Unravel one right, the rest ultimately follow

In his letter Glenn Freeman ('Free speech includes 2nd Amendment discussion,” Dec. 15) makes a jab at an earlier letter by Dean Varner ('Protecting 2nd Amendment protects all rights,” Dec. 11), who sagely argues the 2nd Amendment helps ensure continuance of other constitutionally-guaranateed rights.

Freeman claims the earlier letter 'has it backward.” He offers instances of people abusing their right to bear arms in commission of criminal assault to somehow negate the constitutional rights of their victims, all thanks to the existence of the Second Amendment. Freeman lacks historical context and completely misses Varner's point.

Tyrannical regimes always begin with a disempowered citizenry, seducing the people with false promises of security and keeping them disarmed and docile. Thus did Hitler, Stalin, Mao and other despots, who then massively vandalized human rights. The American Revolution's first shot was with colonists confronting the English king's red-coated goons, sent to confiscate arms and eliminate resistance to a parade of royal abuses. The Constitution's authors wrote the Bill of Rights as armor plating, committing government to be servant of the people, not their master. They would have no part of future citizen disarmament.

Start unraveling one of those amendments and the rest will ultimately follow. Can never happen? The U.S. Constitution is now a 'living document” of 'flexible meaning,” thanks to the cunning sophistry of the progressives. Anyone who thinks presidents, judges, and members of Congress can't concoct creative end runs around constitutional prohibitions on their actions hasn't been paying attention.

Dale Fitzgibbons

Cedar Rapids