Reading is fundamental? Make that Ruger . . .

According to a report on Alabama Live The Alabama House of Representatives will take considerable time Tuesday debating a proposed constitutional amendment which will firm up Alabama's citizens' right to bear arms.  The right is and always has been set forth simply and clearly in our State Constitution.   Section 25 of the Constitution of Alabama states:


 "That every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state."


  But, now it is being proposed that the right to bear arms is . . .

fundamental.

The State of Alabama will have an obligation, even more than it already does, to protect the right to own, possess and use your weapon of choice. Any attempted restrictions would  be viewed with "strict scrutiny" by the courts.  The highest scrutiny there is.    That right is fundamental to an Alabamian.

In the article, there was a quote from the legislator proposing the amendment:

"It establishes it as a fundamental right. Those are the rights we hold in highest regard and we want to make sure that the government doesn't intrude upon that," said Rep. Mike Jones, the Andalusia Republican who is sponsoring the bill.

You know what is not a right in Alabama?  Much less a fundamental right?

Public education for children.

Throughout the history of Alabama legislators and governors have strained to prevent our children from having a constitutional right to public education.  That would raise all kinds of messy lawsuits regarding inequality in educational opportunity and, heaven forbid, the possibility that some court may require that the state provide more money to address that inequality in opportunity.

Section 256 of the Alabama Constitution states:



"It is the policy of the state of Alabama to foster and promote the education of its citizens in a manner and extent consistent with its available resources, and the willingness and ability of the individual student, but nothing in this Constitution shall be construed as creating or recognizing any right to education or training at public expense, nor as limiting the authority and duty of the legislature, in furthering or providing for education, to require or impose conditions or procedures deemed necessary to the preservation of peace and order. The legislature may by law provide for or authorize the establishment and operation of schools by such persons, agencies or municipalities, at such places, and upon such conditions as it may prescribe, and for the grant or loan of public funds and the lease, sale or donation of real or personal property to or for the benefit of citizens of the state for educational purposes under such circumstances and upon such conditions as it shall prescribe. Real property owned by the state or any municipality shall not be donated for educational purposes except to nonprofit charitable or eleemosynary corporations or associations organized under the laws of the state. To avoid confusion and disorder and to promote effective and economical planning for education, the legislature may authorize the parents or guardians of minors, who desire that such minors shall attend schools provided for their own race, to make election to that end, such election to be effective for such period and to such extent as the legislature may provide."

So, to put it simply, we in Alabama hold the right to our guns in the  "highest regard", as Representative Jones so nobly stated.  

And we hold the right of our children to equal opportunity in no regard.

In fact the only right regarding the education of our children that is contained in our Constitution is the right not to send our children to school with children of other races.  

I cannot imagine a lower regard for education, and more pathetically, for our children.

But at least now, our children can carry their weapon of choice in their school of choice.  Surely the legislature would not dare deny our children that sacred, fundamental right.

Because with the shape they've let our schools get in, they will probably need them.

And then they will be in juvenile.

But there's no money for that either, so, no big deal.

.