Political Irony

Many conservatives seem very selective about which Constitutionally guaranteed rights they recognize. Life at conception supported over living after birth. Freedom of some religions is valued but freedom from religion should not be an option. Happiness and the benefits of marriage for heterosexual couples is sanctioned but no love for others.Money is protected speech, protestors are sent to designated protest areas.

The right to vote should be our most cherished freedom but apparently, gun rights are more important than voting rights. From the New York Times:

Under federal law, people with felony convictions forfeit their right to bear arms. Yet every year, thousands of felons across the country have those rights reinstated, often with little or no review. In several states, they include people convicted of violent crimes, including first-degree murder and manslaughter, an examination by The New York Times has found.

While previously a small number of felons were able to reclaim their gun rights, the process became commonplace in many states in the late 1980s, after Congress started allowing state laws to dictate these reinstatements — part of an overhaul of federal gun laws orchestrated by the National Rifle Association. The restoration movement has gathered force in recent years, as gun rights advocates have sought to capitalize on the 2008 Supreme Court ruling that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to bear arms.

Ironically, or perhaps hypocritically, many of the same gun proponents are equally opposed to allowing ex-cons to vote. Even worse, Republican controlled legislatures are passing bills limiting polling access and requiring photo IDs in ways that suppress voting in many communities. What’s next … firing a gun is free speech?

– Iron Filing