LTE: All amendments merit vigilant protection

August 04, 2005
Columbus Dispatch

Why is it that The Dispatch fairly seeps righteous indignation when defending The New York Times writer who chose jail over revealing a source but then lauds the assault weapons ban?

I agree with The Dispatch that protecting the First Amendment, freedom of the press, is part of protecting our country and all it stands for. I am not a member of the National Rifle Association, nor would I classify myself as a "gun enthusiast," but it is clear to me that the Founding Fathers meant exactly what they said in the Second Amendment.

If enough Americans decide that the Second Amendment has to go, there are constitutional procedures to repeal it. Short of those procedures, this amendment must be protected with the same zeal as those amendments that more closely mirror The Dispatch’s views.

Perhaps we should ban all written information gauged to be above a second-grade level of comprehension, because it discriminates against those citizens who do not possess such skills. Incidentally, The Dispatch would be safe under such a ban.

Larry Bear
Westerville