Editor's Note: The core belief at Beacon of Speech is that as soon as they take away the 2nd Amendment, they come for the 1st Amendment.
I am getting tired of people attacking the Parkland kids, especially The Blaze, Breitbart, and InfoWars. I know that some of those March for Our Lives kids are weenies, but elected officials and the Right-Wing media should know better, they just come off as bullies. The kids are afraid at school and they're done with school shootings. Honestly, if you were 16, wouldn't you be nervous going to school? Can you blame the Parkland Kids?
At the same time, the Left-Wing media is no better. They keep framing the argument as Kids vs The NRA. That's not it at all, it's the Kids vs. The Constitution. The Constitution is not just some vague argument that provides the internet content fodder. It is real. The armed services of the United States of America, for example, are sworn, by oath, to uphold the Constitution. Not just the popular parts of the Constitution. I ripped this straight from the Army's Oath of Commissioned Officers- I, _____, having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God. Whether you like it or not, the 2nd Amendment exists, and it is there for a specific reason. The provision was integral for the Founding Fathers in the establishment of the United States. Somehow though, adults need not have a condescending attitude when explaining the issues of gun violence while offering real solutions.
So with all the semantics out of the way, let me ask you, how do you get into your job? Physically. Do you just walk in the front door? At my last job, I had a key card to get in the first door. Then I needed a key card and a unique code to get in the second door, and then I could punch in. Then I couldn't start working until I accessed a third level of security Is there security at your work? If I got pissed off and wanted to shoot all my ex-co-workers, do you know how logistically hard it would be to do that, now, with all of my access tools stripped away? (Note: I would not want to shoot my old co-workers. Ted Koly is our partner here at B.O.S. and I liked 90%, err, maybe 80% of my old co-workers.) Point is, your work is not a school. Unless you work in retail, your day starts with some level of security at the door. Why isn't there some level of security to greet students? Not security to hassle the students, security to protect the students. If you work at the Courthouse, there's security. If you work at the Hospital, there's security. If you work at the College, there's security.
I will re-iterate what I said in the Week in Guns III, there needs to be an armed police officer in every public school in the nation. Cost: $6 Billion. A full-time officer to protect the kids. Not be a hall monitor, not be a recess aid, not be a study hall teacher. (DARE Officer is fine.) An officer who's basically walking the school beat. An officer who knows the ins and outs of the school, who knows the support staff, and, over time, former students. Being in the school full time exposes you to the issues of the building. Think of it as another opportunity for the kids to have positive interactions with police officers.
Why do I keep beating the drum on protecting the 2nd Amendment?
Quietly, thousands of Chinese citizens are just disappearing.
Thousands disappear as China Polices Thought - The Chicago Tribune
In China, the Brutality of 'House Arrest' - New York Times
Michael Caster on China's Forced Disappearances - The Diplomat
Could China Be Spending More on Stamping Out Dissent Than Funding Its Military? - The Epoch Times
China's Mass Detention of Xinjiang's Ethnic Minorities Shows No Sign of Let Up - Radio Free Asia
We're not talking ancient history here. All of these stories are from within the last year. Today, China is the Boogeyman. But throughout modern history, there is example after example of governments abusing their power. The Germans in the 40's. The Russians in the 50's. The Cambodians in the 70's. The Rwandans in the 90's. The Sudanese in the 00's. What the Founding Fathers did in America was set up a system that focused on the People and not on the Government. Every time you take away the rights of the citizen (gun ownership, for example), you are transferring those rights to the Government.
You never know what geo-political threat awaits each generation of Americans. The whole land of the free, home of the brave mantra is under attack from within. Again, with the exception of China, no country has the pure population numbers and technological expertise that could occupy America. America's Freedoms can only be stolen from within in almost all cases. China has 1.4 billion people within its borders and could generate an army larger than the entire United States population while still having a population base of over a billion.
You could argue that I'm making up arguments for the 2nd Amendment out of the thin air. Am I? This article, yesterday: Has China's Global Kidnapping Program Reached America? You could also argue that, by my rationale, it is FAR more likely that China would attack RUSSIA, and not the United States. [Hmmm, you'd probably be right about that. Do you know how easy it would be for China to attack and occupy the Eastern third of Russia? Putin should be very, very nice to Xi.]
Now my whole article is going sideways. My point is, you never know what tomorrow holds.The Constitution has placed a framework to the United States that has stood the test of time and circumventing the Constitution today could have unintended ramifications in the future.
Awww screw it. I'm seriously done trying to explain the Constitution. Let's ban everything bad!
We'll all live like Tibetan Monks. How'd that work out for Tibet?
Just an aside. I remember back in the 80's, there was a student run publication that circulated for the Honors English kids at our high school. Then some kid came out in poem, next thing you know, the school shuts down the whole endevour. I remember a teacher saying "You'll get your Free Speech, when you're 18." You can't legally smoke under 18, or drink, or vote, etc. As a minor, your rights are already curbed in relation to freedom issues. Ever have a drug sniffing dog go through your locker or your personal space at your work? Nope, but my kids have had that happen at their school. And I'm not saying let kids do drugs under 18, what I'm saying is: Who's pulling the strings to give the Parkland students a national platform? Yes kids can have their opinions, and yes, kids deserve their opinions, but kids do not have wherewithal to organize a national movement. Adults set up the platforms, and then use the kids like pawns in a game of chess.
Even today, I wonder what ever happened to that gay kid.