What WERE Those Founding Fathers Thinking?

Published on June 16, 2005 By Gideon MacLeish In Politics

Reading through JU's articles, I have found thst it's not just in CPS cases that people are rallying against the Constitution. Students are, of course, becoming convinced that the First Amendment goes too far, and on another conservative blogger's thread outrage over conservative Christian beliefs. Apparently, our founding fathers were morons.

Freedom of religion apparently should only apply to any nonoffensive nonextreme sects bordering on universalism. Freedom of speech should similarly be limited. The right to keep and bear arms? Sure, in the US military or as part of an armed henchman in the employ of a nanny state.

Due process? Nope, the court of popular opinion is more accurate. The right to confront witnesses against you? Sorry, their right to privacy overrides your right to know. A fair, speedy and public trial? Only if an expensive lawyer can file a motion demanding it. Right to an attorney? When money allows, otherwise, inadequate council is the codeword.

We as Americans must choose to respect or eliminate the rule of law in this land. Until such time as it is nullified (a time I fear may be closer than I'd like to think), we are duty bound to respect the law, not to throw it away.

The founding fathers were wise enough to write in the Constitution liberties for all Americans. Enforcing those liberties is not a burden for our police officers, our lawyers, our judges and our lawmakers; it is their DUTY. If they don't want to DO their duty, I suggest they step aside and surrender their positions to someone who will.

Comments

Rightwinger

on Jun 16, 2005

It's also our duty as a people to respect those laws, but many of us just can't seem to find the heart to do so. They try hard to find ways around them, often by legislation. This detracts from us a people.

MasonM

on Jun 16, 2005

The constitution is still in effect?

Rightwinger

on Jun 16, 2005

The constitution is still in effect?

For everyone but white Christian gun owners, yes.

Zoomba

on Jun 16, 2005

RW: You have argued in your "Why I hate Liberalism Thread" that essentially, those freedoms and such guaranteed in the Constitution should only be respected until it threatens your own definition of decency.

Many on the far right want laws to specifically prohibit gay marraiges. That sounds like people trying to find ways around the system through additional legislation.

Many also want to severely restrict/eliminate items they deem offensive. This is something BOTH sides are guilty of. Legislation to set standards for pornography are as much of an end-run around the system as leftists trying to eliminate all display of Christianity.

If it is our duty to respect such laws without attempting to pass additional legislation to to get around them, we would have the same laws of 200 years ago. Society would have changed/advanced/degraded but the laws would have remained the same. We wouldn't have women voting, we wouldn't have had the desegregation of the country, a great number of advances wouldn't have been seen because they were just attempts to find ways around existing laws... Are we less as a people because of these movements?

Or is an attempt to change through legislation only OK when it fits your particular views? I personally agree with your statement at face value, we need to stop trying to legislate our own views and opinions, we need to let everyone make up their own decisions and lead their own lives regardless of how much we may personally disagree with it... but such freedom would allow the moral decay you want to fight so hard against.

ParaTed2k

on Jun 16, 2005

The Founding Fathers were thinking that the only way to have freedom, rights or liberty is to have a balance between the individual, society and the government. Strengthen either against the others and freedom, rights and liberty are threatened.

At least that's what I got from them. ;~D

Dr Guy

on Jun 16, 2005

We can have our cake and eat it too, but the liberal elitist minority refuse to honor the constitution.

I am sure most of them forget that we did have an amendment that was repealed? and they can do that with the First 10 as well. The Founding Fathers gave us a way of adapting to the unforseen. It is called amending the constitution. Unfortunately, it does take a super majority. And since they are the minority, they would rather subvert the constitution than lose their feeble battles.

Rightwinger

on Jun 16, 2005

If it is our duty to respect such laws without attempting to pass additional legislation to to get around them, we would have the same laws of 200 years ago. Society would have changed/advanced/degraded but the laws would have remained the same. We wouldn't have women voting, we wouldn't have had the desegregation of the country, a great number of advances wouldn't have been seen because they were just attempts to find ways around existing laws... Are we less as a people because of these movements?

I freely acknowledged in my post that liberal views have resulted in some, however few they may be, positive changes in our society. Two of them I mentioned were, indeed, women voting and civil rights.
My problem comes when people go to court for the right to display such things as pornography or other lewd images, and when they try to legislate out of existence the very types of things that used to tell us what was "wrong" and what was "right", such as religion. Now, with God effectively kicked out of public life, people are "free" to think and feel however they wish, without regard to morals and decency and consideration for others. If I don't want to hear the foul-language blaring out of your car stereo as you pass by me and my kids, I should just get over it because you like it and that's all that matters. It's your right to play it. This is wnat I hate about liberalism....how their noble goal of freeing our minds and spirits and extreme focus on their rights as citizens has had the ultimate effect of reducing our respect and consideration for others. Still focused on the original goals, they can't see it, and think they've done well.
I don't know how to put it any clearer. Like I said, righties see it, lefties don't. It's the nature of the beast.

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