After the assassination of three police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Fox News began broadcasting comments from various “conservative” commentators demanding that Ohio’s open carry law be suspended in Cleveland for the duration of the Republic Convention. This was a very scary precedent that Fox News seemed all too happy to endorse. Thankfully, Ohio Governor John Kasich denied the request on quite legitimate grounds. However, I fear something more insidious is afoot.
The mere consideration that laws protecting basic Constitutional Rights should be suspended is terrifying. Let’s consider the precedent dictatorial police union leaders are setting by calling for the suspension of open carry in Ohio. First of all, those calling for the ban base their demand for emergency powers on the fact three police officers over a thousand miles away were killed in a nation of over 320 million people. If the bar in our nation for the institution of martial law is the death of three officers, we will be living under military rule by August. What happened in Dallas and Baton Rouge is horrific. However, if anyone thinks that draconian actions and suspension of our rights will make things better, they are not just stupid, but treasonous. Our “rights” are not granted so they can be denied when we need them the most. That is precisely when things are dangerous and difficult.
Second, Governor Kasich does not have the power to pick and choose which laws he would like to see enforced or not. Can you imagine an executive such as President Obama with the ability to declare a state of emergency because of three deaths? I am sure Obama could have it arranged and would certainly love for the public to give him the authority to immediately and arbitrarily suspend whatever laws he doesn’t like. However, I am curious why anyone would think the man that has in a large part engineered and instigated this violence will do anything to stop it if he is awarded with more power? Read more
