And if the music stops
There's only the sound of the rain
All the hope and glory
All the sacrifice in vain
And if love remains
Though everything is lost
We will pay the price
But we will not count the cost
But I honestly cannot think of a better historical document. There are ones that come close; The 95 Thesis, The Magna Carta, Hammurabi's Code, but none of them reach the level of significance of the U.S. Constitution. It guarantees rights that only years before were completely conditional based on a territory's loyalty, and does it more eloquently and absolutely than any other I know. For Americans, our Constitution is more than just a fancy piece of paper, It's the promise that our lives are our own, and that any government exists only because we allow it. It's more important than any person, any party, or even any god. I'm no expert on Canadian politics, but surely you must have something you hold as dearly. The people behind this letter are our finest soldiers who are expected, above all else, to uphold and defend the Constition with their lives, and you dismissed their arguement purely for their patriotism. Having a strong opinion on something isn't 'forcing' it on anyone, and it can't be forced on you, regardless of whether you're American or not.
You would've seen a similar explaination for these men's stance if you just read a little further into the same damn paragraph;
Our Constitution established a system of governance that preserves, protects, and holds sacrosanct the individual rights and primacy of the governed as well as providing for the explicit protection of the governed from governmental tyranny and/or oppression. We have witnessed the insidious and iniquitous effects of tyranny and oppression on people all over the world. We and our forebears have embodied and personified our organizational motto, De Oppresso Liber [To Free the Oppressed], for more than a half century as we have fought, shed blood, and died in the pursuit of freedom for the oppressed.
"theer iz no ssp-00n" -tehhe msatrickss
The "world's greatest document" is highly subjective. Opinions differ.
I think we CAN agree that the US Constitution is ONE of the most important documents in history.
I am a fan of ellipsis...
If you like electronic music: https://soundcloud.com/vorter
Check out my playlists ;)
People have a go at Muslims, Christians etc for following a book 1/2 thousand+ years old. Is following a constitution from a few hundred years ago that much worse? Things change, if you get stuck in the past, you can't blame others for thinking you're old fashioned and out of touch.
Also, having guns to protect yourself from your own government. Lol... it's ridiculous. You're not living in Syria. Having guns isn't going to prevent your country becoming Syria either.
If your country's government is going to fuck it's citizens over in this day and age (let's face it... is the USA really going to do that?).... then having a few guns isn't going to help you. It was relevant when you wanted to protect yourself from British people, not so much now.
What's astonishing about the American Constitution is how well put together it is for the time period in which they had to actually sit down and write it. Not to mention how hard it is to amend it.
The difference is that the U.S. Constitution is a "living document" in that it has the means built into it to legally and by the will of the people be modified to the ever changing world we live in.
Such as the 18th amendment that was overturned later by the 21st amendment.
It was made to be flexible and has proven to be functional despite the fact that the original draft was written so long ago.
I for one am glad I have the right to stand up to my government when they go past what I feel is reasonable and have the means as a protected right within that constitution to do so.
Can you as a citizen write law. Under the constitution any American citizen and write and propose a law and in some cases an average American with no political ties has done just that, written a bill and had it eventually become law.
Say what you will, but few other countries do the citizens have as much say in how they are governed.
Frag the weak, hurdle the dead!
The entire purpose of owning guns isn't solely for purpose of protecting ourselves from the government, it serves other purposes. In the event of an invasion, the American people will be armed to defend the country, military or not.
Also, US Citizens owning somewhere around 300 million guns in total isn't just "a few guns".
Edit: 300 million is apparently closer.
Last edited by XeNo; 3 Feb 2013 at 12:20am.
Let me educate you.
-You are wrong about the law in Sweden. The reason is they have one of the least gun murders is due to a variety of reason such as low population, low immigration, high quality of life, being highly educated and trained.
- Chicago does indeed have one of the nation's strictest gun laws but if you look at where Chicago is located you'll see these gun laws are only go for WITH IN Chicago's city limits. I can leave the city and go to a variety of gun shows and buy as many guns as I want and sneak them in, If you want gun laws to work, they have to be implemented at the federal level.
- The only one who stands infront of extending backround checks is the NRA which has been proven to be simply a lobbying group for firearm manufacturers.