Amend this!

Pic stolen from HERE.

I was just doing some reading and discovered some things I didn't know, or only partly knew. Imagine…

Anyway, I think I may have mentioned something about the US 2nd amendment before, after reading Bill's argument for why it is not the right to bear arms at all. Of course, now those crazy Supreme court fuckers have, as of last month, made it exactly that. It's hard to see how anyone but a complete fucking MORON could misinterpret the text:

"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."

The giveaway's at the start, you know, with the WELL-REGULATED MILITIA — not a bunch of rednecks with uzis.

The actual text of the document is a bit irrelevant, however, and the weird, slavish adherence to its every word and the continuous analysis of those words and what exactly they might mean seems to me a bit fucking pointless. First of all, let us not forget that the Bill of Rights was passed in 1791(!?), making it 217 years old. The world has changed a lot in the last fucking two decades, never mind the last two centuries! Let's also not forget that it was written by people, blokes, rich white landowners, the ascendancy, the elite — handing down a couple of things they reckoned might be appreciated by the masses to shut them the fuck up.

The mentality involved in obsessing over this isn't all that surprising given the number of 'Mercans who believe that every word of the Bibble is 100% true. Despite knowing that it has been written and rewritten by MEN — who shit, piss, fuck and fuck up, just like everyone — and not Gawd. Never, ever Gawd.

Em… Yeah, right, so there's this constant struggle with the words as they are and a constant need to make the words fit, or to re-tool the words with new meanings and connotations. Like any bit of text, it gets archaic and needs to be updated. Fucking hell, it's written in 18th century legalese for Gawd's sake! Stop looking for all the answers in the past! We're alive NOW and soon we'll be DEAD — why not worry about the bit in between those two (Life, that is) rather than stuff that went on centuries ago? We can't change any of it and it has no application to our world because half the things we now take for granted DIDN'T EXIST IN 1791!!

Sigh… However, if we're going to Fisk these Fucks, let's have a look at The Text.

For me there are several things which give the BoR away.

The Fifth Amendment: "No person shall be held to answer for any capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."

Now, if the new ruling about the 2nd amendment is to be taken to its full extent, EVERYONE in the US is in the militia and therefore NO ONE in the US is entitled to due process or any of it. Guns or due process, hmm? And with all those guns you've got, chances are you'll be hoping for some due process at some point when you SHOOT SOMEBODY. Something you wouldn't have done had you not had a gun.

Something that proves it is now totally irrelevant is the 3rd: "No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law."

Right, OK… Handy perhaps, but not the first thing you'd think of when trying to protect the rights of the citizenry — unless you were a Landed Wanker who had no idea what people's actual problems were. This is a sub-clause in some military lawbook, not a constitutional thing, but there it is.

So, Bill of Rights — nonsense. Needs rewritten in a modern context. Your rights? Not to be fucked about. Responsibilities? Not to fuck about with anyone else. Should be a short document…



Anyway, here's some more stuff to make your hair blanche and your face curl. That fucking phone-tapping bill — what are the Dems at?