Posted on 01/08/2013 7:00:10 PM PST by Crapgame
Freepers here is an opportunity to influence young minds in college. I am an adjunct professor of humanities. Later this month I will begin teaching two courses on the American Experience and Constitutional Change. Every semester I give a term paper assignment based on Wickard v. Filburn and the governmental abuse of the Commerce Clause. I am always gratified by the comments of the students afterwards who tell me they never had any idea of the vast power employed by the government in our daily lives. Well I will still use that case this semester because it is so insructive however, I am also going to seize on current events and incorporate a paper on the Second Amendment....
Don't be deceived by the "sports" in the title of the program.
Recommend ... http://oathkeepers.org/oath/
Just found this from someone on Yahoo....
WHY DID THE FOUNDERS WRITE IN THE SECOND??
“It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government.” - Thomas Paine (1737-1809), American Revolutionary, US Founding Father and Author
“And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms....The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants” (Thomas Jefferson in a letter to William S. Smith in 1787. Taken from Jefferson, On Democracy 20, S. Padover ed., 1939)
“Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined” (Patrick Henry, 3 J. Elliot, Debates in the Several State Conventions 45, 2d ed. Philadelphia, 1836)
“The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” — (Thomas Jefferson)
Be sure to find more quotes from the Federalist Papers..
My kid has attended their "Liberty and Learning" summer conference twice. It is a lot of range time and some classwork including lectures from some very prominent folks. If we can scrape a flight together, he'll probably go agian this summer.
I would ask them to compare and contrast the two prominent belief systems, left and right. For the left I would ask them to evaluate the pros and cons of the beliefs of Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Ho Chi Minh, Pol Pot, Kim Jong Il, Castro, Chavez and (some number more at their choosing). Then compare to the founding fathers like Washington, and other signers of the Declaration of Independence and also Ronald Reagan, Tea Party beliefs. Which has brought mass murder and which brought general prosperoty?
prosperoty should be prosperity. Typing in the dark! Another thing might be to look at the communist goals and identify where it is being implemented in clear sight today. Back in the 1960’s (I think) there was a list of communist goals for overthrowing the USA that was read into the congressional record. Maybe someone can post a link.
I think LS would be of great help to you.
There is not a better defense anywhere. And from an academic perspective, the majority opinion is both direct and lucid, and hits with great economy on some very subtle points of the law.
Have students read and write a paper on the book, THE LAW by Frederic Bastiat. Written in 1850, the book is VERY short, like 75 pages and should be required reading by every high schooler. Also, on the second amendment, Talk about the battle of Athens (Tennessee) in 1946 when the citizens had to take up arms to overthrow an utterly corrupt government.
Thank you all so much. I knew I could count on Freepers....Lots of good suggestions and material here. Keep it coming...
If the 2nd Amendment was only referring to a militia that was under government control, then the Amendment makes absolutely no sense - it is completely superfluous.
Why (I guess it’s obvious now) - of course any militia under government control would have arms ! I think the kids say “duh” in this case. A government-controlled militia, by definition, would have to bear arms. It would would not require an Amendment to the Constitution to make clear that a government-controlled militia should actually arm itself.
In the case of the citizenry having the right to bear arms, that presents a possible question - does everyone keep themselves armed all the time, or do they wait until they are called up, and only then can they bear arms ? It makes sense, in answering that question, to have the 2nd Amendment. It makes it clear in referring to the right of the “people” to keep and bear arms - as opposed to being a right of the “militia” mentioned first.
It’s amazing to me how so many supposedly intelligent people can twist and contort such a simple sentence to suit their own purposes.
Make sure you mention “Arming America” by academic fraud Bellisiles.
He used made-up research to try to advance his thesis that firearms really weren’t that important in 18th century America. And he was shown up for the bigoted, lazy, ivory tower egghead he is, trying to pass off his own lefty opinions as historical fact.
As far as that goes, the best advice you could give your pupils would be to skip higher education/indoctrination for the gun range. A bullet doesn’t lie.
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Might be worth looking at the racist roots of gun control . All courtesy of the Democratic party.
Ping
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