Walter Patterson Herald ColumnistMany years ago, I taught an American history course to a group of high school juniors.  The first thing I did was get this group a copy of The Constitution of the United States of America.  The second thing I did was require that they read it.
When is the last time you read or re-read our Constitution?  I suspect that many have never read it and others have not read it since they left either high school or college.
The Constitution is truly a remarkable document.  The men who wrote it can only be described as “brilliant” because they crafted a document for self-government like nothing that had ever existed.  They had experienced personally the heavy hand of government, and they knew that people function best when government is small and its powers are limited.  Otherwise, like in Europe, it takes only a short time before the politically powerful grow corrupt and begin to oppress the common man.
Unfortunately, there are those among us who would like to do away with our Constitution; specifically, senators and representatives in our own congress. They would never admit it because they are aware that the American people would throw them out of office so they carefully couch their words to mislead the voters.  
Today, the Chuck Shumers and Dick Durbins of the Senate want to eradicate an important portion of our Constitution, the second amendment.  This is echoed by President Obama who wants to limit “gun violence.”  He is careful not to call what he wants to do “gun control” because he knows that members of his own party will not support such a draconian measure.  
But away from Washington, you see wild-eyed liberals advocating that guns be confiscated or that severe restrictions be placed on the type of gun Americans can purchase, or even worse, that all guns be registered.
The founders of this country understood that “a man without a gun is a subject.  A man with a gun is a citizen.”  They envisioned a time when citizens may have to defend themselves against an oppressive government.  Something is going on in America today.  Why is Homeland Security buying billions of bullets?  Why is the Social Security Administration buying billions of bullets? Is it because Obama in 2008 declared that we needed a “civilian army equal to the regular army”?  For what purpose?  Does he intend to form a civilian army that will enforce his edicts?  Will he establish himself as “dictator for life?”  Does he plan to do away with the Constitution and rule by fiat?  I have no idea what his plans are, but I do know that Homeland Security does not need a billion bullets – hollow points at that.  
Have you noticed that in some large cities, the regular army has been conducting maneuvers? Los Angeles is the latest example. Why?  Is the government preparing to put down civilian unrest?  Does Obama already know that his policies will cause the American economy to collapse thus insuring civilian unrest that must be put down by deadly force?
The liberals have introduced a bill in Washington State that would allow the police to come into the home of legal gun owners once a year for an official inspection.  The incompetent police chief of Chicago says that the Second Amendment is a danger to public safety, and all gun shows in a Maryland county have been banned.  
Washington State is a bastion for leftist, Chicago is near collapse, and Maryland is in the control of leaders who suggest that we are living in a post-constitutional democracy.  All of these places are in the control of Democrats and have been for many years.  
The Constitution was written to protect individual freedoms.  Unlike Obama who claims that the Constitution has a list of “negative powers” saying what the government can and cannot do, he wants a list of “positive powers” that tell what the government can do.   When we reach that point in our history, we will be living under a monarchy or dictatorship.
The Second Amendment was never written to protect hunters.  It was written so that private citizens could protect themselves from an oppressive government or from those who would do harm.  The American people know this, and this is why they are arming themselves.  For that reason, I think we will remain citizens – not subjects, and that is a good thing.