During the past two weeks, at least ten House Democrats who voted for health care reform legislation have received death threats or been targets of vandalism at their district offices. Several have moved their families out of their home districts to Washington. Both the U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI are taking the situation very seriously and have offered increased security protection to these Members.
There has been a lot speculation as to how we've reached the point where violence is now being promoted as an acceptable response to democratically-enacted legislation. The truth is that political developments over the past three decades have made such violence tragically inevitable.
The idea that individual Americans have a right to use violence when confronted with oppressive or overbearing government dates back to the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775. There is no doubt that our War of Independence was violent and that firearms were part of the necessary tools of victory. Our Founders, however, never intended revolution to be either perpetual or an individual exercise. They made that perfectly clear in 1787 with the drafting of the Constitution.
The Founders came to Philadelphia to begin work on a new governing document because of the fear of disunion and mobocracy that had gripped our young nation (Shays' Rebellion being just one example). The Federalists who drafted the Constitution and the Bill of Rights had no intention of creating an individual right to insurrection divorced from any organized authority. The Constitution itself stated that one of the primary purposes of the [State] Militia was to "suppress insurrections"--not foment them--and defined treason against the federal government as a crime punishable by death.
The insurrectionist idea was discredited again during the Civil War, when President Lincoln affirmed that our Constitution is not a suicide pact and can never countenance violence against the state. Nearly a century later, Republican President Dwight Eisenhower embraced Lincoln's view when he used the National Guard to prevent unruly mobs from obstructing the desegregation of Little Rock High School in Arkansas.
Of course, there have always been a small minority of Americans -- even at the time of our nation's founding -- who feared the consolidation of power in the government and believed the use of force was a legitimate response to federal encroachments. When the National Rifle Association (NRA) took a hard turn to the right after the 1977 "Cincinnati Revolution," the organization's leadership targeted this constituency by injecting the insurrectionist idea into our national political conscience. From the 1980s on, the NRA has expended significant resources promoting the idea in academic and political circles that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms for the express purpose of "preventing government tyranny." Perhaps this viewpoint is best epitomized by NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre's assertion that "the guys with the guns make the rules" in our democracy.
This was a wonderful recruiting and fundraising strategy for the NRA -- attracting Libertarians, gun rights extremists, and others with a deep distrust of government. But the gun lobby wasn't the only entity seeking to appeal to the Limited Government constituency, and beginning with Reagan, the Republican Party increasingly began to portray government as a hostile, alien entity that serves only to restrict and deny the individual freedoms of Americans. Simultaneously, the GOP actively began to court gun rights activists that embrace the NRA's insurrectionist precept. When Timothy McVeigh blew up the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City in 1995, this political marriage lost some of its appeal, but only temporarily.
Following the election of a progressive, intellectual, African-American, Democratic president in 2008, the GOP saw an opportunity to expand its beleaguered base by reaching deeper into the insurrectionist community. In an act of political expediency aimed at defeating the Democrats' push for health care reform, the GOP forged an alliance with the Tea Party Movement. It also redoubled its efforts to satisfy the NRA and other gun rights groups -- even drafting and promoting legislation to exempt the States from all federal firearms regulation.
This new alliance was emboldened by the Supreme Court's decision in the landmark Second Amendment case District of Columbia v. Heller. While most people know Heller as the case that struck down D.C.'s handgun ban, language in the 5-4 decision seemed to embrace the NRA's insurrectionist idea and give license to individuals to take up arms against our government. In the majority opinion, Justice Scalia wrote, "If... the Second Amendment right is no more than the right to keep and use weapons as a member of an organized militia... if, that is, the organized militia is the sole institutional beneficiary of the Second Amendment's guarantee -- it does not assure the existence of a 'citizens' militia' as a safeguard against tyranny."
Unfortunately, thousands (if not millions) of Americans in the Republican base believe the current administration is "tyrannical," and the GOP quickly lost control of the monster it helped to create. Armed protesters began to show up at health care town hall meetings and presidential speeches with loaded handguns and assault rifles. Calls for Nullification and Secession were heard from Red State politicians. And anti-government zealots began to attack government offices, culminating in the recent spate of political violence following the House's approval of health care legislation.
These are dangerous times for our nation. House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, who recently received a fax with a drawing of a noose, saw the pattern and noted, "If we fail to learn the lessons of our history, we are bound to repeat them." Referring to the former Alabama militia leader who took credit for this month's vandalism of Democratic offices, Heidi Beirich of the Southern Poverty Law Center said, "The ideas that [Mike] Vanderboegh's militia groups were pushing were the same extreme anti-government ideas that inspired McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing."
Ultimately, whether it's by brick or gun or bomb doesn't matter. The most important idea in American political philosophy is that of equality; that one citizen's vote is as important as the next. When violence is used to undermine that principle, it corrodes our basic democratic institutions, including the rule of law.
Republicans and their allies -- including the NRA -- should be unequivocal in denouncing political violence. They should make it clear that not only is such violence criminal, but also anathema to the system of constitutional government created by our Founders. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) deserves credit for telling his base that "violence and threats are unacceptable" and "not the American way." But it's unlikely to help if he continues to describe the Democratic agenda as "Armageddon." The same goes for Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele who--after threats were reported-- described the signing of health care legislation as "the end of representative government" and said of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "This woman has been derelict in her leadership duty to the country by not listening, by taking...the country down a bad road. And this November, they're going to pay. So let's start getting Nancy ready for the firing line this November." And then there was Sarah Palin's admonition to her followers: "Don't Retreat, Instead -- RELOAD!"
At some point, Republicans need to accept that Barack Obama won the presidency not through a "coup," but through good old-fashioned hard work and the appeal of his platform. You can't overturn the results of our democratic process with violence when you are not satisfied with those results. Republicans should reject over-the-top rhetoric and stick with what really works -- organizing, campaigning, and most of all, good governance. That, after all, is the American Way.
Follow Josh Horwitz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CSGV
Marianne Williamson: Marianne Williamson's Plea To Sarah Palin: Words Have Power
"Shoot with accuracy; aim high and remember it takes blood, sweat and tears to win" is a frightening statement, Sarah. It is not funny; it is threatening.
Loading comments… 
Other than sep A rate being misspelled
I didn't say the current gov. was destructiv
"Move your mind into the 21st century."
For a 21st century one read 9th Circuite Court on 2008, Nordyke v. King if you dismiss the writings anything later then the 21st century. 1939, Miller v.US should then be dismissed and 2008 Heller v. DC should not be disputed by the likes of you and gun control groups who think it's judicial activism if 21st century opinions are the only ones valid.
What 21st century document are you talking about? The dems. who passed the Obama health care used wrongly but use the preamble of the US Consitutio
What is " liberty of happiness" ? Is that a new definition by revisionis
"Political power comes from the barrel of a gun." Mao Tse-tung
It appears that Wayne LaPierre stole from Mao, or perhaps we might say he "paraphras
Reading Mao Tse-tung "On Guerrilla Warfare," certain fundamenta
"Arousing" is an interestin
Congress should hold hearings on the NRA's activity and advocacy directed to producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action.
The NRA is a clear and present danger to the nation, in my opinion.
I'll see you later today about stats and data corruption
"Guns and death ...." February 2010
USA gun violence leader of the "free" world!
"The rate of gun possession per capita in countries like Canada, Denmark, England, Ireland or Japan are a very tiny fraction of that in the U.S. In England, for instance, there are about 6 guns per 100 residents. In Chile and Denmark about 12, in Canada 31, while in the United States there are about 90. And the rate of killings resulting from guns in America (32 per million population per year) is a multiple of that of other countries (1.6 per million in England, 2.6 in Denmark, 4.6 in Canada) ... Further, there seems to be no compelling evidence that when gun laws are more stringent, there is a substituti
Which you and most other anti-gunne
"Reading Mao Tse-tung "On Guerrilla Warfare," certain fundamenta
More of DW's cut'n'past
“I spent six years in the Marine Corps. I know how to fight. It’s the last resort, if we have to, we’ll do it ... I believe that we are heading towards a second bloody revolution ... If the present course of human events don’t change, then we will have another bloody revolution
http://www
Treason, anyone? Yup.
Oh, and Skip's upcoming editorial will be titled, “The Next Bloody Revolution
Not even close.
"Rattling the Second Amendment Saber"
http://www
Here's a sample:
"My question to everyone reading this article is this: For you, as an individual
Is it when the government takes away your private business?
Is it when the government rigs elections?
Is it when the government imposes martial law?
Is it when the government takes away your firearms?
...When the government ignores the First Amendment, it is time to rattle the Second Amendment sabers. It’s all about accountabi
"Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not advocating the immediate use of force against the government
Why did he leave this part out?
Corporatio
Corporatio
ExxonMobil
But the corporate media and rightwing politician
Don't look at where the real problems come from, you damn fool!
OK, I'd like to start the discussion with a compromise
Justice Scalia ought to be ashamed. I think the full force of "shame" must be used against the media and judges and politician
The president and the attorney general seem to have a policy of live and let live when it comes to free speech and guns. Not that the NRA propaganda points that out. (I've saved the NRA website "GunBanOba
I would like to arrest several people for incitement and/or sedition. A citizen's arrest, perhaps as soon as I hook up with Code Pink. Non-violen
Meanwhile, I have to hope the FBI is tracking ... I think they are.
There's no room on OdinsEye post below where he lies about the SEIU.
SEIU wasn't violent.
What is almost unbelievab
Owners like the greedy, wealthy mine owner are also killing workers. Blankenshi
But you'll attempt with lies to blame SEIU or ACORN for some damn thing. Sad!
Americans for Gun Safety represent a whole new kind of enemy. They`re just the visible side of a shadowy network of extremist social guerrillas fueled by anonymous wealth, sophistica
The Constituti
If you consider the Constituti
... an extremist political agenda, subverting honest diplomacy, using personal wealth to train and deploy activists, looking for vulnerabil
If you check out factual informatio
When do we begin impeachmen
When? If not now, when .... ? What's next?
Of course I could be mistaken.
Now the state is all just and wonderful because of the dear leader is in power and those who have guns are enemies of the state. I've heard the same propaganda as a child when dictator Ferdinand Marcos started taking guns from Phillipino citizens. Maybe DW is just a powerless zealot not the policy adviser for Obama.
When has the government have the right to take your home to build a mall under eminent domain?
This has been the subject of one of the greatest pieces of fraud on the American public by special interests that I have ever seen in my lifetime.
4:40 PM CST
old world gallery at hot mail dot com
J.B.
4/3/10
1.) "Americans have a right to defend their homes."---
2.) "Nor does anyone seriously question that the Constituti
See, Warren never decided a single 2nd Amend case while sitting on the bench, nor did he write on single article for a scholarly publicatio
Following Burger's article, real legal scholarshi
We live as if our freedoms are forever, LaPierre said. Our freedoms are nothing but ink stain on rotten parchment in a museum somewhere. Freedom is nothing but dust in the wind until its guarded by the blued steel and dried powder of a free and armed people.
"Freedom is nothing but dust in the wind ...."
Is that a Janis Joplin song?
Still haven't seen a gun in any venue, at first I thought I saw a concealed weapon, but it was just some man looking at a girl in a tank top. See you all are out in full force again. Welcome back, but still nothing on any other threads, what gives, a one trick pony?
The Hutaree incident is an example of people who don't understand the intent of the Founding Fathers who gave us an important tool to protects our rights. Thru their own experience the Founding Fathers knew that the people must be able to protest the actions of government without the people and government always resorting to violence. That is why there is the 1st Amendment ( it's not for watching porno) that allows people to write letters to their elected leaders or protest non-violen
The armed struggle is the last resort after committing first to the non-violen
Meanwhile there were lower court cases. All decided against the gun lobby. The courts unanimousl
The first case to favor individual gun rights was Heller in 2008. The first. The NRA lied about implied about inferred about others ...
Controllin
Now the gun lobby attempts a message that armed violence against the government is legal. No, it is treason punishable by death.
The Founders in their wisdom listed Treason as the only crime to be actually written into the governing document. Treason does not allow certain rights granted to others.
No habeas corpus, for instance, for revolution
Very wise founders who got the lesson from Shays'. Both Madison and finally Jefferson but always Washington and Franklin.
Your comments are muddled.
Regardless of the smarmy lies of those who feel they can only achieve power by violence, no right exists to use weapons against the government
By their actions you will know them, and nothing shows more the anti-Ameri
And if the government is replaced illegally and without regard for the democratic process, such as by a military coup, then it stands to reason that forcefull opposition to such illegal government is not treason.
By his logic, Jefferson et al were criminals and traitors.
Here is a list of organizati
http://hom
American Civil Liberties Union
Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
The Criminal Justice Foundation
Drug Policy Foundation
Independen
Internatio
National Legal Aid and Defender Associatio
NRA
Second Amendment Foundation
Tell me Grits. Are all those organizati