The Daily Kos is one of the more prominent progressive blogs. Cognitive dissonance: a blogger named Angry Mouse penned Why liberals should love the Second Amendment on Independence Day:
Liberals can quote legal precedent, news reports, and exhaustive studies. They can talk about the intentions of the Founders. They can argue at length against the tyranny of the government. And they will, almost without exception, conclude the necessity of respecting, and not restricting, civil liberties.
Except for one: the right to keep and bear arms.
When it comes to discussing the Second Amendment, liberals check rational thought at the door. They dismiss approximately 40% of American households that own one or more guns, and those who fight to protect the Second Amendment, as “gun nuts.” They argue for greater restrictions. And they pursue these policies at the risk of alienating voters who might otherwise vote for Democrats.
And they do so in a way that is wholly inconsistent with their approach to all of our other civil liberties.
Those who fight against Second Amendment rights cite statistics about gun violence, as if such numbers are evidence enough that our rights should be restricted. But Chicago and Washington DC, the two cities from which came the most recent Supreme Court decisions on Second Amendment rights, had some of the most restrictive laws in the nation, and also some of the highest rates of violent crime. Clearly, such restrictions do not correlate with preventing crime.
So rather than continuing to fight for greater restrictions on Second Amendment rights, it is time for liberals to defend Second Amendment rights as vigorously as they fight to protect all of our other rights. Because it is by fighting to protect each right that we protect all rights.
And this is why:
I like reading comments, but they got 1548 so far.
Wait, now two! But seriously folks. Gun rights proponents and gun control-loving liberals are diametrically, irreconcilably opposed. Liberals believe that the government is the answer to social ills. As the people's representatives, those who govern must protect the people from themselves. Guns are too dangerous for the common man. And to the common man. Fugeddaboutit. Gun rights' advocates believe in self-reliance. The people need a Ruger LCP. And a shotgun. And maybe an AR-15, 'cause those things kick ass.
Well that's the party line, or the party lines. Right is right and left is left and never the twain shall meet. But when you read the comments on a lot of sites, like that Echidne site I posted about, you find that a whole lot of people occupy a reasonable middle ground. They don't object to responsible people owning a gun, defending their homes, hunting, etc. – they just don't want to have to worry that some jackass will shoot them over a parking space.
But instead of reporting on that middle ground, the MSM trots out the NRA and Brady folk like Jake vs Vienna to distract and divide us. They just loves them a cage match.
But we’ve got one!
Yea, today I'm a liberal!
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