CSGV Fact FAIL

This just in... I'm new to Twitter. I've had a twitter account for about a week, maybe. When I signed up for Twitter, 'followed' some gun rights groups, politicians and some anti-rights groups. Tonight, when I got home from dinner, I pulled up twitter to see the following tweet from a twit at CSGV and below is my replies. (notice, on twitter, you can only send a message with 160 characters, just so you know)

In case you can't read that it says "FACT: Neither Second Amendment author James Madison nor Congress ever mentions issue of Individual self-defense when discussing amendment"

Really? #dumbasses. 

Here's the short version of history. There were Federalist and Anti-Federalist. Federalist (James Madison et al) wanted a federal government. Anti-Federalist (George Mason et al) weren't so hip with the idea of another central government trying to run shit. Now, if you didn't know, there were States before there was the fed.gov. In these States' Bills of Rights, there were Right to Bear Arms clauses. Most of them went like this: 

That a well-regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defence of a free state; that standing armies, in time of peace, should be avoided, as dangerous to liberty; and that in all cases the military should be under strict subordination to, and governed by, the civil power.

That right there was from Virginia's own 1776 Declaration of Rights and was so bitchin' that several other states copied it verbatim. Now, I'm sure most of you know the author of that little piece of text. That's right, George 'Mother Fucker Get Off My Lawn' Mason.

Keep in mind, too, that words back in the day had a different meaning than today, notably 'well-regulated'. Regulated didn't mean controlled by some government or anti-rights asswipe, it meant self disciplined and well trained.

If I may direct your attention to who the militia was, it was 'composed of the body of the people'. Yeah, bitches, as in We The People, the citizens.

This militia thing wasn't thought up right there in 1776, it was way back in 1774, before all the '76 British drama crap, that Mason got together with a group of folks and said:

In this time of extreme Danger, with the Indian Enemy in our Country, and threat’ned with the Destruction of our Civil-rights & Liberty, and all that is dear to British Subjects & Freemen; we the Subscribers, taking into our serious consideration the present alarming Situation of all the British Colonies upon this Continent as well as our own, being sensible of the expediency of putting the Militia of this colony upon a more respectable Footing & hoping to excite others by our Example, have voluntarily freely & cordially entered unto the following Association; which we, each of us ourselves respectively, solemnly promise, & pledge our Honours to each other, and to our Country to perform. That we will form ourselves into a Company, not exceeding one hundred Men, by the Name of Fairfax independent Company of Volunteers, making Choice of our own Officers; to whom, for the Sake of Good-order & Regularity, we will pay due submission. That we will meet at such Times and Places in this County as our said Officers (to be chosen by a Majority of the Members, so soon as fifty have subscribed) shall appoint & direct, for the Purpose of learning & practicing the military Exercise & Discipline, . . . distinguishing our Dress, when we are upon Duty, by painted Hunting-Shirts and Indian Boots, or Caps, as shall be found most convenient, . . . And we do Each of us, for ourselves respectively, promise and engage to keep a good Fire-lock in proper Order, & to furnish Ourselves as soon as possible with, & always keep by us, one Pound of Gunpowder, four Pounds of lead, one dozen Gun-Flints,& a pair of Bullet-Moulds, with a Cartouch Box, or power-horn, and bag for Balls. That we will use our utmost Endeavours, as well at the Musters of the said Company, as by all other means in our Power, to make ourselves Masters of the Military Exercise. And that we will always hold ourselves in Readiness, in Case of Necessity, hostile Invasion, or real Danger of the Community of which we are members.

At the time, it was more of a neighborhood watch program. Keeping the bad folks "off our lawn" and keeping a bag for Balls. Oops, forgot the part about being self armed and all.

Skip ahead several years and George Mason is still bitchin' about no Declaration of Rights for the People and the States. The Anti-Federalist are concerned with the authority of the fed.gov to raise an army and the Federalist are sayin' 'What the Hell, with every citizen armed, we ain't doing' shit to yall'.

Getting back to James Madison, keep in mind, now, he wasn't no punk He's even referred to as the Father of the Constitution, and he was from Virginia, too. He started taking heat about no Bill of Rights. He thought that a Bill of Rights would be wrong (but yet, he was also called the Father of the Bill of Rights). I'll skip the reasons why he thought that a Bill of Rights was a bad idea, we'll just agree that he was the primary force getting the Bill of Rights pushed through. It's getting late, so I'll just end with a quote from "the author of the Second Amendment" James Madison

From The Federalist, No. 46 

Americans (the people) have the right and advantage of being armed ― unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms. [emphasis added]

And

the advantage of being armed which Americans (the citizens) possess over the people of almost every other nation...(where) the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.[emphasis added]

Tell me Twit, where does 'the author' say that the right of the people to keep and bear arms doesn't lie with the people, AKA Americans, AKA the citizens?