The Second Amendment

by on May 29, 2024 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

A well regulated (a word that meant trained when it was written) Militia (all of the people when it was written), being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms (a general word for weapons), shall not be infringed (a word that meant hindered or outlawed or otherwise made difficult). The implementation and debate over the Second Amendment has changed radically over the centuries, but we should remember what it meant when it was written so we can understand how we should use it now.

 Comment 

The First Amendment

by on May 28, 2024 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

The First Amendment of the US Constitution recognizes that the government cannot establish a religion as the official religion of the land, nor can it prohibit us from following the religion of our choice freely. It cannot abridge our freedom of speech, either in our positions as common people or if we are are exercising it as part of the press. And we have the right to peaceably assemble and petition the government for grievances. These are the bedrock freedoms that our nation is built upon, and the government is not allowed to break them. Never forget this.

 Comment 

Memorial Day Weekend

by on May 26, 2024 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

Memorial Day, or Decoration Day, was originally created to honor the dead of the Civil War, both Union and Confederate. It has been expanded to the dead of all our wars since then, but we should never forget that origin. After the greatest war in American history, pitting literal brother against brother in many cases, we chose as a nation to honor the dead of both the victors and defeated. Because we wanted to rebuild our shared nation so all of us would prosper. We should never forget that.

 Comment 

Memorial Day Weekend

by on May 25, 2024 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

This weekend we remember National Memorial Day. Formally named Decoration Day, it was originally created to remember the dead in the Civil War, both Union and Confederate. It has since been expanded to include the dead from all wars. My family is lucky in that our servicemen tend to make it back from war, but families who send their sons and fathers to war tend to know families who did not get their sons and fathers back. Ours is no exception to that rule, and I pray for those I know who have folded flags in their houses today.

 Comment