A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY TO THINK ABOUT
December 29, 2012 marked the 122nd Anniversary of the murder of 297 Sioux Indians at Wounded Knee Creek on the Pine Ridg
e
Indian Reservation in South Dakota. These 297 people, in their winter
camp, were murdered by federal agents and members of the 7th Cavalry who
had come to confiscate their firearms “for their own safety and
protection”. The slaughter began after the majority of the Sioux had
peacefully turned in their firearms. The Calvary began shooting, and
managed to wipe out the entire camp. 200 of the 297 victims were women
and children. About 40 members of the 7th Cavalry were killed, but over
half of them were victims of fratricide from the Hotchkiss guns of their
overzealous comrades-in-arms. Twenty members of the 7th Cavalry's death
squad, were deemed “National Heroes” and were awarded the Medal of
Honor for their acts of [cowardice] heroism.
We hear very
little of Wounded Knee today. It is usually not mentioned in our history
classes or books. What little that does exist about Wounded Knee is
normally a sanitized “Official Government Explanation”. And there are
several historically inaccurate depictions of the events leading up to
the massacre, which appear in movie scripts and are not the least bit
representative of the actual events that took place that day.
Wounded Knee was among the first federally backed gun confiscation
attempts in United States history. It ended in the senseless murder of
297 people.
Before you jump on the emotionally charged
bandwagon for gun-control, take a moment to reflect on the real purpose
of the Second Amendment, the right of the people to take up arms in
defense of themselves, their families, and property in the face of
invading armies or an oppressive government. The argument that the
Second Amendment only applies to hunting and target shooting is asinine.
When the United States Constitution was drafted, “hunting” was an
everyday chore carried out by men and women to put meat on the table
each night, and “target shooting” was an unheard of concept. Musket
balls were a precious commodity and were certainly not wasted on “target
shooting”. The Second Amendment was written by people who fled
oppressive and tyrannical regimes in Europe, and it refers to the right
of American citizens to be armed for defensive purposes, should such
tyranny arise in the United States.
As time goes forward, the
average citizen in the United States continually loses little chunks of
personal freedom or “liberty”. Far too many times, unjust gun control
bills were passed and signed into law under the guise of “for your
safety” or “for protection”. The Patriot Act signed into law by G.W.
Bush, was expanded and continues under Barack Obama. It is just one of
many examples of American citizens being stripped of their rights and
privacy for “safety”. Now, the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is on the
table, and will, most likely be attacked to facilitate the path for the
removal of our firearms, all in the name of “our safety”.
Before any American citizen blindly accepts whatever new firearms
legislation that is about to be doled out, they should stop and think
about something for just one minute — evil does exist in our world. It
always has and always will. Throughout history evil people have
committed evil acts. In the Bible one of the first stories is that of
Cain killing Abel. We can not legislate “evil” into extinction. Good
people will abide by the law and the criminal element will always find a
way around it.
Evil exists all around us, but looking back at
the historical record of the past 200 years, across the globe, where is
“evil” and “malevolence” most often found? In the hands of those with
the power, the governments. That greatest human tragedies on record and
the largest loss of innocent human life can be attributed to
governments. Who do the governments always target? “Scapegoats” and
“enemies” within their own borders…but only after they have been
disarmed to the point where they are no longer a threat. Ask any Native
American, and they will tell you it was inferior technology and lack of
arms that contributed to their demise. Ask any Armenian why it was so
easy for the Turks to exterminate millions of them, and they will answer
“We were disarmed before it happened”. Ask any Jew what Hitler’s first
step prior to the mass murders of the Holocaust was- confiscation of
firearms from the people.
Wounded Knee is the prime example of
why the Second Amendment exists, and why we should vehemently resist any
attempts to infringe on our Rights to Bear Arms. Without the Second
Amendment we will be totally stripped of any ability to defend ourselves
and our families.
