In a fit of typical Constitutional inconsistency, the right-wing followed up its filibuster of the widely popular gun purchase background check measure by clamoring to toss out a half-dozen other Constitutional amendments following the Boston Marathon bombings. I guess the Second Amendment is the only one they really like in their beloved game of
Cafeteria-style Constitution (cousin to Cafeteria-style Bible): Just pick the parts you like and ignore the rest.
With his usual comedic brilliance, Jon Stewart calls out the right-wing hypocrisy in this must see 7-minute montage entitled "Weak Constitution":
http://www.thedailyshow.com/...
http://www.alternet.org/...
"Following the Boston bombing, the freedom lovers at Fox jettison Constitutional amendments like Han Solo dumping his cargo at the first sign of an Imperial cruiser."
For bombing suspect and American citizen Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, down goes the Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination, down goes the Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial and the Eighth Amendment against cruel and unusual punishment. Down with the Fourth — Let's wiretap mosques. Down with the First — Let’s have a religious litmus test for foreign student enrollment. And down with the Ninth — Let's imprison people for their fashion choices.
Hey, the last I checked our legal system was "innocent until proven guilty" no matter how intense the media coverage. And never mind that in the last 30 years, terrorist attacks have accounted for only 3,400 tragic deaths, but gun violence has accounted for over 900,000 deaths (or over 300,000 if you’re counting only homicides). So the Neocon rule goes like this: When it comes to guns, the price of anarchistic freedom can never be too high; but when it comes to Islamic terrorism, the price of complete security can never be too high.
Stewart sums up the Constitutional hypocrisy:
“Yes, it turns out there’s only one amendment in our constitution’s pantheon that is exempt from statistical analysis or emotional freak-out-itude, and it is the Second. So god help us if the Muslims ever decide to form a well regulated militia.”
Such hypocrisy is not just reserved for bombing suspects, however. As we've seen in state legislatures across the country, the same right-wingers who wail about the imposition of a 5-minute background check are quick to require all sorts of hoop-jumping from millions of law-abiding citizens when it comes to exercising the Constitutional right to vote or to an early abortion.
And here in gun crAZy Arizona, law-abiding citizens are regularly subject to questioning and searches at drug/immigration checkpoints as far as 100 miles from the actual Mexico border. Praise the Second, but screw the Fourth.