Agree. As a contract, to remain valid and enforceable, we can not pick and choose. To selectively choose renders the contract null in void. The South made similar arguments before/during the Civil War. If I am not mistaken, they even challenged the legality of succession and the Norths actions in the courts and things were not going well for the North because the South were showing how the Federal government had voided the contract by their actions (additionally, using contract law argued that succession was an assumed right). Have to go look up the case though.zephyp wrote:Its not the piece of paper that gives us or the states the power. I mentioned this once before about the 10th Amendment: Its like a condom - its useless unless you insist on using it. Same goes for the rest of the Constitution. Its useless unless we insist on using it. Many of us are interested in 2A rights, but there are a lot of others being assaulted too. We collectively as Americans (and the government) must stop using the Constitution like some ala carte menu where we can pick and choose what suits us at the moment. IMO its all or none. And, I say all.
Nearly, all of my "political posts" can be summed up with this insightful quote:
But what do we mean by the American Revolution? Do we mean the American war? The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments, of their duties and obligations...This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people was the real American Revolution.
John Adams, letter to H. Niles, February 13, 1818
We are not in a physical war, nor is it even time to discuss that option. However, we are in a war of ideas. If we wish to win, we need to educate ourselves and our neighbors. We must understand how we got here today and reverse course. The longer we take to win the war of ideas, the more likely the only option for restoring liberty will be violence or the end of our great experiment. Not a pleasant thought and I don't claim any special powers to know the future, just historical observations.
IMHO, the particular problem with the 2nd Amendment and why so many of our topics degrade into "politics" regardless of who is in the White House, is that we stand at a crossroads. Things have progressed far enough, not that they can not be reversed peacefully, but that a lot of Americans are realizing they must choose here and now which path we will take. Do we restore liberty or do we end this great experiment and finish restoring power to the state.
Edit: I long for the day when politics is irrelevant to the discussion of our shared hobby, heritage, and securing of liberty. Perhaps, I'm an idealist, but I don't seem to recall many anti-gunners in 1776.
