Giuliani on the Bill of Rights: 9/11 Changed Everything

Don’t you hate that expression “9/11 changed everything” – especially when it is (ab)used to justify some rightwing nutcase idea? Steve Benen watched Rudy’s performance at the NRA so we don’t have to:

Given his record, Rudy Giuliani’s pitch to the National Rifle Association is a tough one. He’s referred to the group’s members as “extremists”; he’s fought the group on the assault-weapons ban; and he filed a federal lawsuit as mayor against the nation’s gun manufacturers for violent crimes involving firearms. Indeed, he’s blasted the gun industry as one that “profits from the suffering of innocent people.” … Yesterday, Giuliani backed away from the lawsuit, saying he might not uphold it if he were a judge. “That lawsuit has taken several turns and several twists that I don’t agree with,” he said, without going into specifics. “I also think that there are some major intervening events – September 11, which cast somewhat of a different light on the Second Amendment, doesn’t change it fundamentally but perhaps highlights the necessity of it.” … Asked to explain the shift, a campaign spokesperson said Giuliani was “making a point that personal rights such as the 2nd Amendment are even more critical in a post-September 11th world.”

Well, maybe not all of our personal rights as explained by Brendan Nyhan who documents that RUDY would ban certain kinds of criticisms of certain public figures. So – 9/11 made it more important to protect the rights of individuals to carry weapons but it also made it less important to protect the right of free expression. I see!