The naked assault on the Bill of Rights

The Left has made great strides in recent years.  In some ways, Trump's election was like Pearl Harbor.  A brief victory for his supporters, but a long term defeat.  Whatever he accomplishes will not stem the Left as it emerges from the closet and openly declares its desire to tear down the United States and rebuild a new nation in the Left's image.

It's not new, of course, that people are calling for an end to the 2nd Amendment, gun ownership, and right to self defense by firearms.  That's been going on for years.  What is new is that there is no pretense.  The press has thrown off all illusions of non-partisanship.  The Left is firmly invested in destroying the Trump White House, and using charges of Trump as Worst Person Ever to hoist its own vision of 'the America that should be' on the population.  It used to be wrapped up in cloaks of euphemism and deflection to greater issues and away from its impact on actual gun owners.  Those doing so today are proud of how ending the 2nd Amendment would hurt law abiding citizens and their right to purchase firearms, their contempt for gun owners being palpable.

In the old days, we called this denying the obvious

This latest debate about abolishing the Bill of Rights comes in the wake of retired SCOTUS John Paul Stevens telling the youth of the 'Not me but thee' rallies that it's time to abolish the Bill of Rights.  Of course he's not saying abolish all ten amendments.  But the Bill of Rights is properly understood as the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution.  Get rid of one of them, and it is no longer the Bill of Rights.  And anyone who thinks it will end with the 2nd Amendment either wants the others to be abolished, or suffers from some chronic level of delusion.

Because, as Donald McClarey notices, this isn't anything new.  Some, like Mark Shea, make their desire to hinder the rights of gun owners obvious.  He says he isn't for banning guns.   But he says by abolishing the Bill of Rights through tearing down the 2nd Amendment, the government can then impose itself on gun ownership in such a way as to make owning a gun nigh on impossible.  Sort of like saying I'm not for starving people, I'm just for putting the food so high on the shelf that most can't get it. 

It's obvious now.  The Left is a thing, a movement, a revolution.  It has every intention of taking over the nation.  I know, I know.  We're not of this world or kingdom, we're of the heavenly kingdom.  No need getting all upset about America, it's just a country.  We'll always have heaven.  Fair enough.  Next time someone brings up global warming I'll just point out we are not of this world or kingdom, we're of the heavenly kingdom.  Whatever happens to the world doesn't matter, it's just a world.  We'll always have heaven.

But for those who understand the fragile and unique gift of freedom, liberty and the ability to freely worship and live out our faiths, we are justly concerned by this new and naked assault on our liberties.  Already this movement has launched assaults against freedom of religion, and it has been making headway against freedom of speech.  Abolish the amendment that allows us to protect ourselves, and we're one step closer to the point of no return.  After all, those first two amendments in the Bill of Rights are the ones that deal with our day to day rights and liberties.  Note they are the ones most under attack.

Now with all that said, since it's Spy Wednesday, here's the billion dollar question.  We see all manner of Christian leaders wavering before this, nipping and tucking the traditional message of the Gospel, downplaying moral stances this emergent Left considers offensive, embracing political priorities as espoused by the Left, and almost elevating fealty to the politics of the Left to being equal to belief in the Gospel:

Charity suggests these believers are duped, blind, naive, or something. Perhaps they saw the sins of America's past for the first time, somehow missing that Americans have admitted those for years, and went overboard in criticism of America or the Christian West as a result.  Imagine thinking your spouse is like God, finding out your spouse isn't like God, and filing for divorce.

That's the charitable take.  On Spy Wednesday, where we remember Judas and his betrayal of Christ, you have to wonder if many of the leaders, even those in the Catholic Church, merely see the signs of the times, the way the wind is blowing, and have every intention of being on the right side of the barbed wire fences should they ever be built.  Hard to say.  But something must explain the fact that so many believers are quickly altering their historic faith, beliefs and values to accommodate an emerging movement almost brazen in its willingness to end the rights of that same faith and destroy the values and truths that same faith proclaims.

' "And listen, Gandalf, my old friend and helper! " he said, coming

near and speaking now in a softer voice. "I said we, for we it may be, if

you will join with me. A new Power is rising. Against it the old allies and

policies will not avail us at all. There is no hope left in Elves or dying

Numenor. This then is one choice before you. before us. We may join with

that Power. It would be wise, Gandalf. There is hope that way. Its victory

is at hand; and there will be rich reward for those that aided it. As the

Power grows, its proved friends will also grow; and the Wise, such as you

and I, may with patience come at last to direct its courses, to control it.

                                                                                                         The Fellowship of the Ring.

Makes you wonder.  Don't think I don't. I notice some liberals are beginning to question this even as so many former conservative and traditional believers are flocking in that direction.  I wonder if that includes this particular issue of the 2nd Amendment.  Memo: I'll have to look into that.  Most liberals I find are just like most conservatives, and I believe it might be that they are just missing the truth of what is happening more than those abandoning the traditions of the Faith. We'll see.

One more thing, since I often hear this said.  For those who concede all of this, but answer with the need to take up our cross and be martyrs for the Faith, that's fine too.  There are plenty of places in the world where living out the Christian Faith will get you killed, or seriously oppressed and persecuted.  Go to one of those places and try out the martyrdom principle and see if you like it before letting it come to our home.