The Ongoing Mystery of Rights Infringement
I would like to preface these statements with some acknowledgments. I believe that rights of the people are infringed upon by all political parties, it would be impossible to prove otherwise. The political parties and powers that rotate in Washington D.C. are nothing more than oligarchies that are influenced and ultimately controlled by even more elite persons and companies’ monies. I do, however, take exception to some things that are taking place in my home state of Texas and the people who reside therein.
Let us start a little lower on the chain of command, the state and local levels. There are no two ways about it, Texas is a large, red, conservative, rights loving state. The rural areas are vastly conservative and the urban are decidedly more liberal and cultured, for the most part (Houston is only second to NYC in number of seats in theater districts). Texas has been dominated by conservatives for decades and they are very much in love with the term “states’ rights” that enviably ensues to any political discussion and implies that the people ultimately have power over their lives on the local level…or so they told us.
Before the collapse of the oil market, fracking for oil and gas was making oil companies money hand over fist and spurring outpost locations into boom towns. Many people had concerns over the impacts it was having on the land and communities that they raised their families in and protested in their defense. Being the rights loving people we are, the good people of Denton casted their ballots on a referendum to ban the practice within the cities jurisdiction and succeeded. Sounds like an easy win for the people rights…but before the ink could dry, the great state of Texas reversed these peoples will and made it illegal to ban fracking…anywhere. To many who are not familiar with the area, you could cast this scenario as the classic “tree hugging liberals vs. big bad oil company”. You would be incorrect. The vast majority of Denton’s population is conservative and support fracking, just not the vast number of wells located so close to their homes. Why the change of heart on the sacred right of the peoples will? I wish it could be harder to guess but of course its money. Just like Washington’s lobbyists that Texas politicians love to hate…unless it is helping their next campaign.
Next up is Open Carry. Starting in 2016 anyone with 4 to 6 hours training is now qualified to walk around with a handgun on their hip. I will ignore the fact that it takes 500 hours training to become a massage therapist because they want to ensure that no one is hurt from “under-training”. I will also ignore the fact that this law was not put to referendum. I do take issue with, once again, is that they will not let local municipalities in the biggest cities take a vote to opt out of the law in their jurisdiction. I refuse to argue the merits of the Second Amendment, it is there, and it is not going away, for better or worse. However, I have yet to hear a good argument why it is necessary to bring a loaded pistol on your hip to a grocery store. Also, I sincerely doubt that if there is an active shooter scenario that more guns held by untrained civilians will help the situation. I am not a veteran, but like any other task there is a mental acuity and muscle memory that takes place from being in the situation where you are pulling a trigger and taking a life. However, the choruses chime back from many people I know…”It’s my right, and a right unexercised is a right lost”
Ultimately what really confuses me with people who use that defense is what they say and do when hear people exercising the right built into the new law. The law states that any private business may choose to opt out and not allow an openly carried firearm if they post a clear sign at the entrance. Oh my, that caused an outrage on social media. Everything from “that sign isn’t legal!” to much more expletive filled comments. Why is it okay to only exercise a right if you agree with it? Why are you inherently more right filled and right loving than me? I learned not to argue on social media long ago, it is fruitless and potentially dangerous if you offend the wrong people. Are they not actually upset about someone else ultimately exercising the rights that we are given? Maybe we will see the errors of our ways and act to save the rights we still have. It is a long road, filled with many pitfalls, but we have to walk it for the sake of the next generation. We need to find the things that bring us together and not focus on the things that pit us against our neighbor, which is exactly how you suppress a population. Fear, hate, bigotry, sexism, and racism are every man’s enemy. If we don’t, they will need the second amendment intact to tear down this government and start anew.
Alexander Williams is a social commenter, and first generation Texan, and graduate of the University of Houston.
