2nd Amendment

Hey Evan, I hope all is well. Today I would like to talk about a thought I had.

Not too long ago a group wanted to have a peaceful protest not at but near our county’s courthouse which is about a mile from where I am living. In response to this protest which was being carried out by liberals a group of men surrounded the courthouse armed with their assault rifles. It seems this group had been told that these protesters wished to attack our courthouse. They spent the night walking about the courthouse fulfilling what they perceived as their patriotic duty and possibly fueling their testosterone needs. While the protest was at the place they had originally scheduled which was a block away at the town square.

I personally have no problems with guns. I have owned two and had thought of starting a collection of “gunnes” throughout history starting with a hand cannon and adding each stage of development such as harquebus, wheel lock, snaphance, and so on through a percussion cap. I actually did have a percussion cap 1850 Colt revolver and a flintlock rifle but ended up giving them away to those I know who would take care of them. I tend to do that. I like owning and holding something but then I give it away because in the long run, I don’t really need it. I do think that we should have stricter gun laws. The main problem I do have with a gun is it presents a far too easy answer for far more complicated situations for the wrong person. Instead of working to resolve an issue which could bring so much to all parties concerned an answer is imposed with a threat or the issue is taken out on others instead of being dealt with and resolved. We do need to make sure that the wrong person doesn’t have easy access to one. But better yet, we should do what we can to create a society which doesn’t produce so many wrong individuals. But the main reason for this letter is that this whole protest and gun toting would be heroes brings to mind another thought.

When you think about it you could easily undermine the 2nd Amendment which just says, “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 amendment was created for what would become known as the Bill of Rights which was produced to encourage the various states to accept the Constitution. This amendment to the Constitution was modeled on the various thirteen colonies’ ideas of bearing arms. Each had an amendment in their own constitutional precursors. All seemed to believe and express the idea of people having arms to maintain not only their safety but their freedom as well as in a protection from tyranny which is pretty much the view of people today. However, views can be twisted to be used as the person or entity doing the twisting can see fit including seizing power.

Trick is to get the ones who possess the guns to be afraid which goes without saying. Why else would they feel the need to own hand guns or assault rifles? Yes, of course a hunter may have a hand gun for added protection. I have known a couple of deer hunters who have said that while hunting deer they have run across bears. I am talking about the ones who feel a need to be heavily armed while visiting the local store to buy a sandwich or soda. I am talking about the ones who feel a need to constantly carry a gun, who would feel naked and vulnerable in the absence of a side arm. Those who need to have that weapon to prove how much of a man or woman they are. These would be the ones of primary interest. Unfortunately, those gun owners who just enjoy hunting or need to hunt can also be influenced.

One of the main tactics of most would be tyrants is to instill fear or to feed into fear which is already present. For example: in 1189 Richard the Lionheart was crowned king of England. During this coronation it was reported that several members of the Jewish community had tried to attend the investiture from which they were traditionally barred. They were presenting gifts to the newly installed king when they were attacked and beaten by courtiers. This led to the rumor that the king had called for the murder of all Jews. Those looking to gain from Jews being persecuted fed into this even more. It gave those seeking influence a scapegoat and those needing a distraction it gave them just that. This resulted in the destruction of many Jewish communities, forced conversions, fleeing of many, and murder of thousands. This was the original Holocaust in Europe. In fact this is where the word Holocaust originated.

In this example a fear and misunderstanding had already existed. For the most part the average European Christian Peasant did not intermingle with Jews. Jews were seen as foreign, as mysterious, and most of all, they were seen as the ones who had Jesus killed. However, Jews were essential in Medieval Economics. They were an excellent middleman between the Christian and Muslim Worlds and were able to facilitate trade and diplomacy. They were also very good at managing money. In the Christian world of the time money was seen as a necessary evil and was used only when it was necessary. Meanwhile in the Jewish understanding money was just a tool used as an easily portable and transferable store of wealth used to facilitate trade by freeing the market from the insanity of bartering which was limited to a coincidence of wants. Of course viewing money as a valuable tool the Jewish Communities had become very accustomed to using it and had developed very well polished monetary knowledge and skills. Many nobles of Europe saw the Jews as very good to have in their employment.

However, the separation, the unknown, and the whole money thing created a lot of distrust and fear in the average European Christian. They would see a Jewish servant of their Lord gain wealth while the European Christian toiled for a bare subsistence. They would see their Lord of the manor in consultations with the Jews. Sometimes when a noble ran low on money because of the endless fighting of Medieval Europe he would use the distrust and misunderstandings of Jews as a tool to strip their Jewish employees of the wealth they had earned in the employment of the noble and confiscate it to pay their bills. When maladies would attack a community, which happen quite a lot where sanitation and personal hygiene weren’t very good and germs were unknown, it was believed that the Jews were behind it. Possibly because the noble employed Jews and it made God angry in the Christian Peasant’s mind. It should also be shared that in many cases Jews had access to Muslim medicine which was far more advance than European which was almost nonexistent. Jews also shared in the Middle Eastern custom of keeping clean. Christian world had a habit of rejecting anything Muslim as evil but it also struck them as evil when Jewish communities did not become as sick as European. In several cases when a person had survived the Plague they were killed because it was believed that they had made a deal with the devil. All of this and so much more led to the Holocaust of Richard the Lionheart, the many pogroms of the years since, and also would carry on into the Holocaust of the Nazis—talk about never learning and history repeating itself.

In the 1930’s Germany was in very desperate straits. It had runaway hyperinflation and most Germans were very uncomfortable with the democratic government which had been thrust upon them following the end of the war and the abdication of the Kaiser. There was also the fear being spread about what was happening to the east in what had been Imperial Russia. All of these mental stresses enabled Adolf Hitler and his group to persuade the largest group of possessors of weapons to come to the aid of the state and since he was considered to be the one saving the state the German military swore an oath to him. Using other gun toters he was able to form his Geheimestaatspolizei or Gestapo and his Schultzstaffel or SS which were both used to keep the rest of Germany in line and free from outside ideas. Later East Germany would use the Staatssicherheitsdienst or Stasi. I think it is interesting that within the name of their State’s Security Agency the word “sicherheit” is used which means safety. Again, it is that whole idea of fear.

Interesting story out of Hitler’s rise to power was that in November of 1923 Hitler and his followers attempted a Beer Hall Putsch. Most people tend to envision a Beer Hall as a boisterous place of celebration and loud music and they can be. But for the most part a Beer Hall is a place for social engagements much like the coffee houses of England or the tea rooms of Russia. People would gather and talk about things while enjoying a refreshing beverage. Did some get drunk and loud? Of course they did but for the most part it was a relaxed atmosphere where people could meet and talk. Hitler was sent to a Beer Hall to spy on a group of men who called themselves the German Worker’s Party. Hitler did spy on them but also found himself drawn to the ideas of the group which went along with his beliefs. He joined them and started to talk at the meetings. He impressed many of the members and rose to prominence in the group which changed its name to the National Socialist German Worker’s Party or Nazis for short.

Hitler’s group wasn’t the only one to frequent Beer Halls or Cellars. Many different groups did just to discuss and workout issues in a relax environment—away from the clutter, noise, and officialdom of the office. One of these groups which frequented Beer Halls was the top members of the Bavarian Government. Hitler and his group had created a plan to take the Bavarian Government by force hoping it would generate similar uprisings across Germany. By this time the Nazis had grown to several chapters around the nation. Hitler had been inspired to make this move by Benito Mussolini’s March on Rome just over a year earlier. Well, Benito didn’t march on Rome. He had had his minions march on Rome while he was in Milan and only joining his fascist after they had successfully and without violence entered the Eternal City. He did make sure that he had been photographed a couple of times with the marchers before he let them on their own. It had been a success and Mussolini was handed the government of Italy.

But in Bavaria things did not go so smoothly. Hitler and his group did manage to capture the members of the Bavarian Government. But then, the whole movement seemed to run out of steam. Remember, Hitler had not been trained to be a military genius. His training had been as a corporal—far removed from the world of operational and strategic planning. He really didn’t seem to know what to do next. He had kidnapped the members of government but didn’t seem to have an idea of how to proceed to a victory. World War hero Erich Ludendorff who had joined the Nazi ranks came up with the idea to march but gave no specific idea of where to go. Eventually it was decided to head to the Bavarian Defense Ministry. However, in the Odeonsplatz they ran into a military unit and shots were fired. 16 Nazis and 4 police were killed in the exchange. Many others were wounded and Hitler was carted off to jail a few days later.

One of the things which made Mussolini’s march a far better success than Hitler’s Putsch was that Mussolini’s was actually very peaceful and had been supported by a large portion of the population of Italy. Sure, there were fears of violence which did help persuade the King to give Mussolini what he had wanted but the main thing was Benito had the support. In fact Benito had a very strong rating in popular support for his movement. Things had been tough for Italians as well and Benito had given them hope for a brighter future. His march alone had about 27,000 more supporters than Hitler’s Putsch. There were another reported 60,000 in the nearby area supporting Mussolini. Hitler had gained recognition which he mistook as support and his violent seizure of the heads of the Bavarian Government just spoke of his contempt for the desires of the average German at the time—he was going to force his way on everyone. His actions created a defensive response. Whereas Mussolini march was just a large group of Italians who had a lot of support going to Rome to express their concerns and ask for change—this is how it appeared on the surface, great marketing—Hitler’s Nazis, a relatively small group at the time, was going to tell people what they were going to do. He basically gave the Bavarian Government the right to defend itself.

On a January Sunday in 1905 a large protest of Russian Citizens attempted to peacefully deliver a petition to Tsar Nicholas II in St. Petersburg or Petrograd. They had felt that their local nobility was mistreating them and thought that since the Tsar was the great father of Aristocracy that surely he would fix everything. Instead the imperial guard fired on the peaceful gathering killing over 200, wounding as high as 800, and arresting thousands. Just like the Gestapo of Nazi Germany or the Prussian Secret Police which dogged Karl Marx his entire life the Tsar had his infamous Okhrana. Tsar Nicholas was seen as a despot because of this Bloody Sunday, several other unfortunate incidents, and the fear of the Okhrana. When it came time for him to find dearly needed allies no one answered the call and his people did get a hold of him and most of his immediate family which paid dearly for Nicholas’ ineptitude.

On the flip side of the Tsar and his incompetence we have people such as Mohandas K. Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. who both led peaceful protests. When their respective authorities used force against both of these men it just made the authority look like the bad guys to the rest of the world. All you can really do when you have thousands even millions of peaceful protesters is work things out with them or look bad helping your opponents gain support against you.

Hitler would reevaluate what went wrong while in prison and write his manifesto. But when he came out very few cared. Germany’s economy was improving and life was good for many. Hitler with decreasing followers turned to more peaceful means to gain power. He managed to get his party back in the show and no longer banned. He bided his time and eventually the economy did take a downturn when American Financial sources recalled their badly needed loans to Germany and Germany’s businesses went into free fall. Only then under peaceful methods did Hitler gain respect and gathered the support he needed to get Hindenburg to invite him to form a government. In essence both Mussolini and Hitler had gained control of their respective nations through peaceful means by convincing the majority of the populace that they were the answers which their nations required. They secured their power by convincing the possessors of weapons that Mussolini and Hitler were the answers.

True protector of our Bill of Rights is the will of the people. Our second amendment does not guarantee anything. By feeding the owners of arms fear and misinformation you could convince them to do things which would overthrow the rest of the Bill of Rights by getting them to fear and point their guns at those who stand in the way of your plans. You convince armed individuals you are the solution to problems they don’t quite understand in their entirety to point their guns at individuals who are standing in your way because they are just being free Americans and pursuing their own happiness. You get them to tone down a protest’s message.

When it comes down to it very few governments have been overthrown by armed groups but many have been overthrown by large groups of the populace. I have read more cases of the people becoming disillusioned by their government and rising up against it. Mussolini, Hitler, Ho Chi Minh, Qaddafi, Hussein, The Ayatollah Khomeini, and many others had come to power through convincing the majority of their populations they were the answer. It was only after they had gained this support did they have the military and paramilitary units support them and let the dictators identify the enemies of the state.

In a similar vein, we see government’s overthrows start with the rise up of peaceful citizens. Unarmed citizen protesting and gaining support from others who find themselves also disillusioned. An unarmed and peaceful dock worker, Lech Walesa, in Gdansk Poland brought down the entire Polish Government just by opening his mouth. This in turn led to the various protests in many other areas which led to the dismantling of the Warsaw Pact and Iron Curtain. Not heavily armed citizens but the vast majority of the citizens demanding change from a broken system.

Saw a great cartoon the other day. A king is on the ramparts of his castle looking at a vast mob of people armed with pitchforks and torches. Of course the king looks incredibly sick and worried. Next to him is one of his advisors. His advisor tells his majesty that the solution is easy. You don’t have to beat them you just have to convince the ones bearing pitchforks that the ones with torches want to take their pitchforks away.

Have a good one.