What are the protections of the 14th Amendment?

In a world of double standards what's happening in Arizona seems to take the prize. One of the strongest foundational principles of the conservative party is the reliance on the constitution as their cornerstone. Yet they seem to believe the 14th Amendment of the Constitution does not apply as evenly as other Amendments. If you recall the 14th Amendment provides a broader definition of citizenship as a result of the Civil War. It essentially gave the slaves the right to citizenship of which they didn't possess before (amongst many other functions). Granted this Amendment is not living today within the context in which it was drafted. The argument of context is often presented by more liberal leaning groups regarding other rights provided and quickly dismissed by the "Constitutionalists" as irrelevant because these elementary rights are protected by the Constitution and under no circumstance should be infringed upon. Do conservatives only believe in the constitution when its protections are related to their values? While I label myself as a liberal I have always respected the value which Conservatives placed on the rights enabled by the Constitution. I am now confused on what the real agenda of Conservatives is for this country? If the constitution can be ignored when you disagree with it then what are your core values?  Case in point, the 2^nd Amendment is not available to residents of Washington DC. This point is criticized sharply by Conservatives as a liberal agenda against the Bill of Rights. How is this point any different than what is happening in Arizona? Could it be that's it's not different at all? While the context of both rights may have changed since their inception they both have significant value to certain citizens of this country. What are your thoughts?