Reflecting on the Fourth of July

As we celebrate the 4th of July, please take a moment to reflect on where we came from and where we are now. The two main complaints of the rebellious colonists were lack of representation in Parliament and deprivations of liberty. We now have representation, but I’m not so confident about our liberty. As noted before, constitutional liberty is under constant attack from both the political left and right. I’ve been taking lots of shots at the liberals, but they hold the White House and during Democratic dominance in Congress passed lots of constitutionally questionable legislation. Let me try to add some balance to this debate.

In the spirit of constitutional rights, I call upon my friends on the Right to end their opposition to lawful gay marriage. Like it or not, our courts or legislatures are eventually going to require recognition of it. Gays are human beings like everyone else. Even if you personally think they are sinful, the Constitution, not your religion, is the supreme law of the land. No one can require you to go to the ceremony or personally recognize the union. People have got to remember that they have no right to have their beliefs enacted into law when it conflicts with the Constitution. I respect everyone's freedom of religion, but, America is not a theocracy. Don't use your religious freedom as a weapon to destroy the freedom of others.

I call upon my friends on the Left to end their opposition to granting law-abiding, competent adult citizens their Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms. Second Amendment rights are not absolute, but they deserve as much or more respect than anything else in the Bill or Rights. Guns do not cause crime. Gun control will not reduce crime as those intent on violent crime will always be able to obtain a gun on the black market. We cannot even attempt to strictly control guns without violating other rights in addition to the Second Amendment (e.g. due process, self-incrimination, search and seizure). Guns are used for lawful self-defense as much or more than for crime. People have a natural law right to defend themselves. Depriving people of guns for defensive purposes is a burden that falls most heavily on the poor and minorities who tend to live in high crime neighborhoods. The wealthy with their security guards and high-tech security systems in their gated communities and high-security high-rises see no need for defensive arms. Further, if we take away people’s Second Amendment rights, what kind of precedent does that set?

Let’s join together and start respecting everyone’s liberties—not just the liberties and people we personally like.