Argumentative Essay: Gun Control Violates The Second Amendment of the Constitution :: Second Amendment The Right To Bear Arms

Civilian ownership of firearms has for more than two hundred years been the very cornerstone upon which the liberty of the public has been supported. The very reason that Americans have never suffered a tyranny on the scale of Nazi-Germany has been due to the proliferation of firearms in the hands of the general public. The Second Amendment to the Bill of rights of the United States Constitution states "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." In order to understand that right, the modern reader must understand the semantics of the eighteenth century. The term "Well Regulated" meant well trained according to James Madison, the principle author of the Constitution. The term militia, according to the Militia Act of 1792, referred to all able-bodied male citizens. The meaning then of the Second Amendment is made quite clear. It is meant to serve as a chain upon the government to prevent the infringement of government power upon the Civil Liberties of Americans. Further proof of this can be seen in a quote from George Madison. "I ask, Sir, What is the Militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials." (George Madison, Three Elliot, Debates at 425-426). R ichard Henry Lee, in his Additional Letters from the Federal Farmer of 1788 stated, "A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves.and include all men capable of bearing arms." Title Ten section 331 of the U.S. code states "The Militia of the United States consists of all able bodied men at least seventeen years of age." The founding fathers of the United States believed that government is a necessary evil. They wrote the Bill of Rights, as stated earlier, to serve as a chain, which would limit government power over its citizens. Civilian ownership of firearms would, in the founding fathers' view, be the " American Peoples' liberty teeth." (George Washington). This is to say that, despite attempts by some hypothetical future government to impose a tyranny, the American people would be able to resist it without armed force. The same founding fathers had only thrown off the yoke of tyranny during the revolution. They knew full well the value of an armed citizenry in fighting off tyranny. The minutemen assembled at Lexington and Concord to prevent the Royal Fusiliers from seizing the munitions of the militia as General Gage had ordered (Order of General Gage, April 18,1775).

Questions and Answers about Marriage and Same-Sex Union

The two articles delve into the contemporary debate of same sex union. The first one presents the conservative orthodox view of the Catholic faith on same sex union while the second article presents an unorthodox view which is more liberal and accepting. Both article advocate a stand on the same issue and aims to spread the good news of their stand. The two articles tackle the issue of same sex union by giving their own definition of marriage.The orthodox view argues that marriage, as instituted by God, is a faithful, exclusive, lifelong union of a man and a woman joined in an intimate community of life and love and that same sex union is an altogether different thing from marriage since it does not fit the definition. They say that it is not based on the natural complementarity of male and female; it cannot cooperate with God to create new life; and the natural purpose of sexual union cannot be achieved by a same-sex union.The liberal view points otherwise saying that Marriage can b e defined as the unique and special form of committed friendship and this does not say that the persons have to be heterosexually attracted, thus people of the same sex can still be married. This contrasting view is an interesting point for further comparison and contrasting. Both authors use the bible as their authoritative source of arguments. The USCCB in sum claims that what is right is what is written in the bible, Prof.Maguire on his part claims that the bible as a historical account is not an account of what is right, it sometimes contain accounts which recommends what should not be done as depicted by the lesson of particular stories like in the stories about slavery. The liberal view purports that many Catholic theologians agree now with Protestant and Jewish theologians that same sex unions can be moral, healthy, and holy and that many Catholic people are living in same sex unions and adopting children and still practicing their Catholic faith however .While the USCCB cont inues to campaign against the equation of same sex unions to marriage and urges followers to keep their opinions in line with the teachings of their faith and of the bible. While using almost the same source, the bible and the interpretation of the word of God, both authors argue in different directions both of which does not directly rebut each other.

The Importance Of Ancient Literature - 700 Words

Essentially when we think about studying literature, especially literature that is centuries old, thoughts such as â€Å"why is this important or how does this relate to me?† arise. Although someone is not going to relate to every piece of writing they read, literature still has plenty to offer. For example, take the course textbook; The Norton Anthology of World Literature. All the excerpts in the book are thousands of years old, so yes, it is possible that one could read the entire text and not relate to single printed word on a personal level. However, there is also the historical context to consider. Ancient literature is almost like a door to the past or in more modern context, a time machine; as it offers us a way to study cultures long†¦show more content†¦Conscious finally returned to Lu and lived out his life as a teacher, gathering a considerable following. The Analects were not written by the master, but by his disciples several generations after his passin g. The Analects discuss topics such as, filial piety (respect for one’s elders), government, and the importance of self-improvement. A prevalent theme throughout several of them is the importance of education and the pursuit of knowledge. Here are a few examples: â€Å"In the old days, people studied to improve themselves. Now they study in order to impress others† (14.24). Meaning, one should study to enhance their life, not to impress colleagues. â€Å"Learning is like a chase in which, as you fail to catch up, you fear to lose what you have already gained† (8.17). There is a plethora of topics to research and analyze, thus it is not humanly possible to know or understand everything. One should utilize education to enrich their life, not to compete with others. When studying, one should expand upon current knowledge, instead of attempting to learn an unfamiliar topic. 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