LTE – JoAnn Utphall – 5-26-2021
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Why are so many of the silent majority advocates for the second amendment? One reason is that we know history. The people who wrote the constitution were afraid of our government becoming too powerful; eventually becoming a tyranny. A civilian militia is one way to make sure that the government doesn’t become a tyranny.
Now let’s explore the incidents in U.S. history that the government has misused its power. Let’s start with the Native Americans (NA). After the “Indian Wars” the first thing that the U.S. government did was to disarm them and relocate them to reservations. During the late 1800’s the U.S. government forced tens of thousands of NA children from their homes and bused them to “assimilation” boarding schools where they were only taught in English (no Native American culture or traditions, etc.). Maybe if they would have had guns that the government couldn’t have taken their children away to boarding schools. After 150 years, the U.S. government is still managing the reservations.
A ListVerse news article lists ten times that the U.S. government has massacred striking workers:
1. In 1877, in Martinsburg, Virginia: By the end of the “The Great Railroad Strike”, 100 workers were killed by cops, National Guard troops and federal soldiers.
2. Bay View Massacre in 1886 in Milwaukee, WI: National Guard fired on the marching protestors, killing 15 – including two teenagers.
3. Morewood Massacre in 1891 in PA: Troops fired on the miners and coke oven marchers, killing seven.
4. Pullman Strike in 1894: Pres. Cleveland mobilizes thousands of U.S. Marshalls and 12,000 U.S. Army troops spread throughout the US. In total more than 30 railroad workers were gunned down.
5. Lattimer Massacre happened in PA in 1897: County Sheriff and posse opened fire on about 400 unarmed coal workers (strikers) who were marching on their way to support the unionized efforts. Nineteen were killed and some were shot in the back.
6. Chicago was the location of the Teamsters’ Strike. Twenty strikers were killed and 400 injured.
7. The United Mine (coal) Workers at Cabin Creek. After 10 months the standoff ended, when Kanawha County Sheriff Bonner Hill and a group of detectives brought in a heavily armored, weaponized train and assaulted the strikers’ camp with high-powered rifles and machine guns.
8. In Ludlow, Colorado: After 6 months passed, the National Guard went into the coal miners’ camp using machine guns. The miners’ leader tried talking to the National Guard but was instead executed by them. The camp was set afire. Many died, including women and children.
9. In 1920, in Blair Mountain, West Virginia: Using mine owner funds, the county Sheriff hired a private military force and hired pilots to drop left over bombs from WWI onto the workers’ camp. Following that Pres. Harding ordered federal troops into the area. After 15 months, about 100 strikers were killed.
10. In 1937, in Chicago: On Memorial Day at the entrance to the Chicago steel mill, about 250 peaceful unarmed men, women and children were fired at by 250 Chicago policemen – killing ten and injuring more than 100.
More recently in 1992, RUBY RIDGE, Idaho was the location where the U.S. Marshalls and FBI Hostage Rescue Team surrounded the property of Randy Weaver after Mr. Weaver had failed to appear before court on firearms charges. For 11 days, Mr. Weaver, his family, and his friend, Kevin Harris stood their ground against the FBI. FBI sniper shot and killed his wife, Vicki. Both sides incurred casualties. After Harris, Weaver and his daughters surrendered, Harris and Weaver were arraigned on a variety of federal criminal charges, but all charges were acquitted except Weavers original charges. The Weavers and Harris brought civil suits against the U.S. government. Weaver was awarded a $3.1 million settlement and Harris was awarded a $380,000 settlement.
In 1993, the WACO SIEGE started when a postal worker noticed that the Branch Davidians (Seventh Day Adventist splinter group) had a lot of guns in their community. According to the New York Times, “five .223-caliber semi-automatic assault rifles, two .22-caliber rifles and two 12-gauge shotguns with almost 400 rounds of ammunition” was confiscated after the siege ended but was later returned. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) conducted an early morning raid which resulted in a firefight that left four ATF and two Branch Davidians dead. The 51-day siege concluded after the FBI assault the Branch Davidian compound, which led to a fire that killed 66 Davidians, including twenty-three children. By the end, 88 Davidians and four government agents were killed and sixteen wounded. Some evidence showed that the ATF may have fired the first shot without identifying themselves and that the FBI agents possibly used unethical and illegal tactics (use of pyrotechnics that caused flames to engulf the compound) to end the siege.
Draw your own conclusion: Do you totally trust the U.S. government? The Second Amendment Resolution sends a message to our elected officials that we do not want more (stricter) gun laws. What we need is for our current laws to be enforced, effective identification of mental illness and more treatment centers, a culture that respects other people and their property, less entitlement and more two parent families.
JoAnn Utphall
Boyceville