American citizens face an important crossroad when voting in the next year. At stake are the very foundations of our country. Few can deny the movement to remove basic American tenets for which our founding fathers fought and established in our Constitution.
Article 1 states: "Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defence [sic] and general welfare ... but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States." Our tax code is a mess and not uniform. Our federal debt compromises our national defense and welfare. Our politicians seem unable to accomplish anything.
The First Amendment declared: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." It doesn't say the government should tear down crosses or force a religious school to deny its doctrine. Changing "Christmas" tree to "Holiday" tree prohibits the free exercise of religion. Christmas trees have everything to do with the birth of Jesus Christ. And so I will say "Merry Christmas" and "Christmas tree." My constitutional right does not take away from the right of others to celebrate their religion.
The Right to Bear Arms, guaranteed in the Second Amendment, also is eroding. This right protects us from our own government: " ... the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." More and more restrictive gun legislation is being passed in the states. The purchase of ammo is now being controlled. Where you may shoot is being restricted. Our own government is giving weapons to our enemies.
My fellow citizens, think carefully before you pull the voting lever this year.
Sandra Stump Wilson
Mesa
dustbowl11 posted at 7:48 am on Sun, Dec 11, 2011.
Ahh.... Guns and Jesus!Merry Christmas everyone!
Dale Whiting posted at 7:49 am on Sun, Dec 11, 2011.
Sandy,
I am thinking seriously, very seriously! May I explain?
Where in the Constitution which you and I worship does it say non-corporal entities like corporations have constitutional rights? Nowhere. Their corporal share holders have rights. Let those citizen exercise their rights individually, not by majority vote of the board of directors!
And where does it say that religious symbols can be posted on government property as if they were being stanctioned as "established" by government? Nowhere.
Where does it say that inorder to maintain a well regulated militia, citizens have a right to protect themselves against government using weapons like automatic pistols with 30+ round magazines whose function appears primarily to aid and abet criminals bent on committing assaults? Nowhere.
Your point about taxes could be well taken if somewhere in the constitution it required that all tax rates be the same. But we are taxed to provide government services, services you appear not to appreciate. And the services provided to 1% appear to be more vital than those being provided to 99%. So graduated income tax rates are justified and are constitutional, whether you like it or not!
onerebel posted at 12:59 pm on Sun, Dec 11, 2011.
The First Amendment,( Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.) OK Dale where then does it prohibit religious symbols ? To me it appears those that worship have as MUCH say as those that don't. As for the 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 right of the PEOPLE to bear arms. You ask where did the 2nd Amendment say we are entitled to automatic pistols ? Where does the 1st Amendment then say specifically free speak of the internet is protected? Don't tell me the Founders intended for us to use muskets still for protection ? Jesus talks in the Bible about people trying to warp the writing of the laws for their own advantage. Many people including me and my family feel exactly the same as the author. So let us ask if some in our Government is this blatant at disregarding the will of the people with the 2nd Amendment, what's to stop them from taking away the 1st if the 2nd is gone ?
truth posted at 2:28 pm on Sun, Dec 11, 2011.
This year we in the U.S. have had 13 natural catastrophes costing more than 1 billion each and every time we looked to the federal government for help, do we want to give this up for a smaller government? As for the Bible , the Bible has been rewriten hundreds of times in the last two thousand years. Everything pertaining to religon is based on pagan belief even the christmas tree and the ten commandments, example look up weighing of the heart. If you go back far enought Jesus and John the Baptist were second cousins and Mary Magdalene was to marry Jesus but the elders had her marry John but after John's death she married Jesus. In first writings the Bible and Koran were very similar.
Dale Whiting posted at 2:24 pm on Mon, Dec 12, 2011.
onerebel,
Regarding religion is called the "establishment clause." Congress is prohibited from establishing a state religion. England had the Church of England, here called Anglicans. We have a tradition of keeping government and religion separate. Why, until JFK successfully ran, no one ever thought a Roman Catholic could be elected president. The Pope would be telling a Roman Catholic president when to sneeze and where to go. So my point, and the point of several Supreme Court decision is that religious emblems have no place on government property. Even that stone monument in Alabama containing the Ten Commandments, a concept agreed to by Jew, Christian and Muslim alike, had to be removed.
I, too have been a part of today's well ordered militia. My government issued arm was a Colt .45 cal automatic pistol with an 8 round magazine. Many officers in Afghanistan carry semi-automatic rifles with 30 round clips. Why? Because they think they need them in case they go under enemy fire. But not a single commissioned officer nor single policeman today has a automatic pistol with a 30 + round magazine. Only criminal who do not want to attract attention to themselves carry pistols and 30 + round magazines make it possible to kill many unarmed civlians befor having to reload. No well armed militia has 30 + round magazines for their pistols, not a single one.
So, next time, do some research befor you make a fool of yourself!
Do you have any more questions?
truth,
I'm not sure that your statement "In first writings the Bible and Koran were very similar." is correct. But I have yet to find any fundamental disagreements.
My faith teaches "We claim the priviledge of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience and allow all men that same priviledge. Let them worship, how, where and what they may." And when that goofy minister in Florida proposed to burn the Koran [I prefer Qoran], it issued a press statement saying in effect, we regret than anyone would propose to burn sacrid scripture, in effect honoring the Qoran, the Talmud and the Old and New Testimants as the word of God.
But here in the US, neither Jew,nor Christian, nor Muslim seek to establish their faiths and the principles related thereto as governing others. It's all "how, where or what they may."
onerebel, do you get it now?
Leon Ceniceros posted at 5:37 pm on Mon, Dec 12, 2011.
Wow....and I thought I was the only one that got "Weiner-ed" (remember the screaming rant from the former NY "Democrat" Congressman..u-know...the one who had to resign because he got a a little too "frisky or should I say..."risque"...on his Twitter account....LM@O...ROTF).
Stick in there...OneRebel....the last time I looked, the flag flying over the Capital was still 3 colors (red, white and blue)....not all 1 color (red)......[wink]
onerebel posted at 8:36 pm on Tue, Dec 13, 2011.
Wow ! I guess this means Dale won't be getting me a Christmas gift this year, dang I was hoping for a 30 round mag too. Dale, I don't know it all, and I will not try and pass myself off as a self appointed expert like some people do. That being said I and many others do have enough common sense to know a few things. You are right that the Founders did NOT want a government endorsed religion, however all one has to do is read their writings to know how important most felt God was to this country's government, and we'll just have agree to disagree on that one. Glad to see you have a 1911 colt 45, so do I. Now for the 30 round mags. I personally would have no problem not having 30 round pistol mags, however we all know how the Left works and that would be just the start, and I think most of us know it. No, law officer's don't carry 30 round pistol mags but, they do have 30 round AR15 mags and several pistol mags that add up to over 60 rounds in many cases. If you have ever seen a 30 round mag you would know why the police don't carry it, and why it would be difficult for a criminal that did not want to attract attention to conceal it very well. You may label me a fool that needs to do more research on this subject however I feel I am fairly knowledgeable on this subject. You see, I know the police want as many rounds as they can carry, and I know many have 30 round mags that they take out shooting off duty for fun, proving not just criminals have them as you stated. How do I know this ? I have a government job that directly supports police officer's and I interact with them daily. I don't think your a fool but, one should be careful painting others as fools because we all know, whenever you paint something your gonna end up splashing some paint back on yourself !
onerebel posted at 8:37 pm on Tue, Dec 13, 2011.
Wow ! I guess this means Dale won't be getting me a Christmas gift this year, dang I was hoping for a 30 round mag too. Dale, I don't know it all, and I will not try and pass myself off as a self appointed expert like some people do. That being said I and many others do have enough common sense to know a few things. You are right that the Founders did NOT want a government endorsed religion, however all one has to do is read their writings to know how important most felt God was to this country's government, and we'll just have agree to disagree on that one. Glad to see you have a 1911 colt 45, so do I. Now for the 30 round mags. I personally would have no problem not having 30 round pistol mags, however we all know how the Left works and that would be just the start, and I think most of us know it. No, law officer's don't carry 30 round pistol mags but, they do have 30 round AR15 mags and several pistol mags that add up to over 60 rounds in many cases. If you have ever seen a 30 round mag you would know why the police don't carry it, and why it would be difficult for a criminal that did not want to attract attention to conceal it very well. You may label me a fool that needs to do more research on this subject however I feel I am fairly knowledgeable on this subject. You see, I know the police want as many rounds as they can carry, and I know many have 30 round mags that they take out shooting off duty for fun, proving not just criminals have them as you stated. How do I know this ? I have a government job that directly supports police officer's and I interact with them daily. I don't think your a fool but, one should be careful painting others as fools because we all know, whenever you paint something your gonna end up splashing some paint back on yourself ! [wink]
onerebel posted at 8:46 pm on Tue, Dec 13, 2011.
Sorry Guy's for the double post ! Has anyone else been having problems with the Tribunes web site the last several days ? [unsure]