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News & ArtsWednesday, November 11, 2009
Politics "...a well armed and well regulated militia..."
Posted by Paul Constant on Wed, Nov 11, 2009 at 3:37 PM
Anti-Obama site The Betrayal has posted what sounds like a declaration of war:
As for you, why… you’ll be shocked because you didn’t see it coming. And eventually you’ll be saddened when you see that we have truly lost the way of life with which you grew up. You’ll be saddened that your children and grandchildren live in a socialist, government-controlled gulag where their every movement from cradle to grave is tracked by the government. But most of all, you’ll be saddened by the death of friends and relatives who are brave enough to fight and die for something they believe in.You know, McCain wasn’t much of a candidate. I’ll give you that. He was the lesser of two evils for most of us. I don’t blame you for not voting for him since, at the time, you didn’t know what we all know now. But at least John McCain was an American.
And they published this photo, which you've got to admit is awesome in that so-anti-awesome-that-it's-kind-of-awesome kind of way:
Really, it's true. I've looked back on this week and thought to myself: Do you know what's wrong with this country? Not. Nearly. Enough. Guns.
1
What's up with the Right and their "Storm's a-comin'" meme? The gays are a storm, the gun-control lobby is a storm... What's amazing to me is how paranoid they are about a movement that's been almost completely ineffectual. Gun control is basically a joke.
2
I always wonder where these fucktards voices were while the patriot act was passed and bush signed to orders to build all the above referenced KBR built gulags they are all in a tizzy about now.
4
Trust me, it's 99% bluff and bluster. They're all for overthrowing the government, as long as they don't have to get out of their La-Z-Boy recliner.
6
You expect rational discourse on such a polarizing issue? The strangest thing about people like this is the belief that there will be some kind of "awakening" and right-thinking 'mericans will rise up by the millions to "take the country back". These people have a bunker mentality--they stock up on guns and canned food awaiting the final breakdown of society. They are more likely to shoot each other than organize.
7
OK, have I missed something here? It seems like everyone that ever thought about owning a gun has gone on a batshit-crazy gun-buying spree in the last year because they're SURE Obama is going to try to take away that right, that he's out to take away 2nd Amendment rights, blah, blah, blah, HYSTERIA! As far as I can tell, absolutely nothing regarding gun control has been suggested or touched by the Obama Administration. What gives? Crazy people looking for something to be crazy about or did something set them off (other than just having a black Democrat for a president)? I feel like I must have missed something.
9
@7 I guess this always happens with a Dem is POTUS - gun buying spree.
And yeah, Obama has no plans on doing anything about guns.
And yeah, Obama has no plans on doing anything about guns.
10
My theory is that these people are obsessed with know something that nobody else knows. They have a bad case of "I told you so-itis." When it turns out they are wrong (i.e. Obama isn't taking any guns), they cannot deal with that reality. So, they make it up.
Really, it's not much different than here on SLOG. Everyone wants to have special knowledge that others don't have. It's empowering.
Luckily I have this remarkable insight, even though most people don't.
Really, it's not much different than here on SLOG. Everyone wants to have special knowledge that others don't have. It's empowering.
Luckily I have this remarkable insight, even though most people don't.
11
This is what they do when they have no solutions and the old way of doing things, their way, is an abysmal failure. They try to use fear. It won't work. Just that simple. We aren't all rubes.
12
My theory is that these people are obsessed with having special knowledge that nobody else knows. They have a bad case of "I told you so-itis." When it turns out they are wrong (i.e. Obama isn't taking any guns), they cannot deal with that reality. So, they make it up.
Really, it's not much different than here on SLOG. Everyone wants to have special knowledge that others don't have. It's empowering.
Luckily I have this remarkable insight, even though most people don't.
Really, it's not much different than here on SLOG. Everyone wants to have special knowledge that others don't have. It's empowering.
Luckily I have this remarkable insight, even though most people don't.
13
No, beaugirl, you're not missing anything here. I don't understand it any more than you do, and I am the NRA. The NRA isn't actively encouraging these wingnuts, so I don't know where the hell it's coming from. Oh, alright, full disclosure: I make money off of them, so nobody's actively discouraging them either. But you're right - so far, I've seen very little out of the Obama administration to give me cause for concern.
14
"Not. Nearly. Enough. Guns."
But if we all carried guns there would have been good guys with guns around to shoot those bad guys with guns who, for no reason, go shooting the medium guys who don't have guns. It's so obvious. WE NEED GUNS TO KEEP THE PEOPLE WITH GUNS FROM SHOOTING US! AHHHHHH!
Also, they look really cool. Haven't you played Call of Duty?
But if we all carried guns there would have been good guys with guns around to shoot those bad guys with guns who, for no reason, go shooting the medium guys who don't have guns. It's so obvious. WE NEED GUNS TO KEEP THE PEOPLE WITH GUNS FROM SHOOTING US! AHHHHHH!
Also, they look really cool. Haven't you played Call of Duty?
16
How dare this guy trivialize high school football like that. What's more small town America than high school football?
Seriously. This is a sleeper agent in the Tea Party movement. They should watch out for him.
Seriously. This is a sleeper agent in the Tea Party movement. They should watch out for him.
17
What part of "well regulated" do they not understand? It's obviously not that well regulated now.
19
It always strikes me as comical that ultra-conservatives who constantly decry any kind of regulation on anything are the most ardent defenders of a constitutional amendment that explicitly calls for something to be "well regulated".
20
The 'special knowledge' thing is aggravating. It's pretty much the elite who possess it. One of my faves is Rahm Emanuel. He's not in that pictured dust cloud yet he's more likely connected to fellow elites than any of them, Obama included.
One of his brothers is a PHD in D.C. influencing the fight for health care, another is in Hollywood involved with an astounding list of actors. And then Wikipedia informs us that their father was member of the Israeli militant group Irgun in the 40s, check out the Irgun logo.
File:Pantani.jpg">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pantan…
Big guns rule, and the media obeys by keeping their mouth shut.
One of his brothers is a PHD in D.C. influencing the fight for health care, another is in Hollywood involved with an astounding list of actors. And then Wikipedia informs us that their father was member of the Israeli militant group Irgun in the 40s, check out the Irgun logo.
File:Pantani.jpg">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pantan…
Big guns rule, and the media obeys by keeping their mouth shut.
21
jebus Paul, I started looking thru that site and the insanity is stunning.. that storm picture looks normal by comparison to some of the rest of it.
22
Let's address this "well-regulated" thing for once and for all. Back in the 1700s, "well-regulated" simply meant "well-trained." Un other words, they were able to hit what they were aiming at. This is the intent of that language in the Second Amendment, and nothing more. Believe me, the Founding Fathers weren't exactly what you'd call big fans of government regulations.
23
"Well regulated" meant "running like clockwork," "properly functioning." Compare the regulator clock of that era. In contemporary prose, "well regulated" was used to describe households, ships, boys, and young women. Serving up good meals on time was not the result of government regulation. Nor was playing ball and flying kites.
24
5250's example is correct even if his synonym is off a little. A well-regulated militia could indeed hit what they aimed at. A well-regulated household could provide hot water and clean sheets.
25
The job of a militia is not to "hit targets," it is to defend the society against external foes. So a "well-regulated" militia would be doing something besides conspiring against a legitimately elected government.
26
the link may not have worked @20 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en…
Irgun! Militant Group! Freedom Fighters!
wait, that's sounding like those rightwing-nuts
22-24 thanks for the flushing out of that term, good to know
Irgun! Militant Group! Freedom Fighters!
wait, that's sounding like those rightwing-nuts
22-24 thanks for the flushing out of that term, good to know
27
Where were these people when the Patriot Act was happening?! It's funny how civil rights takes sides with these people.
28
These wackos flat-out stole the "Gathering Storm" imagery from the Yes on 8 campaign! Plagiarists!!
29
That image looks like one of those corny inspirational posters you see in large corporations who have just laid a bunch of people off, or at small business that are failing.
Which tells you all you need to know about these people.
Which tells you all you need to know about these people.
30
I wasn't gonna click the link. Morbid curiosity got the better of me, especially after Womyn2me's comment.
I was expecting and almost hoping for a "time-cube" style level of insanity, bad grammar, and misspellings. And instead it seemed to be written in a fairly sane (but turgidly panicked) tone of voice. Sadly, all I found was in the fourth paragraph, misspelling of "its". Fucking amateurs.
I have a distant relative who eats this shit up, and regurgitates it at every family gathering... maybe I'll spend some time reading this claptrap so I can prepare some juicy rebuttals. "Obama's hidden hypnosis in his speeches!" indeed... I always wondered where he got his fruitcake ideas, I think now I know.
I was expecting and almost hoping for a "time-cube" style level of insanity, bad grammar, and misspellings. And instead it seemed to be written in a fairly sane (but turgidly panicked) tone of voice. Sadly, all I found was in the fourth paragraph, misspelling of "its". Fucking amateurs.
I have a distant relative who eats this shit up, and regurgitates it at every family gathering... maybe I'll spend some time reading this claptrap so I can prepare some juicy rebuttals. "Obama's hidden hypnosis in his speeches!" indeed... I always wondered where he got his fruitcake ideas, I think now I know.
31
Thanks to @23 for the more-precise explanation. I'm juggling about four other things here right now and didn't take the time to give it the discussion it deserves.
32
I think they are sad and mourning the loss of Jed from that instructional movie Red Dawn.
http://cowsarejustfood.files.wordpress.c…
http://cowsarejustfood.files.wordpress.c…
33
i think we needs streets that are drivable, sidewalks that are walkable, shops that are accessible, and places to eat and sit as a part of it all. i'm not sure this accomplishes all that in the best way possible.
34
These are the hard traditionalists who will save America from the marxist homosexual usurper, Barack Hussein Mohammed Obama.
They are decent christian patriots that you pot smoking homosexuals could learn a lot from!
They are decent christian patriots that you pot smoking homosexuals could learn a lot from!
35
Further, as you well know, I am not certain the 2010 eletions will be allowed to take place. Perhaps a trumped up crisis will give Obama a reason to "postpone" (which means cancel) them. Hard traditionalists must win in these elections if America as we know it is to survive. If they don't take place, then I am certain that groups like this will unite in arms against this government. It is simply out of control and out of control because of Hussein, and Hussein must be stopped.
In fact, here are some Democrats who may join us:
http://hillbuzz.org/2009/11/10/thank-you…
In fact, here are some Democrats who may join us:
http://hillbuzz.org/2009/11/10/thank-you…
36
I love how we're coming off of an era of Republican power in which they couldn't have done more to damage the country if they were actively trying, and Democrats are the coming storm. Yes, it looks like Obama is a corporate tool, but he's less of one than Bush was. The coming storm is a government that is going to fuck us over slightly less than the previous one, and the Right Wing lower and working class are shaking in their boots.
These people are hopless. Their minds are completely broken. Right Wingers jump at shadows while they are being eaten by a lion. They are incapable of using facts to form opinions. I pitty and fear them.
These people are hopless. Their minds are completely broken. Right Wingers jump at shadows while they are being eaten by a lion. They are incapable of using facts to form opinions. I pitty and fear them.
38
I'll say one thing about Slog - we've always had the most interesting trolls. This latest crop may be the best yet.
39
Basil dear, I know you don't get out much - not that I don't try - and that your studio apartment has that mildew problem so common to basements, and that the exterminator changed his formulation last month, which gave you that cough that worries me so. But still: you're recycling liberal conspiracy theories about the 2008 election. Are you sure you're OK?
I would think you'd have more pride. I don't know why I think that, but I do.
I would think you'd have more pride. I don't know why I think that, but I do.
40
@37 Irrelevant! We're talking about the usurper in chief here, not a true patriot like good ol' john boy! :P
41
"Well-regulated" means the same thing it always has - structured and functioning due to proper design. You know, like the army. "Bear arms" means take up military service. Which is why the use of arms like fighter jets and nuclear bombs and napalm is restricted to a well-regulated militia (the armed forces).
The 2nd amendment was in response to England's rules that restricted bearing arms (joining the military) to wealthy citizens. Just like the 3rd amedment was in response to the English army taking people's homes by force. Both are pretty obsolete today. The NRA's mission statement and the bible are the new constitution.
The 2nd amendment was in response to England's rules that restricted bearing arms (joining the military) to wealthy citizens. Just like the 3rd amedment was in response to the English army taking people's homes by force. Both are pretty obsolete today. The NRA's mission statement and the bible are the new constitution.
42
@34: "hard traditionalists."
Does that mean "those who only do it missionary"? Or does it mean that toys should never be needed in the bedroom, that good ol' fashioned "do it under the sheets" is the way to go?
Does that mean "those who only do it missionary"? Or does it mean that toys should never be needed in the bedroom, that good ol' fashioned "do it under the sheets" is the way to go?
43
is there any way to get this poster without giving money to the batshit douchebags? i'm completely serious i would hang that in my living room in a hot second and giggle every time i eat dinner
44
I disagree with pretty much everything that 5250 has to say, but I liked his thought @4. He's probably right, and it's heartening. These people are a lot less scary with you realize they're the same drunk slobs who can barely muster the energy to light their farts on fire.
45
Typical nutcase professional victim conservative crap.
"Ooooo! Our old-timey farm/small town is going to get hit by a big old liberal dust storm! Ooooo!!! Won't somebody PLEASE think of the Meth labs!!!!!"
"Ooooo! Our old-timey farm/small town is going to get hit by a big old liberal dust storm! Ooooo!!! Won't somebody PLEASE think of the Meth labs!!!!!"
46
44
i like 5250s comments, you both have great avatars - "Here's Johnny" and "Paul Klee on a Paper Plate".
i'm gonna have to get the Israeli Irgun logo on mine:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en…
The simplicity of its starkness is nice. With even more simplicity, it could even be honed down to a swastika. But then you'd lose the gun. hmmmm
i like 5250s comments, you both have great avatars - "Here's Johnny" and "Paul Klee on a Paper Plate".
i'm gonna have to get the Israeli Irgun logo on mine:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en…
The simplicity of its starkness is nice. With even more simplicity, it could even be honed down to a swastika. But then you'd lose the gun. hmmmm
51
Pot smoking homosexual libruls could learn a lot from these patriot christians, like how to get buttsex at a rest stop.
53
@41 has the meaning of "well regulated" exactly right. Lots of activities in 1789 were regulated by law, well-regulated militias among them. Pennsylvania's militia law, for instance, was titled "An Act for the Regulation of the Militia of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania." The Act was 29 pages long and full of rules and regulations.
In the entirely militia context of the Second Amendment, "bear arms" meant "provide militia service," which is what the people as a community have a right to do.
In the entirely militia context of the Second Amendment, "bear arms" meant "provide militia service," which is what the people as a community have a right to do.
54
This is a mishmash: "An Act for the Regulation of the Militia of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania." "@41 has the meaning of "well regulated" exactly right"
"Well regulated" is a description of how things function (properly). A statute book cannot make things function properly. It cannot make decisions for people, it cannot tell them how and when to use their initiative. You may memorize the Vehicle Code, but that alone will not make you a good driver. For the militia to function properly, citizens need unfettered access to arms, to develop their skill by self-training.
"Well regulated" is a description of how things function (properly). A statute book cannot make things function properly. It cannot make decisions for people, it cannot tell them how and when to use their initiative. You may memorize the Vehicle Code, but that alone will not make you a good driver. For the militia to function properly, citizens need unfettered access to arms, to develop their skill by self-training.
55
The other stuff @41 is just junk; horribly inaccurate. I thought it was a joke, like Lord Basil. The militia is the armed citizenry, quite distinct from a standing army. England's military service was not limited to the wealthy. England's laws allowed yeomen, but not peasants, to be armed. In America, there was no distinction made between yeomen and peasants, so all could be armed.
Bearing arms did not mean purely military service. Pennsylvania’s 1776 Constitution, and Vermont’s Constitution of the following year, both decreed "That the people have a right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and the State." Note it says "people" not "militia members." Self-defense would be impractical indeed if I had to wake up the militia captain to join up if a gunman breaks down my door. Further, women can and did own guns, even though they were ineligible for militia service.
Bearing arms did not mean purely military service. Pennsylvania’s 1776 Constitution, and Vermont’s Constitution of the following year, both decreed "That the people have a right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and the State." Note it says "people" not "militia members." Self-defense would be impractical indeed if I had to wake up the militia captain to join up if a gunman breaks down my door. Further, women can and did own guns, even though they were ineligible for militia service.
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