Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution - Bill of Rights

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

Preservation and Proposition

Our mission is to document the pivotal Second Amendment events that occurred in Frontier Mercersburg, and its environs, and to heighten awareness of the importance of these events in the founding of our Nation.

We are dedicated to the preservation of the place where the Second Amendment was "born" and to the proposition that the Second Amendment (the "right to bear arms") is the keystone of our Liberty and the Republic.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

House of history: The clock is ticking on a remnant of the Revolution

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A crime is about to be committed in Franklin County and those who see it unfolding are powerless to prevent it.

The historic Justice William Smith House in Mercersburg is living history, a remnant of America's Revolution that has been standing since a band of settlers gathered there in 1765 to organize an attack on colonial rule, an event that preceded the Boston Tea Party by eight years.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

When a RIGHT is WRONG

JW Ross

A thinking person can make a comparison between the pending construction of a Islamic Center/Mosque at Ground Zero, in New York City, and the pending destruction of the William Smith House, in Mercersburg, PA.

In both cases, the RIGHT of the Muslims or the members of the Fire Board to "construct" or "destruct" is largely supported.

But support for the RIGHT does not mean, in either case, support for the action. RIGHTS come with responsibilities. RIGHTS come with sensibilities. RIGHTS have a moral and ethical component. We have, in principle, the First Amendment RIGHT to "yell fire in a crowded theater", but society has, for the welfare of all, deemed it WRONG to do so. It is WRONG for the Muslims to build a mosque at Ground Zero. It is WRONG for the Fire Board to chose to destroy the historical legacy of the people of Mercersburg.

That said, the Muslims may prevail in their wish to build the Mosque and the Fire Board may prevail and demolish the Smith House. If so, both do so at their peril. Legal WRONGS committed against the ethical RIGHTS of "the people" are not soon forgotten, or easily forgiven.