Posted on 09/02/2004 2:15:13 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
I. Text of the Second Amendment and Related Contemporaneous Provisions
Second Amendment: 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.
English Bill of Rights: That the subjects which are protestants may have arms for their defence suitable to their conditions and as allowed by law (1689). 1
Connecticut: Every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state (1818). 2
Kentucky: [T]he right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned (1792). 3
Massachusetts: The people have a right to keep and to bear arms for the common defence (1780). 4
North Carolina: [T]he people have a right to bear arms, for the defence of the State; and, as standing armies, in time of peace, are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be kept up; and that the military should be kept under strict subordination to, and governed by, the civil power (1776). 5
Pennsylvania: That the people have a right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and the state; and as standing armies in the time of peace are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be kept up; And that the military should be kept under strict subordination, to, and governed by, the civil power (1776). 6
The right of the citizens to bear arms in defence of themselves and the State shall not be questioned (1790). 7
Rhode Island: The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed (1842). 8
Tennessee: [T]he freemen of this State have a right to keep and bear arms for their common defence (1796). 9
Vermont: [T]he people have a right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and the State -- and as standing armies in time of peace are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be kept up; and that the military should be kept under strict subordination to and governed by the civil power (1777). 10
Virginia: That a well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state; that standing armies, in time of peace, should be avoided as dangerous to liberty; and that in all cases the military should be under strict subordination to, and governed by, the civil power. 11
""Things that are brilliant are so simple, there's a genius to them," he said Wednesday. "It's important to see what our forefathers wished for us and what they wished to never be destroyed.""
There is nothing simple about the Constitution. The simpletons on stage probably can read it, as they read a script but have no idea what it means.
Having actors read the Constitution is like teaching a horse to count with its hoof, but it has no concept of numbers or space and time.
I hope they read slowly and carefully. It would be a shame if they missed the part about the "right to privacy" and how it includes abortion. It's right there, in the emanations from the penumbras of one of the amendments. Anyway, in Roe v. Wade, Blackmun said that he FELT it was there in one of the amendments.
II. Calls for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms from State Ratification Conventions
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Five of the states that ratified the Constitution also sent demands for a Bill of Rights to Congress. All these demands included a right to keep and bear arms. Here, in relevant part, is their text:
New Hampshire: Twelfth[:] Congress shall never disarm any Citizen unless such as are or have been in Actual Rebellion.
Virginia: . . . Seventeenth, That the people have a right to keep and bear arms; that a well regulated Militia composed of the body of the people trained to arms is the proper, natural and safe defence of a free State. That standing armies in time of peace are dangerous to liberty, and therefore ought to be avoided, as far as the circumstances and protection of the Community will admit; and that in all cases the military should be under strict subordination to and governed by the Civil power.
New York: . . . That the People have a right to keep and bear Arms; that a well regulated Militia, including the body of the People capable of bearing Arms, is the proper, natural and safe defence of a free State; That the Militia should not be subject to Martial Law except in time of War, Rebellion or Insurrection. That Standing Armies in time of Peace are dangerous to Liberty, and ought not to be kept up, excess in Cases of necessity; and that at all times, the Military should be under strict Subordination to the civil Power.
North Carolina: Almost identical to Virginia demand, but with "the body of the people, trained to arms" instead of "the body of the people trained to arms."
Rhode Island: Almost identical to Virginia demand, but with "the body of the people capable of bearing arms" instead of "the body of the people trained to arms," and with a "militia shall not be subject to martial law" proviso as in New York.
In other news, illiteracy rates in America remain at shocking levels despite our politically correct public education system.
If only a "healer" had been president when Hitler came to power... Millions would have lived...
Sheltered fools.
I hope they all enjoy living with less of my money spent on their movies, etc. because it will be a cold day in *ELL when I pay to see one of them again. I am so sick of these people!
They think we are all too stupid to understand anything for ourselves. If they only knew that they are the stupid ones. I really don't need someone who makes a living pretending to be someone else to tell me how to live my life or who I should vote for.
Actor Richard Gere (news) salutes the audience before reading a portion of The Constitution of the United States during a reading of the Constitution presented by The Cooper Union and People For the American Way Foundation Wednesday Sept. 1, 2004 in The Cooper Union's Great Hall in New York.(AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)
You can tell he never served in the military.
The form of the salute is all wrong.
Let's read the Federalist Papers aloud! Wouldn't that be interesting.
"I think they have a greater sensibility in their humanity toward healing the world," the actor said. "We need healers that are leaders. The hatred on this planet is way out of control."
"...after Mr. Patinkin finished saying the above sentence, he took another long hit off a bong the size of a bassoon."
One entry found for hypocrisy. Pronunciation: hi-'pä-kr&-sE also hI- Function: noun Inflected Form(s): plural -sies Etymology: Middle English ypocrisie, from Old French, from Late Latin hypocrisis, from Greek hypokrisis act of playing a part on the stage, hypocrisy, from hypokrinesthai to answer, act on the stage, from hypo- + krinein to decide -- more at CERTAIN 1 : a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not; especially : the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion 2 : an act or instance of hypocrisy |
Turner confronted a friendly face when she entered rehab the actress checked into Marworth, Pennsylvania in order to battle her booze and painkiller addiction, and there she met actress Tippi Hedren, who tours rehab clinics with daughter Melanie Griffith to encourage patients to stay clean. (December 24, 2002)
"Mothers always put their children first," Falco says in the commercial.
Thaaaat's right. In those enclaves of Palestinian zealotry, mothers always are trying to put their children first in line to blow themselves to smithereens to kill Israeli mothers' children.
I'M RICHARD GERE AND I'M REPORTING FOR DOOKIE!
Reminds me of sKerry. Gere was in "An Officer and a Gentleman" and skerry produced his own war movie.
If only Leo Buscaglia, Deepak Chopra, and Oprah Winfrey had been alive when Hitler was in power. We could have turned him around....(sniff)....
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