I do not as a general rule write diaries here for a variety of reasons, but after what has happened in Dallas and around this nation in the last year, I feel compelled to do so. Before I start I want to quote two things: The Second Amendment to the Constitution and the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution — both of which are part of the Bill of Rights guaranteed to every citizen in this nation, without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, gender, or age.
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.”
Now we have seen how the NRA and the GOP/TP crowd have taken this amendment and used it as justification for preventing the passage of safe and sane legislation that will protect people from their own stupidity, or more importantly, their insanity and hate. We have seen over and over again these so-called “lone wolf” killers who have gotten access to guns and other weapons without any check on them. Now we have not just fathers, sons, mothers, and daughters shooting each other through carelessness, we have a trained sniper taking out cops at a peaceful march out of a misguided idea of balancing the scales of justice.
The Second Amendment clearly states that the ownership of guns was for the use in service of a “well-regulated militia”, not for every idiot who wants one. We have a well-regulated militia — it is called the National Guard. Using this amendment as justification for selling guns to the public without any kind of checks and balances on such a dangerous system is nothing short of complicity to commit murder. Now we have five dead cops who were not doing anything but helping people during a peaceful march. Civilians were injured and cops were injured, with the sniper being killed with a BOMB! At exactly what point do we stop trying to kill each other as a way of stopping the hate and violence.
This brings me to the Fourth Amendment:
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
As we have seen over the last few decades, the idea of a person, especially one of color or low income or homeless, being secure in their persons, has seen this amendment thrown to the wind. It is part of why I do not trust the Clintons — the law that was suppose to help address crime gave far too many police the idea that they had carte blanche to do racial profiling and as we have seen over and over again, the court system is protecting these out of control cops. The cops rely on using the defense of probable cause, but the fact is that rogue cops coupled with a militarized police system encouraged by the likes of the NRA, the GOP, and Democratic apologists has created this system. And it is leading to far too many deaths on both sides. Police have a hard enough job as it is, but when rogue cops or militaristic cops enter the picture, the ability to actually serve and protect the public goes out the window, even for the innocent cops.
We are at a crossroads in this country, and if we make the wrong choices, civil war is inevitable today. Not tomorrow, but today and we will see it far too soon in many areas of this nation. It is apparent that we have sat back and allowed the segregation of this nation for political gain and financial growth to divide us into “us and them” based on our skin color, nation of origin, or economic status. The Constitution which established the form of government we have had for 240 years, now seems to be an afterthought with gridlock and partisanship the new norm. The Bill of Rights is all but ignored if it suits some politician and by dividing us as hyphenated Americans, groups like Black Lives Matter have risen up just as the KKK is experiencing a resurgence. Why? Because we let it happen when we did not stand up and vote out those with ties to the military/industrial complex, the NRA, and who identified us by our race, gender, age group, etc., until we were no longer a united nation, but a divided one.
They say that a divided nation cannot stand against itself. WE have allowed ourselves to once again become a divided nation, and as a result we get political opportunists like Trump rising to represent hate and Clinton trying to justify why the Democrats are targeting large portions of our society for a base, instead of uniting this nation as Americans in total to win elections. Our media plays along, pitting one group against another, and then leading with the headlines that bleed the most, often refusing to consider that their words are what finally triggered the madman to act.
I am tired of watching this nation bleed because they are unwilling to recognize that the Second Amendment was meant for a different time and place, and that the Fourth Amendment was meant for all Americans and that any police officer who abuses it is a criminal just as any civilian would be. We need to stand together to say “NO MORE! NOT IN OUR NAME! WE ARE ALL AMERICANS AND WE ALL BLEED AND DIE IF YOU DO NOT STOP!” Peaceful marches should not devolve into bloodbaths because violent monsters start shooting leading to police reactions against innocents, anymore than cops should be shooting citizens, with or without cause, unless in self-defense and imminent danger.
Who we vote for in November for President does not matter nearly as much as who we vote for to represent us in Congress, state legislatures, and governors’ mansions. Only by voting for people who can actually think, have common sense, and realize that if we do not correct these situations, civil war and death of our democracy will be our future. Dallas will be our equivalent of John Brown’s revolt in the 1800s. The civil war followed and the only difference between ours and our ancestors will the death toll. It will be our choice, and we must choose wisely, all of us regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, age, or gender. WE cannot allow history to repeat itself or worse, anarchy to emerge in this nation.