Iran and the Structure of Freedom

A little history, perhaps? The 2nd Amendment is the topic, but we will get to Iran soon.

The Supreme Court recently held that the 2nd Amendment enshrined an individual right to bare arms for the citizens of our Republic. But the most relevant part to this post is where the 2nd Amendment states: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State ..."

What does this mean? What is a "well regulated Militia" anyway? It is an army composed of part-time soldiers, whose responsibilities would include keeping the public peace and enforcing the laws.  For us cynics, then, a Militia was envisioned as the low paid, part-time thugs who would back up the governing power structure. Why then would the Founders describe such a motley group as "necessary to the security of a free state?"

Because they were afraid, not of public disorder, but of a greater evil, government disorder, aka governments that want to oppress freedom by the use of power rather than persuasion. If, the theory was, the only muscle available to a government to enforce its authority were part-time soldiers, then quelling rebellion caused by the over-reaching of government power would be impossible: the army of the state would not be willing to beat, shoot or otherwise do the dirty work necessary to prevent its fellow citizens (and perhaps even neighbors and families) from rising up against the state.

Today, we might be seeing a bit of that principle in Iran, albeit unconsciously. The Iranian Army is composed mostly of conscripts, i.e., involuntary soldiers, whose real empathy might lie with the people they were conscripted from. Note this quote from today's news:

"According to a Twitter post from inside Iran, the army announced it will not use force against Iranians, only foreigners. The army is made up of conscripts."

Of course, as all good totalitarian states have learned over the last century, it is important to have a cadre of true believers who are not of the people. And so it is in Iran: "The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij Militia, though, are separate armed forces loyal to the regime."

This fight in Iran may go a myriad of different ways. But on this point, I think it is instructive to note how prescient, thoughtful and deep are the sentiments of liberty in our Constitution, which we cast aside at our peril.

Especially if we cast them aside without even appreciating their relevance, as seems likely under the tutelage of our Ignorati Class of leaders today, who have neither experience nor education in the history of America, or of the essential rarity of freedom and liberty in this world that informed and energized the Founders.