Sunday, November 25, 2007

The Constitution of the United States of America

I might occasionally mention disagreement with certain segments and clauses in the Constitution but, though flawed, it's by far the best government charter in existence and in history. The main difficulties with the document are those that, in a civil contract, would be nullified by just about any court: a) it applies, by force of government arms, to everyone by virtue of happening to live in a certain geographical area--even to those who haven't signed it and b) one--either an individual or a group--can't opt out except by leaving the described geographical area. Moreover, restrictions against traveling beyond the limits of the borders become more rigorous every year.

Yet those in whom we're forced to place our trust with carrying out the mandates of this document are more and more wont to ignore its restrictions. In spite of the fact that each and every one of them is sworn to an Oath to uphold and defend the US Constitution, they wantonly and constantly try to create programs that deeply harm their constituents, making convoluted and rationally indefensible justifications for their violations of their Oaths of Office. The founders, one and all, federalist and anti-federalist, would be up in arms waging a new Revolution, were they alive to see this nullification of all that for which they gave their lives, fortunes, their sacred honor.

A very few in Congress, according to a column by Chuck Muth, are swimming against this tide, showing that they 're actually familiar with the document, but respect it and their Oath. Congressman John Shadegg (R-Ariz) has written a proposal to this end. His “Enumerated Powers Act” stipulates that “Each act of Congress shall contain a concise and definite statement of the Constitutional authority relied upon for the enactment of each portion of that act.”

He has only thirty cosponsors so far, including Congressman and Presidential candidate Ron Paul (R-Texas). In light of the spinelessness and the contempt most Republicans (trumped only by that of the Democrats) feel towards American independence and liberty, one has to wonder what's happened to this Great Experiment.

A more radical proposal, more palatable to the free-minds-and-markets advocate that is my very own self, is that suggested by L Neil Smith, in The Libertarian Enterprise. The Zeroth Amendment, to be placed in front of the other ten Amendments of the Bill of Rights, reads as follows:

ARTICLE ZERO

I. Any public official or employee who, knowingly or unknowingly, violates—or participates in the violation of—any provision of the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution shall, in full public view and over such media as exist at the time, be hanged by the neck until he is dead.

II. The word "he" is not to be construed so as to exclude female public officials or employees.

III. This amendment, upon ratification, shall be inserted in the Constitution just before the First Amendment.

The "Zeroth Amendment" might seem a bit extreme to some, unless you consider the amount of your productivity they've been stealing from us throughout the length of our lives, and further consider that there's never been any leniency shown by the jack-booted thugs of the IRS, DEA, BATFE and a host of other terrorist squads created unConstitutionally by these selfsame Oath violators.

Read the Constitution. Do what it says.

Warm regards,

Col. Hogan
Stalag California

7 comments:

MathewK said...

Sure it's extreme, but it'll certainly smarten the lot of them up, and you are 100% right about the jack-booted thugs of the IRS, DEA, BATFE; they're the same all over the world, you owe $10, they'll hunt you till the day you die and then they'll pick your carcass clean.

Col. Hogan said...

Agreed. But, if Shadegg's bill could get some traction (I doubt it will, given the corruption in Congress) that would help a lot.

Anonymous said...

I'm with ya big brother. This congress would never allow reason to win out over insanity.

Aurora said...

Col., yes it's extreme. Sometimes I think it's the extreme edges of our society that keep us from drifting into the maddeningly banal regions of PC centrism where everything is open and vulnerable to invasion.

Col. Hogan said...

Steve,
This Congress or any other in my lifetime. Republicans could've done some real good while in the majority from 1994 to last year. They wussed and now they're out. Serves 'em right.

Col. Hogan said...

Aurora,
Every federal elected official swears an Oath to Preserve and Protect the Constitution. None but a small handful do it. In a sane world they'd be called traitors.

One of the mistakes the Founders made was not to include a punishment provision for violators.

Aurora said...

Col., the AMerican constitution is, in my view, the best that I know of in the world. IT is well worth protecting.