[Rhodes22-list]Guns and Politics

Roger Pihlaja cen09402 at centurytel.net
Fri Jan 16 16:49:46 EST 2004


Robert,

Joseph Stalin once wrote, "Quantity has a quality all its own."  As the
US Army is finding in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, occupying a country
where a large fraction of the population is armed is VERY, VERY difficult.
These problems are occuring on foreign soil where the means of supply and
logistical support are remote to the fighting and not threatened.  Despite
the lethality and sophistication of modern military weapons, the US military
would have a very difficult time putting down a widespread insurrection in
this country.

You need to reread the 2nd amendment and try to understand the historical
context & intent of the authors.  Providing the ultimate check and balance
against an oppressive regime is exactly what the 2nd amendment is about &
it's as valid today as it was in the 18th century.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium

----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Skinner" <robert at squirrelhaven.com>
To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Friday, January 16, 2004 10:36 AM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list]Guns and Politics


> Roger Pihlaja wrote:
> > ...  Knowing there are 200+ million guns out there
> > has got to cause any overly ambitious politician a
> > moment's reflection.  The 2nd amendment is really
> > the ultimate check and balance on government power.
> > For all the trouble that widespread gun ownership
> > causes, it's still worth it.
>
> Unfortunately, Roger, the lethality of weapons available
> to anyone in government far outstrips that available to the
> citizens.
>
> The 2nd amendment was written in before machine guns
> were invented, or bazookas, for that matter.  The
> unavailability of these weapons to the general populace
> nullifies their ability to resist tyranny, rendering the
> 2nd amendment moot in that regard.
>
> The restrictions are supposed to prevent your average
> nut case (or person with a cause) from doing severe harm
> to large numbers of the general populace.  So they use
> ammonium nitrate, fuel oil, and a truck.  The criminals
> are generally satisfied with a Mac-10 or Uzi-like weapon -
> the same ones that require a special license and tax stamp
> for the honest citizen to acquire.
>
> Fortunately, we still have the option of defending our
> homes while the police are busy busting people for
> victimless crimes defined by do-good legislators
> pandering after easy votes from overly righteous citizens.
>
> Let us hope that this right does not follow the others
> heaved over the side by our representatives in the
> oh-so-misnamed Patriot Act
>
> --
> Robert Skinner, "Squirrel Haven"
> 9 Gateway Commons, Gorham, ME 04038-1331
>
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>
>





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