Quote:
Originally posted by The_Dunedan
Quite allright. Most people don't know what to make of Libertarians; including most of my friends, so you're in good company.
I certainly didn't mean to imply that I was shouting, sorry about that! Falling back on old bad habits, I suppose.
I am not, however 'advocating' a civil war, merely predicting one. I pray with all the earnestness I posess that the situation never comes to violence.
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I don't think a civil war is on the horizon. Quite the opposite really. Things seem to be shifting back in favor of gun owners...The president has reaffirmed our right to own firearms, and there are two (potential) supreme court cases in the works now that are trying to force the supreme court to lay down the law on the second amendment. If they affirm that the second amendment does in fact guarantee the rights of individuals to bear arms, a lot of anti-gun laws will become instantly irrelevant. And regardless of what people feel the second amendment should say, is is fairly cut and dry from a legal perspective.
I grew up in Northern Virginia (yes, I capitalize northern) where most people are anti-gun, and I felt like my family was a rare exception. When I moved to the mountains of north carolina, and started to travel, I realized how wrong I was. I think to some degree, liberals tend to live in communities that are relatively insulated from the values and attitudes of your average, rural American. Because of this, I don't think they realize just how strongly many of these people value their personal freedoms.
Like it or not, the second amendment exists as a safeguard against tyranny. It is there so that (in addition to enabling you to defend yourself) the people have a last recourse against a government that has stopped representing the people. I know this is a cliche, but remember that Hitler, Saddam, Kim Jong Il (did I get that one right?) were all elected leaders. Personally, I don't think our government will turn evil, at least not during my lifetime, or the lifetimes of my children, but, if it happens to my great great grandchildren, I want them to have the ability to do something about it.
Oh, and it's not too hard to imagine scenarious that might bring this stuff about
: Another large war, or national disaster which requires the declaration of martial law. At some point who ever is in charge takes steps to make sure that they stay in power. Or, someone else decides that they want to be in charge and stages a coup. Again, I dont' think this is possible with our current government, but times change, and many decades from now, the social climate may have changed enough for something like this to happen. Our founding fathers were sufficiently scared of this to make a second amendment in addition to all the other checks and balances they designed into our government. They proved thier brilliance and foresight when they created our government and the constitution, why doubt their decision to create a second amendment, or bicker about it's meaning?