Originally Posted by
Eow
For me the pendulum has never swung too far on the side of individual rights, certainly it hasn't since Franklin Roosevelt became President. America's Bill of Rights are designed to be individual rights, not rights of government. Free speech, freedom of religion, Keep and bear arms, right to a fair trial with a lawyer, etc. are all individual rights. It is about time that in Heller the court finally made that clear.
Europe always tries to balance the needs of society with individual rights, which is why their freedom of speech and right to bear arms is virtually non-existent. What is great about America is that it is the first country in the world to say that individual rights outweigh the rights of society. That unless the individual is violating someone else's rights, the state cannot stop the individual from exercising those rights. Of course, over time these rights have eroded and America is not as great as it once was. It is good to see the Supreme Court once again recognizing these individual rights, as I hope they do when they make their decision in this case.