A Lesson to be Learned on the
Anniversary of Wounded Knee
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 Heros” 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 can not legislate “evil” into
extinction.
Good people will abide by the law, defective people will always find a
way around it.
And another thought: 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. That 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.”
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 right to defend ourselves
and our families.
"There are two ways to enslave a Nation.
One is by sword,
the other is by debt."