a fundamental difference

I haven't written in a while, I have been somewhat busy, and struggled to frame any thoughts on the scene.  

This week the President started his lame duck year by issuing several Executive Orders, and holding an invitation only, questions pre-screened, town hall meeting.  He started off by making some noise about how he was a Constitutional Law professor, and wasn't wanting to take anyone's guns.  He paraded children, and families of victims of gun violence, not unlike Stalin, Castro, Mao, and Hitler, and countless other dictators.  If I could have asked a question of the President, it would have been:

Mr. President, what is the purpose of the 2nd Amendment, and do you stand by your statement that it is an individual right, not a collective right as many of your party's members believe?

The Democratic Party members in the Congress are considering introducing legislation making derogatory remarks of Islam a crime.  While I agree that it is rude to mock another religion, (unless it is masquerading as an ideology like liberalism) I think that there may be a 1st Amendment problem with that.

The recent ruckus in Oregon revolves around farmers who were originally sentenced for their crimes, served their time, and released.  Released, until, an appeals court determined that the mandatory sentence wasn't given, and so they had to serve a new term for the balance of the mandated punishment.  This sounds like double jeopardy to me.  Another one of those pesky rights.  

Speaking of mandatory sentences, the shooter in Philly had served only a fraction of a mandated sentence.  

As I am writing, I realize one of the problems.  Thomas Jefferson referred to certain rights as inalienable, endowed by our creator.  That is a problem if you don't either believe in God, or worse, believe that the government gives us rights.  If you believe that the government grants us rights, then it is an easy step to think that they can be taken away.  It also allows to make up rights, at the expense of others.  Rights to health care, rights to an education, rights to a living wage, and on and on.

Speech is protected, to allow for speech against the government.  To bear arms is protected to protect against a tyrannical government, not for hunting, or sport shooting.


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