VAWA 2013: Backdoor assault on First AND Second amendments | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: Brant Clifton notices the inane belief that the federal government will fix everything in his "bare knuckles" Conservative online publication known as The Daily Haymaker.

    Who could possibly be against protecting women against violence? The renewal of the disingenuously-named Violence Against Women Act sailed through the Senate with 78 of 100 votes and 238 votes out of 435 (87 GOP votes) in the House.

    Never mind that the bill also covers same-sex couples. Never mind that domestic violence is illegal in all 50 states already. Never mind that "domestic violence" under federal law will now include words that hurt a victim's feelings. Seriously. You can NOW be charged under federal law with "domestic violence" if you say something mean to someone else.

    Never mind that Indian tribal governments can now prosecute "non-Native Americans" for "domestic violence."

    What's next? A federal "Puppy Protection Act" that raises taxes, deports Republican voters and allows people to marry their household pets?

    An attorney friend raised an interesting point with me: A federal conviction for domestic violence will mean a defendant forfeiting his right to ever own a gun.

    This legislation sounds like an easy way to get weapons out of the hands of a lot of people. It's one thing to put someone away for slapping their spouse around. It's another thing to send someone away for saying something inappropriate or rude to their significant other.

    A few years ago, The Supreme Court slapped down significant chunks of earlier versions of this bill. Justice Scalia questioned whether the federal government even has any jurisdiction in domestic violence matters. Where's the interstate commerce?

    All of the GOP members of The House from The Carolinas voted against this travesty. Richard Burr (R-NC) voted FOR it in the Senate. Sens. Graham AND Scott from South Carolina each voted NO.

    It's like a drip-drip-drip Orwellian effort to strip away our freedoms. We can't take our eyes off these people for a second.