ConstitutionCowboy
member
Did you know that the Constitution never established the Government of the United States? No, Really! I kid you not! Take a gander at the Constitution in the three articles that establish the three governing branches of our Union, and you'll not find one reference to anything properly named "The Government of the United States". The Constitution created the Congress of the United States, the President of the United States, and the Supreme Court - three separate governing bodies with checks and balances in stead of one overarching Government of the United States. Examples of countries with one governing body would be the one party communist system in China and the old Soviet Union, monarchies, theocracies, oligarchies, and dictatorships. What we have as an overarching governance in this country is the Constitution for the United States. Yup! A piece of paper!
Now I can hear you asking what this has to do with our Right to Keep and Bear Arms and carrying concealed weapons. I'll get to that. Some of you might have already guessed. But first, I'd like to get down to the facts of the case.
When you look up the definition of "government", you find the following:
government n the exercise of authority over a state, organization, etc; a system of ruling, political administration, etc; those who direct the affairs of state, etc.
The first mention of "government" in the Constitution comes in Article I, Section 8, where Congress is delegated its powers, and there in Clause (14), Congress is granted power to "...make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;". The next use of the word "government" is in that same article and section at Clause (17), where Congress is granted "...power to exercise exclusive legislation...over such district...as may,..., become the seat of the government of the United States, ... ". The next mention is in that same article and section at Clause (18), the "necessary and proper" clause. In all three cases, the word "government " describes the act of governing - the act of governing the military, the act of governing the district where the act of governing is to take place, and to "...make all laws necessary and proper..." to carry out the powers vested by the Constitution to govern the United States - "... in the government of...".
How can we be sure what I say is true? In every instance where "government" is mentioned in the Constitution, it is with a lower case "g". The word "government" is never capitalized. The word "government" is never used to describe a proper noun. The use of the word "government " is almost always used as the act of governing. The lone exception is in the First Amendment, where it implicates "those who direct the affairs of state".
What we have is a union. Its name is "The United States of America". It is a union of sovereign states, joined by the Constitution as indicated in Article VII of the Constitution, to wit:
The Constitution is, therefore, an agreement between the people of the several states, binding the several states into the Union. It forms the "more perfect" *Union that the Preamble to the Constitution set as a goal; to establish justice throughout the Union; to insure domestic tranquility for those in those states that have signed on to join the Union; to provide for the common defense of all in those states that join, promote the general welfare, and - here it comes - and secure the blessings of liberty to **ourselves and our ***posterity,... Why is that important enough to be italicized? Because it was We the People who came from those states that signed their states on to the Constitution as representatives of the people from those states! None of this was done "for the states". It was done for the people, ratified - not by the legislatures or what ever comprised the government of each state - but by conventions held in the several states. People! Otherwise known as We the People.
OK. We've just established that this government is of, by, and for us people. "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union,..." So how could the Second Amendment be construed to do anything other than protect our Right to Keep and Bear Arms as individuals, from the several state governments, and from the Union itself? It is a right of the people. It is recognized as such right there in the Second Amendment, and that amendment is as much a part of the Constitution as any of its articles. And, quite frankly, it is for our own security that the Second Amendment was written and ratified!
The Second Amendment even says "why": "..., being necessary to the security of a free state, ...". Whether you believe the word "state" means the political subdivision in which we live, or the condition of being in a state of freedom, doesn't really matter. The end result is the same. For us to remain free and secure, in our neighborhood or across the Union, we must be well armed, well trained, and rearing to go at a moment's notice. We can't do that while our rights are in an infringed state.
Our overarching all encompassing government in this land is the Constitution. It is the Supreme Law of the Land. It even says it is the Supreme Law of the Land and was accepted as such by the people in the conventions of the first nine states that ratified the Constitution, and every state that has since joined the Union. The Constitution prohibits ALL levels of government from infringing upon the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in its Second Amendment. It is a dictate from on high(the Constitution) to all branches of the Union on down the line to the most menial of home owner's associations! The Second Amendment to the Constitution does not single out any branch of the Union, or any other level of government, as is the practice elsewhere in the Constitution when it IS necessary to specify a branch or level of government. It is all encompassing. All the government in this Union is conducted at levels beneath - subordinate and subservientt to - the Constitution. Therefore, there is no "federal government" or other level of government that the Second Amendment would solely apply to! When someone tells you different, fire this back at them!
From this time on, as it was the practice not all that long ago, when you think of or discuss anything of a political nature in this great land, use "The United States" or the "Union" and stop using the term "The United States Government". Single out the "Congress", the "President", or the "Supreme Court" when it is appropriate, but when you need to mention the highest level of government in this land, it is the Constitution. Start it and see! Soon, everyone will correctly identify who and what we are and not what the left and the anti-gun-rights crowd wishes we were. That's the most solid approach we can make to reclaim the language of the Constitution and place all the infringements and abridgments under the scrutiny of the Constitution once again. And remember: It's all about we as individuals, not us as a group.
Here is the short version now that you know the background. "We" is the plural of "I". "People" is the persons of a certain place, group, or class. "Person" is an individual. So, "We the People" is a quick way to say "I, John A. Doe, an individual person living in the United States", and the next person, "I, John B. Doe, an individual person living in the United States", and the next person, "I, John C. Doe, an individual person living in the United States", and so on. So when it says "...the right of the people...", it is referring to the right of John A. Doe, an individual person living in the United States, and the next person, John B. Doe, an individual person living in the United States, and the next person, John C. Doe, an individual person living in the United States, and so on. It's an individual right, it is an inalienable right, and it is protected as an inalienable right from infringement by the overarching governing document(the Constitution), applicable to all branches and levels of government in the Union.
Sooner or later, someone in Congress or at the Supreme Court will get wind of this and do something about all the unconstitutional law. When it happens, we will all be safer from tyranny and crime. Then all discussion of concealed carry will be about which holster, how do you handle this situation, and what each individual thinks is the best caliber. Spread the word and vote like it, too.
Woody
The Constitution is the biggest compromise - the best compromise - ever written. It is where distribution of power and security of the common good meets with the protection of rights, freedom, and personal sovereignty. B.E.Wood
Now I can hear you asking what this has to do with our Right to Keep and Bear Arms and carrying concealed weapons. I'll get to that. Some of you might have already guessed. But first, I'd like to get down to the facts of the case.
When you look up the definition of "government", you find the following:
government n the exercise of authority over a state, organization, etc; a system of ruling, political administration, etc; those who direct the affairs of state, etc.
The first mention of "government" in the Constitution comes in Article I, Section 8, where Congress is delegated its powers, and there in Clause (14), Congress is granted power to "...make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;". The next use of the word "government" is in that same article and section at Clause (17), where Congress is granted "...power to exercise exclusive legislation...over such district...as may,..., become the seat of the government of the United States, ... ". The next mention is in that same article and section at Clause (18), the "necessary and proper" clause. In all three cases, the word "government " describes the act of governing - the act of governing the military, the act of governing the district where the act of governing is to take place, and to "...make all laws necessary and proper..." to carry out the powers vested by the Constitution to govern the United States - "... in the government of...".
How can we be sure what I say is true? In every instance where "government" is mentioned in the Constitution, it is with a lower case "g". The word "government" is never capitalized. The word "government" is never used to describe a proper noun. The use of the word "government " is almost always used as the act of governing. The lone exception is in the First Amendment, where it implicates "those who direct the affairs of state".
What we have is a union. Its name is "The United States of America". It is a union of sovereign states, joined by the Constitution as indicated in Article VII of the Constitution, to wit:
The Constitution is, therefore, an agreement between the people of the several states, binding the several states into the Union. It forms the "more perfect" *Union that the Preamble to the Constitution set as a goal; to establish justice throughout the Union; to insure domestic tranquility for those in those states that have signed on to join the Union; to provide for the common defense of all in those states that join, promote the general welfare, and - here it comes - and secure the blessings of liberty to **ourselves and our ***posterity,... Why is that important enough to be italicized? Because it was We the People who came from those states that signed their states on to the Constitution as representatives of the people from those states! None of this was done "for the states". It was done for the people, ratified - not by the legislatures or what ever comprised the government of each state - but by conventions held in the several states. People! Otherwise known as We the People.
OK. We've just established that this government is of, by, and for us people. "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union,..." So how could the Second Amendment be construed to do anything other than protect our Right to Keep and Bear Arms as individuals, from the several state governments, and from the Union itself? It is a right of the people. It is recognized as such right there in the Second Amendment, and that amendment is as much a part of the Constitution as any of its articles. And, quite frankly, it is for our own security that the Second Amendment was written and ratified!
The Second Amendment even says "why": "..., being necessary to the security of a free state, ...". Whether you believe the word "state" means the political subdivision in which we live, or the condition of being in a state of freedom, doesn't really matter. The end result is the same. For us to remain free and secure, in our neighborhood or across the Union, we must be well armed, well trained, and rearing to go at a moment's notice. We can't do that while our rights are in an infringed state.
Our overarching all encompassing government in this land is the Constitution. It is the Supreme Law of the Land. It even says it is the Supreme Law of the Land and was accepted as such by the people in the conventions of the first nine states that ratified the Constitution, and every state that has since joined the Union. The Constitution prohibits ALL levels of government from infringing upon the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in its Second Amendment. It is a dictate from on high(the Constitution) to all branches of the Union on down the line to the most menial of home owner's associations! The Second Amendment to the Constitution does not single out any branch of the Union, or any other level of government, as is the practice elsewhere in the Constitution when it IS necessary to specify a branch or level of government. It is all encompassing. All the government in this Union is conducted at levels beneath - subordinate and subservientt to - the Constitution. Therefore, there is no "federal government" or other level of government that the Second Amendment would solely apply to! When someone tells you different, fire this back at them!
From this time on, as it was the practice not all that long ago, when you think of or discuss anything of a political nature in this great land, use "The United States" or the "Union" and stop using the term "The United States Government". Single out the "Congress", the "President", or the "Supreme Court" when it is appropriate, but when you need to mention the highest level of government in this land, it is the Constitution. Start it and see! Soon, everyone will correctly identify who and what we are and not what the left and the anti-gun-rights crowd wishes we were. That's the most solid approach we can make to reclaim the language of the Constitution and place all the infringements and abridgments under the scrutiny of the Constitution once again. And remember: It's all about we as individuals, not us as a group.
Here is the short version now that you know the background. "We" is the plural of "I". "People" is the persons of a certain place, group, or class. "Person" is an individual. So, "We the People" is a quick way to say "I, John A. Doe, an individual person living in the United States", and the next person, "I, John B. Doe, an individual person living in the United States", and the next person, "I, John C. Doe, an individual person living in the United States", and so on. So when it says "...the right of the people...", it is referring to the right of John A. Doe, an individual person living in the United States, and the next person, John B. Doe, an individual person living in the United States, and the next person, John C. Doe, an individual person living in the United States, and so on. It's an individual right, it is an inalienable right, and it is protected as an inalienable right from infringement by the overarching governing document(the Constitution), applicable to all branches and levels of government in the Union.
Sooner or later, someone in Congress or at the Supreme Court will get wind of this and do something about all the unconstitutional law. When it happens, we will all be safer from tyranny and crime. Then all discussion of concealed carry will be about which holster, how do you handle this situation, and what each individual thinks is the best caliber. Spread the word and vote like it, too.
Woody
The Constitution is the biggest compromise - the best compromise - ever written. It is where distribution of power and security of the common good meets with the protection of rights, freedom, and personal sovereignty. B.E.Wood
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