Replies

cowboyway: "I think Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, is completely in line with Original Intent, as am I.
It's you False Causers that have distorted the original intent of the Constitution."

No, you misunderstand Jefferson's words.
What Jefferson here granted was his mutual consent for separations under certain benign circumstances.
This is 100% consistent with Madison's letter of some years later, which clearly spells out mutual consent as valid in disunion.

But on other occasions, neither Jefferson nor Madison were nearly so agreeable.

In 1807, just three years after your quotes, when President Jefferson learned that his former Vice President, Aaron Burr, intended to declare unilateral secession from Louisiana, Jefferson had Burr arrested and tried for treason.
No "mutual consent" from President Jefferson there.
Just a few years later, in 1814, when President Madison learned that New England Federalists were complaining about the War of 1812, and meeting to discuss unilateral, unapproved secession, Madison moved US Army forces from the frontier with Canada to Albany, New York, in case rebellion should break out in New England.
No "mutual consent" from President Madison there.

cowboyway: "Philosophical question for you, professor: do you believe that maintaining the union is more important that individual liberty? "

The US Constitution allows for temporary suspension of certain liberties -- i.e., habeas corpus -- in the event of rebellion or invasion public safety requires it.
So my question to you is: do you believe in the US Constitution?

cowboyway: "The driving force behind the Constitution was individual liberty and removing the yoke of tyranny.
If you answer yes to the question posed above then you've rejected original intent and conservative viewpoint."

Actually, no, we already had all that in the old Articles of Confederation, and they were not satisfactory, so the new Constitution in 1787 was intended to provide more structure and authority for central government -- not too much, of course, but just enough to make a viable nation.

That was our Founders' Original Intent and represents the truly conservative view of our time.

No, you misunderstand Jefferson's words.

No, you're intentionally misrepresenting Jefferson's words to justify your weak, and growing weaker, position.

The US Constitution allows for temporary suspension of certain liberties -- i.e., habeas corpus -- in the event of rebellion or invasion public safety requires it. So my question to you is: do you believe in the US Constitution?

You're dodging again, professor. My question to you was, and is, do you believe that maintaining the union is more important than the constitutional guarantee of individual liberty?

the old Articles of Confederation, and they were not satisfactory

You do realize that 9 of the original states seceded from the union under the Articles of Confederation, don't you?

Original Intent is a conservative position. Misrepresenting the facts and deliberate revisionism by you False Causers is not.