Buffalo Bill Cody. Hero of the old west. More fabrication than fact.
The Supreme Court has just, by all appearances, intentionally turned America into an armed camp. The mythological "Old West" had more gun control than today's America. The Supreme Court's vote was led by a Justice whose wife was allegedly directly involved in the attempted overthrow of the American government on January 6th, 2021 presumably with the knowledge and approval of that Justice.
This idea that most Americans need a gun for protection to ward off an intruder or to overthrow their tyrannical government is utter nonsense. Owning a gun is more likely to end with accidentally shooting oneself or a loved one. Make no mistake, guns are dangerous even in the hands of those highly trained.
What Is The Republican Motive?
This belief that guns are a solution to anything civil is a fabrication of, first, the dime novels and Wild West shows of yesteryear. Then, picked up by Hollywood depicting a lifestyle in the old west that sold tickets and then soap on TV. Then we were mentally poisoned by images of the "man with no name" or a vigilante policeman or the vengeful ordinary abused brutally gunning down "bad guys"
Today, this gun owner fetish is driven by the very evil that builds on all the effective propaganda that went before. That evil is greed, the very evil that Christ drove out of the temple. Make no mistake, this evil has been thrust upon society by gun manufacturers seeking profits and a Republican Party seeking to spread discontent and disgust to discourage democratic participation for political powers' sake.
Recently Passed Gun Control Legislation
The recently, passed gun control measure is a mere token by Republicans designed to placate Democrats and provide a speed bump against meaningful laws to keep Americans safe and free from by both good and bad guys with a gun. I would have not signed this legislation. Yes there were some meaningful parts but will it actually solve the problem of unsafe gun use in any public place. Of course not.
Other civil societies have found simple and unobtrusive solutions. All the US has shown to the rest of the world is how corrupt our political system has become. A political society where our political leaders are under constant temptation by the hordes of lobbyists laden with golden trinkets, representing hordes of special interests and not the interests of the vast majority of Americans. We know this to be true because polls taken of American attitudes do not at all match what they are dished up by a morally hamstrung political class.
Often we have heard "all politicians are the same. They are all corrupt." That's just not true. The vast majority are flawed human followers, not leaders. We are here at this cross roads because George Bush and Donald Trump were not honestly elected by the majority of Americans. They appointed judges groomed by the Federalist Society to push corporate laws and legislation that did not and do not benefit the majority of Americans.
Their intent is to destroy popular ruled democracy. And we know it is intentional because of mumblings like "drown in a bath tub". It is a desire as old as America and dates to President John Adams and the Federalists. It was handed off to the Democrats in the election of 1876 and then to the modern Republican party in 1964-65 with the signing of meaningful democratic legislation signed by Lyndon Johnson who remarked "by signing this we have lost the South for a generation". He was wrong. The Civil War goes on, but the human carnage is only more limited and hidden from view. I can logically make a case otherwise that maybe 500,000 plus Americans have died of Covid at the hands of an uncaring president and Republican party. That pretty much comes close to the number of deaths of the men in battle for the blue and the gray.
The Only Available Democratic Solution
While the gun controversy is only one of the means of bludgeoning American society into submission, it only has one solution for a civil society. And that is to vote. In the US there are only two parties that can either make things better or make things worse. Make no mistake -- the Democratic Party is the only party that could make things better because the Republican Party is purposefully making things worse.
I am a true independent in spirit forced to make a political party choice in Florida in order to vote in a primary. I will vote for a Democrat now, regardless of any criteria other than not being a Republican. In the past, we encouraged our readers to simply vote for the candidate and party of their choice confident Americans as a whole would make the right choice if allowed to freely vote. In many jurisdictions, that right has been purposely polluted and withdrawn by undemocratic forces in mostly Republican-controlled jurisdictions.
It doesn't matter if there is a Republican out there better qualified and more in keeping with my beliefs. This Republican Party is no longer the party of a heroic Eisenhower, but has become the party of greed, tyranny, and evil. A vote for a Republican at any level from school board to congressman to president is a vote however so small for the destruction of American democratic society. Even if you must hold your nose, vote for a Democrat. Any Democrat. Then we can start the reform. But rest assured without the Democrats in power there will be no reform and very well be no future American democracy.
-- Robert Jennings, publisher, InnerSelf.com
* * * * *
Supreme Court Raises Second Amendment Rights To New heights
By Morgan Marietta, Associate Professor of Political Science, UMass Lowell
With its decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol v. Bruen on June 23, 2022, the Supreme Court has announced that the Second Amendment is not a second-class right.
The core argument of the decision is that gun rights are to be treated the same as other hallowed rights like the freedom of speech or freedom of religion recognized in the First Amendment.
For most of the history of the court, Second Amendment rights have been seen as distinct, more dangerous and thus more open to regulation. Now, the majority of justices has invoked a major change, with implications for many rights and regulations in American society.
The case
To get a license to carry a concealed firearm in New York state, a citizen had to show a “proper cause.”
In practice, this meant that a local licensing official had to agree that the person had a “special need,” such as facing a current threat or recurring danger.
California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey also employ similar standards, known as “may issue” laws. Many other states instead have a “shall issue” regime where local officials must issue a license to carry a concealed firearm as long as the person does not have a disqualifying characteristic, including a felony conviction, mental illness or a restraining order against them.
In the case just decided by the Supreme Court, two applicants living in upstate New York, Robert Nash and Brandon Koch, were denied unrestricted concealed carry licenses because they had no special need other than personal protection. They insist that law denies their constitutional rights.
About the Author
Robert Jennings is co-publisher of InnerSelf.com with his wife Marie T Russell. He attended the University of Florida, Southern Technical Institute, and the University of Central Florida with studies in real estate, urban development, finance, architectural engineering, and elementary education. He was a member of the US Marine Corps and The US Army having commanded a field artillery battery in Germany. He worked in real estate finance, construction and development for 25 years before starting InnerSelf.com in 1996.
InnerSelf is dedicated to sharing information that allows people to make educated and insightful choices in their personal life, for the good of the commons, and for the well-being of the planet. InnerSelf Magazine is in its 30+year of publication in either print (1984-1995) or online as InnerSelf.com. Please support our work.
Creative Commons 4.0
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License. Attribute the author Robert Jennings, InnerSelf.com. Link back to the article This article originally appeared on InnerSelf.com
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