Yet another post-worthy pearl of wisdom from Craig, who I think might be taking a friendly jab at my tendency to be long-winded (sorry about that). 🙂
Briefly…
Blogs and bloggers are supposed to be brief. 300 words are generally considered the max for most blog posts. That’s difficult for me. I generally give rather long defensive arguments concerning the 2nd Amendment. No, I’m not defending; I’m explaining the 2nd amendment. So, here’s my attempt to make it clear as to why there is a 2nd amendment in one word, two word, and as many a three word explanations.
The 1-word explanation:
- Rape
- Robbery
- Murder
- Kristallnacht
The 2-word explanation:
- Richard Speck
- Strange Fruit
- Ted Bundy
- Korea Town
The 3-word explanation:
- Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
- James Byrd, Junior
- Knock-out Game
If you don’t know any of the historical references or the names mentioned, you should look them up. And when you do, think about the crimes perpetrated. Think about defending yourself or your loved ones in those situations, be it from individuals or entities. That’s why there is a 2nd amendment. And why law-abiding citizens should be armed.
And I’ve got 135 words left over!
– Craig Harper
Thanks, Craig! All points well-taken — both the ones at the surface and the ones lurking beneath… 😉
Hmmm. Lots of scenarios in Craig’s list in which armed defense could have been the great equalizer, but none are “why there’s a second amendment”. S. Davis is a lot closer with his examples except that there is no second amendment where those despots were.
I have no doubt that the primary intent of those powerful yet nebulous words is to ensure the capacity of the citizenry to defend from its own government and governors gone wild. The great equalizer indeed.
I was probably trying to be too clever in my writing and attempt at brevity. A better title might have been, “Why be armed.”
The 2nd Amendment is not about hunting, self-defense, or target shooting. Those are additional benefits of the individual right “…to keep and bear arms…”
However, there are two references that do relate to the purpose of 2nd Amendment. Both clearly illustrate the result of a tyrannical government that banned citizens from possessing firearms. S. Davis mentions the perpetrator.
Hey Craig!!! Oh my goodness, everyone, we are in the presence of greatness…
Oh please. Stop that…stuff.
🙂
Craig, yes I credited S. Davis but pointed out that there was no 2A to deter that evil reign; exactly why ours must be defended from all who would attempt to defy it or define it.
As to “why be armed”, a certain “Major Caudill” said that about as well as it can be said I think, in a little essay titled “Why the Gun is Civilazation”. If you’re not familiar with that fine piece, google it to read and experience it, as well as to discover the real (and surprising) author.
I just googled “Why the Gun” myself, and was pretty shocked to see that the non-existent Major L. Caudill USMC (ret.) is still credited with that excellent essay even by well-known publications, and often with “reprinted with permission” stated…unpossible unless they bothered to find the real author, and it ain’t no Maj. Caudill.
I had said that one might find the actual author to be a bit surprising (a rather recent German immigrant who is now a pretty accomplished published author of military/science fiction), but on reflection and considering the reference to Hitler, maybe it’s sad but not so surprising that it takes something of an outsider to fully appreciate and articulate the guaranteed freedoms that we sometimes take for granted.
Anyway Miss Tiff, and any others here who may have not read that short but stirring piece, please do take a moment to do so. And then consider how it could be that a manufactured persona is still after years of controversy and even legal action, given attribution for a work of art created in fact by Mr. Marko Kloos, aka The Munchkin Wrangler…who also happens to be the close friend and former roommate of Tam of View From the Porch, from whence so many of your new readers, including me, came.
Oh, and Craig? I was heartened to see that the rotating quotations at the Rangemaster website includes the one by T. Jefferson regarding 2A’s prime raison d’etre being last-ditch defense against the tyranny of our own gov. Not that I ever ever actually doubted you…your history and reputation speak for themselves.
Yes sir, I Googled it myself earlier today. Stirring indeed!
Firearms are tools. Human beings are tool users. A competent tool user can create works of wonder and also confidently maintain them in the safest manner available. If you’re not reading building and raising a family into this missive then shame on you. I frequently stood my ground, though terrified, and tossed my cookies after all of the paperwork was done and no one around to witness my embarrassment.
Help out with Strange Fruit?
Hi, Chris! It’s a reference to an old poem about lynchings in the south, which was famously put to music by Billie Holiday in the 1930s. Slavery and Jim Crow would have unfolded very differently if black folks had always enjoyed the rights afforded by the Second Amendment.
Its ever so important to remember where we came from so we not walk those pathways again. I’ve listened to enough stories about “Nightriders” to still have nightmares…I’m a native Tennessean and very much a child of the South. We’ve had a troubled past but are capable of pulling together as a family, regardless of social stature or color.
Amen!
I know all of them except possibly Korea Town, which I imagine is related to the Rodney King verdict and following riots, correct? A google search of Korea town brings up all kinds of things, but that comes way, way down the list.
Do I get a cookie!?
You do indeed! And an extra cookie for effort on Korea Town!
Pol Pot
Adolph Hitler
Joseph Stalin
Preach!