No One Asked Me But… (March 31, 2021)

By DR. LARRY MOSES

No one asked me but… Last week I received a phone call from a young man who attended Moapa Valley High School when I was the principal. He asked that I attend a town hall meeting to discuss issues facing the people of the valley.

While the meeting was open to any topic those attending felt it most important to discuss the state of the national government.

For the most part the twenty or so in attendance were conservatives in nature. This is understandable when one realizes that 89 percent of this valley voted Republican in the last election.

Even so, there was no radical ranting or raving. There was, however, a calm call for the nation to return to the center of the political spectrum.

One of the most interesting themes that ran throughout the discussion was a need to follow the Constitution as accepted in 1788 by the Founding Fathers and the 27 amendments added over 230 plus years since. One underlying theme stated often was that the American people and their leaders needed to be schooled in what the Constitution says, and the laws being passed and enforced be in compliance with the Constitution as written and amended.

Having taught the Constitution, in my U.S. History and Government classes for eighteen years, I thought I probably knew the Constitution. However, realizing that was over thirty years ago and I now sometimes don’t remember what I had for dinner the night before, I thought I might benefit from re-reading the U.S. Constitution. The document is just a little over 7000 words and, while it is a quick read, it is a long study.

In light of the two mass shootings in the last two weeks, this week I would like to highlight the discussion of the on-going attack against the Second Amendment to the Constitution.

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,” Article 1 Section 10 paragraph 3 states. “No state shall…keep troops.”

This would seem to negate the argument that the National Guard is the militia spoken of in the 2nd Amendment.

To understand the 2nd Amendment one must turn to the words of the founding fathers.
James Madison stated: “A standing army is one of the greatest mischiefs that can possibly happen.”
Alexander Hamilton wrote: “Standing armies are dangerous to liberty.”

Noah Webster concurred: “Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom of Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretence, raised in the United States.”

Patrick Henry addressed the issue as follows: “O sir, we should have fine times, indeed, if, to punish tyrants, it were only sufficient to assemble the people! …Are we at last brought to such a humiliating and debasing degradation, that we cannot be trusted with arms for our own defense? Where is the difference between having our arms in our possession and under our own direction, and having them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands? …The great object is, that every man be armed…Every one who is able may have a gun.”

Thomas Jefferson stated: “For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security.”

Richard Henry Lee stated in agreement: “A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves. …and include all men capable of bearing arms.”

Thomas Paine the author of Common Sense states: “…arms like laws discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property.”

James Madison explained the importance of the right to bear arms as follows: “The ultimate authority…resides in the people alone… The advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation…forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition.”

The great revolutionist Sam Adams concurred: “That the said Constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to infringe the just liberty of the press or the rights of conscience; or to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms.”

I will let you read these words and determine for yourself why the Founding Fathers included the 2nd Amendment. I would include that they felt that in time of need, every able-bodied man would bring his own weapon and join the cause in defending this nation against all threats both “foreign and domestic.”

I would also suggest that in this day of women’s liberation that it would include all able-bodied women as well. I would further suggest that until all Americans are disarmed, the recent dictatorship that has ruled this country since 9/11, can never reach its full manifestation. For those of you believe that America cannot be classified as a dictatorship because we have an election every four years, I would remind you that so does Russia. An elected dictator is no less a dictator.

A President or governor who can close businesses by royal decree is a dictator. A government that determines who can or cannot have medical treatment is a dictatorship. Those are only two of the most recent examples of the dictatorial rule of present day America.

This is not a right-wing or left-wing issue. Both parties have been ruling by Presidential decree since Congress gave over its legislative duties to the President as they have become nothing more than an old ladies debating society.

Next week let’s look at the 25th Amendment. In the mean time I might suggest that you take a look at the Constitution and see what you believe it says.

Thoughts of the week… “You Americans are so gullible. No, you won’t accept communism outright, but we’ll keep feeding you small doses of socialism until you’ll finally wake up and find you already have communism.
– Nikita Khrushchev

The brain is an amazing organ. Its starts working in a mother’s womb and doesn’t stop till you get elected to Congress.
– Senator John Neely Kennedy