Keep the bus service; Bill of Rights and national security

Dear editor:

Usually, I only disagree with one editorial, but this week there were two. First of all, we should keep the bus service. Just enclose a monthly bus pass in every water bill and add $1 a month. That would increase use and yield enough money to expand the service. Next election, ask whether to continue or discontinue the bus, and go with the majority. If it's not legal to do it that way, we need the legislature to give local government more options.

As far as which of the Bill of Rights amendments are on life support or irrelevant, that has a lot to do with the complacent opinions printed by those who enjoy Freedom of the Press. For example, the fact that government does not try to compel property owners to house the military could be construed as a result of Constitutional Law, not an indicator that such law is unnecessary.

And, who says we don't need a well regulated Militia? The Constitution of the United States says the Militia is necessary to the security of a free state, and no new amendment has been passed to change what it says. If a few well-armed Militia members had been on those airplanes on 9/11, we would have had a bunch of dead terrorists rather than thousands of innocent civilian casualties.

When the Constitution was written, threats to our security were evident to everyone, and the militia were citizens the governor could call out to execute laws of the Union, suppress insurrection, and repel invasion.

But time went by, and we dropped our guard. Today's threats are more insidious, but a lot of them could be dealt with better if every able civilian had firearm training and could respond in an emergency.

Jim Breslin