Jan. 22, 2013

    December 29, 2012 marks the 122nd Anniversary of the murder of 297 Sioux

   Indians at Wounded Knee Creek on the Pine Ridge 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. When the

    final round had flown, of the 297 dead or dying, two thirds (200) were women

    and children.

    Around 40 members of the 7th Cavalry were killed, over half cut down by

    friendly fire from the Hotchkiss guns of their overzealous comrades-in-arms.

    Twenty members of the 7th Cavalry were deemed "National Heros" and awarded

    the Medal of Honor for their acts of cowardice.

    We do not hear of Wounded Knee today. It is not mentioned in our history

    classes or books. What little does exist about Wounded Knee is normally the

    sanitized "Official Government Explanation" or the historically and

    factually inaccurate depictions of the events leading up to the massacre on

    the movie screen.

    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 in the wilds of early America , and

    were certainly not wasted "target shooting". The Second Amendment was

    written by people who fled oppressive and tyrannical regimes in Europe , and

    refers to the right of American citizens to be armed for defense purposes

    should such tyranny rise in the United States .

    As time goes on the average citizen in the United States continues to lose

    personal freedom or "liberty". Far too many times unjust bills are 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, then expanded and

    continued by Barack Obama 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 taken away for

    "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, defective people will always

    find a way around it.

    And another thought 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-

    governments. That greatest human tragedies on record and the largest loss of

    innocent human life can be attributed to governments. Who do governments

    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 shouldn't be in such a hurry to surrender our Right to Bear Arms.

    Without the Second Amendment we have no right to defend ourselves and our

    families.

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