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A Modern Constitutionalist
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As a practicing Modern Constitutionalists I believe that when I look in the mirror at myself, or when I look at any one of my fellow citizens, I see the Constitution! You might be think "Surely Tony, you're stark raving mad! How could you possibly confuse bipedal, sentient humanoids with a weathered old sheepskin manuscript?" Fair enough question, but my point is that each and every one of us is the person that our Constitution guarantees us to be. Everything we do in our lives, all the success and failure that we've experienced, all the friendships that we have or have made, and so much more are possible because of our Constitutional rights and freedoms.
Most people learn in school about the Constitution and a musty bunch of middle-aged, 18th-century white European guys in a life-and-death struggle called the War for Independence. For many of us, that is the last place that we've seen or even think of the words in the Constitution. But I tell you this, whether you realize it or not, those words provide you the freedom and
liberty to pursue anything and everything that you can in order to improve your lot in life. Without those words, you would be nothing more than a serf to your government, rather than recognized as a freeborn citizen (and a stakeholder in the government) with inalienable rights bestowed not by man but by the Creator.
The Constitution is your insurance policy against tyranny by any ruler or government, and it has allowed Americans to do remarkable things and has made America a remarkable place.In modern times, in an effort to "help" its citizens, unfortunately our government has tread in places where it absolutely should not, at least from a rigid Constitutionalist's point of view. We have had well-meaning social engineering thrust upon us in the form of Social Security, Medicare, Welfare and myriad other programs that have no genesis in the Constitution. There are no words or phrases that explain the power of the Congress and the government, in general, to create such programs and to invent such "entitlements." Only with sleight-of-hand interpretations by Constitutional "scholars" (read this to mean liberal-minded social engineers) and through the vague assumptions of penumbral meanings has the era of government-sponsored social programs and citizen entitlements come into existence. And although these entitlements mean in many cases that individuals get something from the government, that doesn't mean that there are no strings attached or personal liberties lost. In fact, I assure you that we don't get something for nothing -- everything the government does incurs a cost -- both money and individual rights-wise.But because these entitlements and programs exist and have become accepted practice doesn't make them right...doesn't make them Constitutional. The Constitution may be ignored, misinterpreted or amended, but the original intent of the words and their value to the individual citizen cannot be changed or revoked. In fact, the presence of these practices and interpretations in modern times doesn't reflect badly upon the Constitution or the Founders; rather it reflects grimly on our contemporaries who would use the Constitution as a Ouija Board in order to achieve a political aim. The fact that we have government-sponsored anything beyond a common defense and a robust means for interstate commerce reveals more about human greed and the willingness of those with power, political power, to exploit those without any (with the exception of their single vote.)We are constantly reminded that we have the Supreme Court and civil-liberties organizations as watchdogs of our rights and liberties.
That's all well and good, but no one is a better watchdog and custodian of your rights that YOU are. If you rely on the actions of another person or organization to protect your Constitutional rights, then I can guarantee you that you are in great jeopardy of losing some or all of them. Protecting YOUR Constitutional rights is a 24/7 proposition! It can be dirty business that many folks are unwilling to participate in. They would rather assign, by tacit proxy, the protection of their well being to elected "representatives" (read this as craven politicians), trusting that they will do the right thing Constitution-wise. Again, if you trust a politician to do the right thing...to place their fealty to the Constitution over their personal, political ambitions...then you are dangerously wrong and have again placed your rights in great jeopardy. Politicians will always do what is best for themselves and their special interests.
In closing, to be an effective Modern Constitutionalist an individual must be ever-vigilant when it comes to protecting his or her rights and liberties. The Constitution must be required reading in their home, and if they have children, they should educate their children to the importance of this document to their continued day-to-day existence as freeborn citizens. If you're too lazy to Google the term, I have provided a link to The Constitution of the United States of America for you to peruse and to study. However, if you need the link, I fear you're not going to make much of a Modern Constitutionalist! Remember, the stakes are high for those who would let down their guard for even a day (particularly while Congress is in session!) -- as the Constitution and our freedoms and liberties are under constant assault by those who would wish to change our country and alter the rules under which we operate, forever. You will learn as you grow older that there are few things as precious and lyrical as the words contained in the Constitution. I believe that the authors were divinely inspired, as the results for the first 250 years or so history of the United States bears out this presumptive divine inspiration. So, please follow the actions of our elected representative and the government closely. Make sure that YOUR rights are protected and assured. Make sure that there are no compromises or deals that will cost YOU anything that you already have. As we've seen, losing rights or ceding liberties can be an easy process indeed. Having them returned to you by an all-powerful government is just about impossible.You have been warned...
