adding the phrase and other public officials to the Supremacy Clause would ensure that that all federal mandates could immediately be enacted by leashing state and local officials to their will, even if challenges to the ruling were in the offing.
To John Paul Stevens: Fascist much?
What Stevens’ Statist demagoguery shows, is precisely why he never should have been placed in any federal courts position.
All anyone with an objective mind needs to do is read the Federalist Papers to see uneqivocally that the 2nd Amendment was written to ensure INDIVIDUALS have the right to posses firearms to protect against tyrannical government. The historical context is clear. Had the Founding Fathers wanted things to be as the insane leftist former SC Justice Stevens suggests, don’t you think the founders still involved in setting up our government would have changed the 2nd Amendment after the Whiskey Rebellion in the 1790s when Washington was the President? The Battle of Lexington was fought because the British were marching on the town trying to confiscate firearms there to prevent the local populations from having arms to resist the British. THAT is the historical context of the 2nd Amendment, which can easily be seen in the part of the Federalist Papers that discusses the 2nd Amendment. Given the recent attempt by the feds in the BLM against the Bundy family, the right to arms to be able to resist tyranny and protect one’s family and property is even more important.
There is a move going on called Convention of States (http://conventionofstates.com/) that wants to change the Constitution in a way that restricts the powers of the president. The problem is that this would also open up the whole Constitution for changing. My concern is if this is a legitimate organization that only wants to restrict the powers of the president, or is it a front for changing the Constitution to benefit liberals? I need more FACTS before I go along with them.