[Info-vax] Nice printers for OpenVMS?

[Richard B. Gilbert]

On 8/6/2012 5:09 PM, JF Mezei wrote:
> In a proper democracy, I do not understand why citizens should have the
> right to bear arms and essentially riot with machine guns against their
> own elected government.
>
> Such debate cannot be held in the USA due to the NRA lobby.
>
> As was explained to me, the original intent of the right to bear arms
> was to allow citizens to defend themselves against either their won
> government or invading forces from Britain (this being the 100th
> anniversary of the war of 1812, it should be repeated that there have
> been wars between canada and USA).
>
> To the rest of the world, that amendment in the USA constitution is an
> anachronism and people are puzzled as to why the USA citizens are so
> adament to leave that in when at the end of the day, all it does is
> allow civilians to own guns for "recreational" purposes and has nothing
> to do with the original intents of the constitution. (especially when
> "recreational" includes turning video games into reality and going on a
> shooting spree in some public place).
>

Our forefathers used their firearms both for hunting and fighting! They 
made their own gunpowder and bullets.  It seemed obvious to them that he 
who had the guns had the power.

This is why we have a democratic government AND the Second Amendment.
We shot it out again in the civil war.  With a little luck there should
not be any need for further shoot-outs.