Don't we know why America works? is it fate?

Nah, we are just lucky - right? Okay, for you religious folks - God made it so. Or an honest hard working self sacrificing people stood up and fought against authority that they didn't believe had their interests at heart, won the war, and then wrote rules for a government to protect them, and enable them into the future. These were intelligent, moral and loving folks. They did a pretty good job and what they created and sent to us in the future had things to correct, and they worked on those things. Somewhere, the idea came along that more was possible, more needed done, that the government could replace God the Father, giver of everything.  I will not tell you that idea has any merit, God is and government isn't even godly, or even Good. God is Good.

The reason I bring this up, there was a piece by Gail Collins in The News Tribune, titled "Rapid-fire answers to gun control, but quickly off-target" (remember that editors get to title the writing). Ms. Collins did a fine job of worrying how the Presidential contenders failed to answer the fears of Nina Gonzalez who asked Mitt Romney and Barack Obama about gun control.

Now, they are politicians, they don't shoot that I have ever heard of (Ryan and Biden have) so I wouldn't think they have any real interest in solving gun control. But what I did understand from the article was that they aren't correct about the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution, even most gunnies aren't correct, but that could go back to a poor education and that silly thing about rights not exercised are lost.

The Constitution was designed by people to do those things they would like a government to do for them. I strongly recommend reading it, reviewing it annually. But the part that addresses gun control is written into the 2nd Amendment. A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. This is where I get to point out that the first part says a well regulated Militia is necessary to the security of a free State - very important thought. The citizens should be armed, awake and aware and responsible for the security of a free State. The National Guard is not the militia, it is a fine organized force for the state, which can be activated into Federal service - but it has never been expected in the Constitution, nor in reality to defend the security of a free State. The National Guard is  responsible for the security of the powers that be in charge - they will attack the people, have done so in the past, I expect they will do so in the future, I don't want them to, but I do expect that being in an organized military formation, with uniforms and orders from officers above them they will do as ordered. If they were in a militia made of their families and neighbors, electing their own officers and having real names they might behave differently.

The government has taken the fears of the governing and many of the governed to infringe upon the people's right to keep and bear arms. Yes, all the way to now - and that is so wrong. Artillery and machine guns are expensive, but they are arms that are fine for the people to keep and bear. If you remember that responsible adults with moral values and common sense are far outnumbering the criminal, insane and totally stupid folks. I have some experience and know that using machine guns, mortars and artillery isn't easy - which is why most movie makers, criminals and terrorists get it so wrong. The original idea was that the citizen really would be the first defender of his home, community and our country. The original concept was that most of the military formed up would be made of those militias and their mobilization, only after Napoleon and his drafting of French men to fill his battalions for his wars and the unpopular war - the Civil War, was draft extended in the United States to fill the regiments of the Union and the Confederacy - the responsible adults of common sense could see that modern war was not a great way to live long and prosper. I am almost sure that the draft isn't Constitutional, but haven't time to research nor worry about it.

The problem I see is the death by firearms of the victims, normally the innocent, and that begins the whole foolish notion that gun control will stop those from happening. It is like pretending a Judge issuing a restraining order, which will cause the person restrained to be deprived of their firearms, will protect the potential victim. But having a law against murder won't protect them, it will allow the state to punish properly a murderer (if they have evidence and want to). Gun control is hitting your target, safely. The term gun control used in reference to the efforts to keep guns from the hands of anyone, at any time is impossible and wrong. A controlled substance is one that is in control, but when used for a prohibited substance it doesn't work.

My whole point is that no one looks at how the United States of America began, expanded and grows without returning, over and over to revolt and rebellion, without killing off most of those that don't look or speak like all the rest of us.  You can look around and still see fools worrying about race, riches, class and classification - and always POWER. But due to limiting the government's power, real and perceived, the people's potential is always growing testing limits and expanding where the government has been unaware and far away.

We should all mourn the death of the innocent, but we don't blame the cause - which will often be a human being out of control, insane or incompetent. Personal responsibility is ignored at our peril. It is our country, our leaders, our representatives and our duty to make it work well. Not the government's responsibility to make me work for it well.