AA SLF I think you will find if you read the relevant ammendment(2nd?) to your constitution you will find that it guarantees the right to bear arms within a well ordered Militia. The NRA, and others, find it helps their cause to leave the last bit off any reference to that ammendment.
The framers of the constitution wrote it that way because they didn't want any formal armed forces that a future Govt could use against the people, so they preferred a large reserve of 'trained' armed citizens they could call up at times of crisis.
Hardly needed now when you have the Army, Marines, Navy, Airforce and National gaurd to protect you! Like I said your Constitution does not guarantee your right to bear arms, as a blanket statement, it has qualifications that many seem to ignore!
Irondriver,
Yes the US has done many wonderful things for a great many people of the world, as I stated in my pevious post, BUT, don't try and confuse the issue! The aircraft on the 911 wern't flown by Japanese, French, Germans or Indians....they were flown, mostly, by Saudia Arabians and some other Middle Eastern ethnic groups.
The US Govt crapped all over South America, Africa, South East Asia and the Middle East for most of the last half of the 20th Century, do you really think they give a toss about how nice the US was to Europe or Japan, after they nuked it anyway? And before you start to squeel, yes nuking Japan was easily then justifiable!
IF THE US AND UN DON'T CONFRONT THE REASONS/JUSTIFICATION FOR A LOT OF THE TERRORISM THEN IT WILL NOT BE STOPPED IN OUR LIFE TIME, OR THAT OF OUR CHILDREN PROBABLY!
Chuck.
[ 26 November 2001: Message edited by: Chimbu chuckles ]