Category: History

Guns, History, National Security, Politics September 4, 2019January 7, 2020

Assault Rifle Ban | NRA’s Illogical 2nd Amendment Argument

Washington (GGM) Analysis | December 20, 2019
by Noreen Wise

The red flags and warning signs are everywhere. The time has come to act definitively on common sense gun legislation
and stop punting this vital life-saving, society-saving, democracy-saving, America-saving legislation down the road. #EnoughIsEnough.

Here are the facts:

2nd Amendment: “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 2nd Amendment was written using critical commas that have further exasperated clarification of the Amendment’s exact meaning.
However, if we dig deeper, we can clearly see that our founders were very aware
of human evil and it’s potential harm to democracy and thus created numerous checks & balances, most notably our three branches of government.
Further, throughout the 185 Federalist Papers, written for the purpose of justifying the need for a federal government as well as a Constitution, every single one of the letters highlights the importance of checking evil
The concept of “checks & balances” is ingrained in our rule of law, our institutions, and throughout American society and shouldn’t be foreign to any American
Checks & balances apply to gun ownership as well, and supports the concept of common sense gun legislation
Assault rifles and high capacity magazines are weapons of war and are NOT meant for civilians or self-defense

We had an effective Assault Weapons Ban from 1994 – 2004 that President Bush foolishly did NOT renew (Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, passed by a narrow margin of 4 votes, signed by President Clinton.)
The fact that assault rifle owners are threatening violence if their weapons of war are banned, is the very reason they need to be banned. For an American to believe that the way to resolve differences in a democracy is to slaughter those who don’t agree with them is a huge wake up call to all political leaders for the urgent need to #DoSomething.
In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled on District of Columbia v. Heller, whereby Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia ruled that even though the 2nd Amendment states “well regulated militia” it applies to personal protection as well, putting an end to the debate about whether or not the 2nd Amendment applies to the general public. However, Scalia did clarify that the public’s gun ownership can be regulated.

“…not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.” ~Antonin Scalia, Supreme Court Associate Justice, 2008 ruling, District of Columbia v. Heller

On January 9, 2019, Senior Senator Dianne Feinstein of California again Sponsored and Introduced S. 66: Assault Weapons Ban of 2019. This is a bill “to regulate assault weapons, to ensure that the right to keep and bear arms is not unlimited, and for other purposes.”
Earlier versions of Assault Weapons Ban were introduced on November 8, 2017, following theOctober 2, 2017 Las Vegas slaughter of 58 using an assault rifle, and on March 14, 2013, three months after the world-altering Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre of 28 elementary school students and several teachers. If these shockingly vicious annihilations didn’t wake-up our representatives, we can’t give up… we simply must try harder. Case in point, the shutdown outrage became so forceful, that it even brought Mitch McConnell back to life.
The next step for the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 is to be considered by the judiciary committee. Unbelievably, the bill only has a 4% chance of being enacted.

There are 28 Democrat co-sponsors of the ban, all 28 joined the day it was introduced. There are no GOP sponsors.

S. 66: Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 co-sponsors:

Blumenthal, Richard (D-CT)
Booker, Cory (D-NJ)
Cardin, Ben (D-MD)
Carper, Tom (D-DE)
Casey, Bob (D-PA)
Duckworth, Tammy (D-IL)
Durbin, Richard (D-IL)
Gillibrand, Kirsten (D-NY)
Harris, Kamala (D-CA)
Hassan, Maggie (D-NH)
Hirono, Mazie (D-HI)
Klobuchar, Amy (D-MN)
Markey, ED (D-MA)
Menendez, Bob (D-NJ)
Merkley, Jeff (D-OR)
Murphy, Chris (D-CT)
Murray, Patty (D-WA)
Reed, Jack (D-RI)
Sanders, Bernie (D-VT)
Schatz, Brian (D-HI)
Schumer, Chuck (D-NY)
Shaheen, Jeanne (D-NY)
Smith, Tina (D-MN)
Van Hollen, Chris (D-MD)
Warner, Mark (D-VA)
Warren, Elizabeth (D-MA)
Whitehouse, Sheldon (D-RI)
Wyden, Ron (D-OR)

It’s time to act one and for all to get S66 passed. Our lives and our democracy are at stake.

Budget, History, Legislative Branch February 12, 2019March 3, 2019

It Took Congress 76 Years to Approve Washington Monument

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report) – It takes an excruciating long time for Congress to hammer out deals. Period. It’s been this way since the first Congress was sworn in on March 4, 1789. There’s no better example of this painstaking political process in a democracy, than the Washington Monument. In fact, the Washington Monument’s regal position smack in the center of National Mall facing the United States Capitol, seems to be a valiant tribute, a constant reminder, of Congress’s eternal battle to collect the many different points of view, persevere with noble determination, slow and steady to the bitter end, when a resilient compromise can finally be reached and delivered to the American people.

It’s much like alchemy. Lots of passionate fire, hammering and molding until the original material is completely transformed into valuable treasure.

George Washington, victorious general who overcame impossible odds in defeating the most powerful army on earth, with his ragtag team of militia, along with support from French allies, to liberate the colonies from British tyranny and become the United States of America. Our two term first president. Farmer. Statesman. Freemason. George Washington died on December 14, 1799, just two weeks shy of a new century. The country was in shock. We were so young. No one was sure if the “American experiment” would make it. But the one thing that every single solitary American was 100% certain of, was that we would build a magnificent statue or monument to honor and pay homage to this incredibly honorable, patriotic Founding Father.

Congress immediately set forth to pass a bill for just such a purpose. Our nation’s new capitol would be opening in Washington DC in 1800. The buildings were far behind schedule, the roads were a muddy mess, this dream looked impossible, yet the monument to George Washington was resolute. With every single member of congress for the bill, backed by every single citizen of America (save for a few hidden loyalists), how could it possibly take 76 years (July 5, 1876) for this bill to pass in Congress?

The devil is in the details. No one could agree on the design.

The Washington Monument should memorialize for Congress that they are indeed alchemists. That there will always be fire, and grit, scrupulous effort, give and take, to eventually arrive at a workable compromise. There are just so many different perspectives in a nation as massive as ours. Thus, we can never shutdown our government out of frustration over this eternal process. Battles to pass bills are the best examples of what democracy looks and feels like. Huzzah!

Executive Branch, History, Trump December 25, 2018December 25, 2018

The Ha Ha Border Wall & Our Founding Fathers

There have been borders and boundaries and enemies since the beginning of time. It seems that Trump would have us believe that borders, and citizens from foreign countries crossing borders, are a brand new phenomenon. These issues have all been worked out before, so why is this difficult for Trump?

In 1785, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were enthralled with a sensational discovery they made while meandering through a British garden where they nearly stumbled into a Ha Ha, (originally, the French stated “Ooh-la-la” when they first saw this innovative border solution; the British shortened it to Ha Ha).

During the mid-to-late 1600’s, the Royal Society of London became passionately consumed with botany and horticulture. Landowners had always grown their own crops to feed their families, and raised their own farm animals. They created utility gardens for these necessities. But with the advent of the botanical age, they were eager to add an ornamental garden to their landscape, and struggled to find a solution for keeping the farm animals away from their ornamental masterpieces. They didn’t want barrier walls that would block the views of the flowering shrubs and trees and colorful flower beds. A creative problem solver came up with the clever idea to dig a ditch that would keep the animals on the utility side of the garden without blocking the views of the ornamental side.

Resourceful, flexible thinking usually nets excellent results. Trump is a complete 180 from our Founders. Is there any way to bend Trump’s rigid, cemented opinion?

Photograph by Google Images