The Problem With The Second Amendment (And Democracy In General)

by Dr. Zoltan

The Second Amendment states: "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."

I see a few problems with this.

1.) Nowhere does it set forth a definition of "Arms." This could include machine guns, landmines, dirty bombs, flame-throwers, tanks, biological & chemical weapons, Predator UAVs, rail guns, nano-technology, laser beams, an army of monster robots, photon torpedos, black magic, and any other advanced classified warfare technology that the government may use against its own people. If we applied The Second Amendment, the average person would be allowed to own these things in order to defend themselves. Instead, they are barely allowed to even own a gun. The truth is that if The Man really wants you, a personal handgun or a rifle you bought at Wal-Mart is not going to hold them off for long. At the most, you can use one of these primitive weapons to off yourself before they do.

2.) The Founding Fathers expected that the common people would understand what this "Amendment" really means, in essence. Unfortunately, they do not. One sentence was not good enough to get the point across. If the average adult does not have the capacity to figure it out on their own -- without it being written down on parchment and encased in Nuclear-proof glass -- do they deserve freedom? The piece of paper means nothing if the people don't REALLY believe in what it MEANS.

3.) What exactly IS a "free state?" Do we even need one?

The political and legal system of the United States of America has become so overly-complex and corrupt that we are indeed walking straight into Fascism -- which the American Heritage Dictionary defines as: "A system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through THE MERGING OF STATE AND BUSINESS LEADERSHIP, together with belligerent nationalism." Which part of that does not fit The United States?

Here is the real problem: people are not using their own brains! The biggest problem facing Democracy is that it requires independent thought on the part of the common man. Without that, what good is asking for your opinion in a vote?

PRIME EXAMPLE: Not many more than half (60%) of the citizens of The United States even bothered to vote in the last election! How hard would it be to disillusion our culture enough to tip the scale another 11% -- and be able to conclude, "51% of the U.S. Population would rather have their decisions made for them." And here is Bush on T.V., talking about -- literally -- invading foreign nations under the pretense of "Spreading Freedom and Democracy." Iraq is having elections? Who is he trying to fool? Rigged elections aside, the people in his own country do not even participate in the Democratic process!

Furthermore, if he wants to spread Democracy, why does not he attack: Sweden, Thailand, Spain, Japan, Denmark, Belgium, Norway, Saudi Arabia, The United Kingdom, and of course, Vatican City -- all of which are under a form of Monarchy -- meaning the people cannot vote for the Executive branch of their government... that means, "I AM THE BOSS AND AND TO GET RID OF ME, YOU WILL HAVE TO FACE MY ARMY." Examples of some colorful variations on the titles: King, Queen, Sultan, Emperor, Prince, Duke, Emir, and Pope.

In a lot of these cases, the Executive in question is either appointed by an elite group of "People Who Really Know What They're Doing, So Do Not Worry," such as a Parliament or they literally INHERIT their power from their parents. (Electoral College? What? The Bush Dynasty? Not in OUR country!)

Call it what you will, but the people are NOT in control. How does this happen?

In the United States, what we live in is an Employee Culture. We are sent through shoddy public schools which teach us, not to think, but to follow commands. We do not want to know how things really work, we want to be robots and collect a paycheck, then go home and watch TV. We want to be told what time to wake up, what products to buy, what clothes to wear, where to go on vacation, and who to fall in love with. What is the difference between being an Employee... and a Soldier? How much of a leap is that? How much of a leap would it be to go from wearing a Target Uniform, having no individuality, being watched by security cameras, having your lunch breaks planned out for you, following orders for 8 hours a day -- to spending the OTHER 8 that way... under a Fascist Dictatorship? Come on, working at Target and wearing their red and khaki uniform is not that bad. Swap the UPC scanner holster for a gun, and what is the big deal? (There is your answer to the Second Amendment... want a gun? Join the Army and they will give you one.)

Q: "What do you want to be when you grow up, little Johnny?"
A: "I want to be an employee!"
Q: "Doing what?"
A: "Who cares? Does it have good benefits?"

Why are not we taught, above all, to use our minds? Why are not we encouraged to follow our passions and start our own businesses? Discover our own talents? Form our own opinions? Create our own art and entertainment? Manage our own time? Control our own destinies? Write our own paycheck? This "Get A Job So You Can Pay Your Bills," mentality is what will bring Democracy to a halt -- because it prepares us for Fascism's insidious switcheroo -- merging State Leadership and Business Leadership when no one is paying attention.

Hint: George W. Bush is not going to step down from his throne in 2008.

-Dr. Zoltan