I’ve noticed a trend in the conservatives here in the US. The majority rules… unless it’s something that the conservatives don’t want.
I am very tired of the pro-gun facebook posts that show just how anti-American the poster is. The majority of the people (depending on what source you use and what survey questions are asked… see representative samples here, here, and here) want a ban on assault weapons and/or stricter gun laws.
This isn’t a discussion of the validity of a gun-ban, stricter laws, whatever. This is commentary on how people react when they don’t like what’s going on.
The US is a democracy, and has been since it’s inception. In the US, the majority rules (with exceptions for the electoral college). One of the fundamentals of this country isn’t the right to bear arms or the right to drink whiskey, but the right to have votes counted.
But all these ‘patriots’ are ignoring the simple fact that they are now a minority. In 2008, when Obama was elected, the conservatives started massive campaigns to have him removed because he wasn’t a US citizen or whatever. Even four years later, that was an issue in some states (notably Arizona).
The majority of the people in the US voted for Obama. A true patriot understands that majority rules and should accept that and move on (literally if s/he is so moved).
The assault weapon/gun violence discussion is the same thing. Let’s put it to a nationwide vote. Note the whole thing, but the pieces. But the pro-gun lobby doesn’t want to do that, because they are afraid that they will lose. They don’t want the majority to rule, they want to keep their privileged place in the country.
It is acceptable to promote one’s opinions on a particular subject. It is not acceptable to use force or the threat of force to coerce people into following your opinions. Calling for the assassination of a sitting president if he supports the will of the majority of the people is not being patriotic. It’s toughest rules. It’s not how things are done in the USA.
One thing that the pro-gun lobby needs to realize is that the US Constitution can change. Rights and privileges can be added… and removed. But, in the end, those rights are nothing more than words on a piece of paper. Just like the money you buy groceries and ammo with, it’s a social contract. It has no power on its own. When a lot of people start ignoring the social contracts that are based in the US Constitution and plain old common sense, then the USA as a country, as a social experiment, is dead.
If this happens because of a minority of people who feel that their rights are more important than the rest of the people in the US, then the ‘patriots’ will have destroyed the country they claim to love.
The pro-gun people need to ask themselves a question. If the majority of the people want to impose certain restrictions on firearms, will I support the concept of majority rules and allow them or will I place my beliefs over the majority and fight them?
