Seen on the same Washington Post web-page: A George Will Op-Ed on Congressthing Jim McGovern's (D-MA, soooo-prize) insane "People's Rights Amendment," which would deny any formal association of people the right of free speech -- yep, from the commies to the NRA, from WWF to WWE, Unk Sam could make 'em STFU -- and an online poll asking, "Is democracy still adequately addressing America's problems?"
"Democracy" as it is currently conceptualized certainly appears to be ensuring we don't run out of problems -- and allowing government of any sort too much freedom of action is the primary problem, not democracy, or whatever you'd replace it by. If there was some way to keep it bottled up and harnessed down, a frikkin' autocracy of vanishingly few, well-defined and strictly-limited powers might do just fine; but there ain't. We've got us a republic (with strong elements of a democracy) because the bunch of geeks who thunk it up could not dream up a better way to put reins on those who would try'n reign over us.
That doesn't mean puttin' every damn' thing up for a vote is such a red-hot idea. An overlapping set of geeks thought so, too, and came up with the Bill of Rights, which was supposed to keep a whole heap of listed and implied rights out from under the thumb of nose-counting -- and safely away from the greasy, grabby fingers of Senators and Representatives.
Clearly, one Jim McGovern (D-MA) did a lot of sleeping in Civics class. Or had they swept all that rubbish out by the time he was sent off to school? "Cradle"-- and grave -- "of democracy," indeed.
The Democrats would muzzle groups like the NRA, while the Republicans would seek to regulate the speech of Labor Unions. This again reinforces my belief that there is no real difference between the two parties.
ReplyDeleteThe War of Northern Aggression was not about freeing the slaves, slavery continued in the north until the passage of the 14th amendment. It was about the respective powers of the States vs. the Federal Government. It has taken 150 yrs., approximately, for the Federal system to usurp almost all of the powers of the States. The only questions remaining are whether of not the People of the USA will continue to allow that concentration of power, and if not how will they take it back.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the Democrat and Republican parties are organized as corporations. This Amendment might get interesting if they parties were prevented from spending any money on campaigning ...
ReplyDeleteSo Nancy Pelosi backs this? How did she EVER get to be Speaker w/o knowing the Constitution?
ReplyDelete"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."
ReplyDeleteAnd if they don't?