The Misanthropic Boomer

Misanthropic Boomer

A WORD (or two) TO THE WISE

As everyone in this nation is aware the mid-term elections are a mere one hundred days away. This election cycle may be the most important in the history of the Republic. There is no doubt it will be the most important event in the history of humankind’s attempt at establishing and maintaining a lasting democratic paradigm. Therefore what happens this November will not only effect the United States, but will either give, or take away hope for the rest of the world. With the criticality of the mid-term elections in mind I believe I must bring up two issues which I am certain will be fundamental to democracy’s survival. The two issues are the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and the composition of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). I shall speak to the second issue first because it is SCOTUS who is the ultimate arbiter of the use of the Constitution as the playbook for the brand of democracy under which we are governed.

Since the Republicans, through the auspices of Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell, successfully stacked SCOTUS with Right Leaning justices it has become evident that SCOTUS, as much as the Democrats and the Republicans, is a political body, and as such in its present composition, is willing to skew all interpretations of the Constitution in the direction of Right Wing Religious Conservatism. In the reversal of the precedent of Roe v. Wade Samual Alito, writing the majority opinion uses what can only be considered intentionally misinterpreted historical citations to justify denying half the population the right to control their own bodies. That this fundamental change in how the Constitution is viewed will obviously continue for at least a generation since the six Right leaning Justices (with exception of Clarence Thomas) can be expected to occupy the bench for at least twenty years. We can, therefore, expect the continued erosion of our rights. Expansion of the Court has been been discussed as a remedy: a way to rebalance the Court as it were.

I believe the court will absolutely be expanded if the Democrats lose control of the House and Senate in the November mid-term elections. If the Trump Republicans regain control of Congress there is every indication that they will attempt to solidify Oligarchic control over the government in perpetuity. The easiest way to achieve their goal is to take a page from Augusto Pinochet’s playbook and to expand the Court and stack it with even more politically Right leaning justices just was done in Chile following the coup in 1973. Interestingly, this was the brainchild of James McGill Buchanan, an American Political Economist. This will especially be made possible if the American electorate puts a Republican in the White House in 2024. Now consider the fact that if the Right can pull off such a political coup they will no longer be dependent upon the voters who so foolishly, against their own best self interest, gave the Republicans the “Keys to the Kingdom,” so to speak. This is where and when the Second Amendment comes into play.

Support for the misinterpretation of the Second Amendment has been necessary in order to keep firearms manufacturers and Right Wing gun owners happy. Ever paranoid, yet happy Right Wing gun owners vote Republican out of fear the Democrats will seize their firearms. Happy firearms manufacturers can be depended upon to contribute an inordinate amount of money to their supporters in Congress. The convergence of these two conditions are what made the January 6, 2021 insurrection possible. Once again, this event could only have occurred because the Second Amendment has been purposely misinterpreted.

The Second Amendment simply 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.” This has been used to justify private gun ownership, and especially to allow the possession and ownership of military style weapons by private citizens; to maintain a well regulated militia. However this is not what the Constitution says. The definition of what is meant by “a well regulated militia,” and how it is to be maintained and used is clearly stated in:

Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution…

Powers of Congress.

It is as follows:

To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrection and repel invasions.

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the Militia and for governing  such Part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States,  reserving to the States respectively the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority  of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress.

This clearly states that the Militia is to be controlled by the United States government up to, and including the provision of firearms. Nowhere in the Constitution is there any reference to the Militia being necessary to assure the government does what the people want over and above what has been approved through the electoral and legislative processes. Therefore the right to bear arms is really the right to do the government’s bidding and not an individual right.

This leads me to my next prediction; something I have been saying for years. Gun owners have nothing to fear from the Democrats. The Democrats merely want the same level of control of gun ownership that the government has over flying an aircraft or driving an automobile: testing to ensure ability, registration to ensure legality and licensing to ensure compliance. One cannot drive a Formula One race car through the city streets because “we the people” recognize the inherent danger in doing so. Why, therefore, should it be legal to carry around an automatic weapon specifically designed as an instrument of war for killing the enemy (human beings)?

As I said, gun owners needn’t worry about Democrats taking their firearms, it’s the Republicans who will not merely want a greater level of control they will want to eliminate private gun ownership completely. Once the Republicans successfully ensure their desired Oligarchy has been established they will need to protect it by eliminating any and all threats to the feudal style system of governance. At that point their expanded, stacked SCOTUS will suddenly interpret the Second Amendment as it was originally intended. Private gun ownership will become a threat and therefore will be eliminated.

I realize most of you won’t believe what I have posited herein, however, my prognostications have been unerringly accurate over the last thirty odd years. If you don’t believe me vote Republican…take a chance. Don’t say I didn’t try to raise your awareness. Good luck.