December 29, 2012 marked 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 Hero’s" 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
cannot legislate "evil" into extinction. Good
people will abide by the law, defective people
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- governments. The 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
way to defend ourselves and our families