222 Years Later
The federal Constitution was signed 222 years ago, September 17, 1787. What would the framers think of what we have done with the Constitution?What would the signers of the Constitution think of today's America? Warrantless wiretaps, the PATRIOT Act, and an expansion of federal power so great that they could not have possibly imagined it in their worst nightmares? Many of the framers of the Constitution favored the addition of a Bill of Rights, and George Mason was among those who refused to sign the original document without one. If ever we understood the reason why, it is now.
Labels: Conservatism, Federal politics, Miscellany
posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 11:51 PM
3 Comments:
You are correct, the Founding Fathers would be aghast at the encroachments on the Bill of Rights that has occurred over the past 50 years. I doubt they would recognize what the 4th Amendment has become. I suspect that conservatives will destroy what's left of the 4th Amendment in my lifetime, and liberals will stand idly by while they do it.
I know you won't agree, but I thank God for the ACLU everyday for its' fight for our civil liberties.
Notice that there are no R's in the sponsor list?
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jon Tester (D-MT), Tom Udall (D-NM), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) have introduced legislation to fix problems with surveillance laws that threaten the rights and liberties of American citizens. The Judicious Use of Surveillance Tools In Counterterrorism Efforts (JUSTICE) Act would reform the USA PATRIOT Act, the FISA Amendments Act and other surveillance authorities to protect Americans’ constitutional rights, while preserving the powers of our government to fight terrorism.
The JUSTICE Act reforms include more effective checks on government searches of Americans’ personal records, the “sneak and peek” search provision of the PATRIOT Act, “John Doe” roving wiretaps and other overbroad authorities. The bill will also reform the FISA Amendments Act, passed last year, by repealing the retroactive immunity provision, preventing “bulk collection” of the contents of Americans’ international communications, and prohibiting “reverse targeting” of innocent Americans. And the bill enables better oversight of the use of National Security Letters (NSLs) after the Department of Justice Inspector General issued reports detailing the misuse and abuse of the NSLs. The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday, September 23rd, on reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act.
David,
Ben Franklin was the resident envoy in PARIS, France. If he'd been in London he would have been hanged for treason. We were fighting the BRITISH EMPIRE whose capital, and residence of its Sovereign was in London, England.
You need to bone up on your history a little. Also check out what happened, and why, in 1865. That was when 'States Rights' were talked about in the same manner that you and the other "tenther's" are doing today.
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