Usually the comments section includes more calls for banning these things which are “designed only to kill people”, and put into the hands of crazy people by lax laws, insufficient background checks, and more. These are usually rebutted by equally passionate calls to retain our Second Amendment rights, and then the debate usually devolves into name calling. Being a member of the Tea Party movement becomes used as a pejorative, as does being a Democrat, Republican, Liberal or Conservative.
It was while reading several of these this morning that the concurrent theme is the political discussion, how words do matter, and calls for all to calm down the rhetoric.
And then it came to me.
The current national anguish over guns and political hatred speech is all wrong in pushing for curtailing of the Second Amendment; we should be having a national dialogue about abolishing the First Amendment, or parts of it.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
We as a people don’t seem to convinced that we can get along with each other, and regularly have resolved that those that disagree are stupid, evil, tropes, trolls, etc..
So what if instead the First Amendment read:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Think of it- Fox and MSNBC would have to end all commentary; making speeches against the government would be banned; citizens would be free to vent only in their own homes, and not online, or in public.
But wait it gets better- no more hatchet job movies, books, or articles. Michael Moore goes to prison for unconstitutional speech, as does Rush and Glenn Beck.
What a wonderful world!
In case you didn’t catch on, the proposal to eliminate freedom of speech is sarcasm…because banning any of our Constitutional freedoms undercuts them all.
“The Bill of Rights is a series of limitations on the power of the United States federal government, protecting the natural rights of liberty and property including freedom of speech, a free press, free assembly, and free association, as well as the right to keep and bear arms. In criminal cases, it requires indictment by a grand jury for any capital or "infamous crime", guarantees a speedy, public trial with an impartial jury composed of members of the state or judicial district in which the crime occurred, and prohibits double jeopardy.
In addition, the Bill of Rights reserves for the people any rights not specifically mentioned in the Constitution and reserves all powers not specifically granted to the federal government to the people or the States”
*stamp*
ReplyDeleteNever hurts to say this again.