Posted on 01/28/2013 5:25:12 AM PST by servo1969
Imagine you're getting ready to head to church one fine Sunday morning and on your television you hear a man say, "Let's give up on the Constitution."
Such actually happened when CBS News Sunday Morning aired a rather inflammatory commentary by a Georgetown University law professor teased by host Charles Osgood asking, "Is the U.S. Constitution truly worthy of the reverence in which most Americans hold it?" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
(video)
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CHARLES OSGOOD, HOST: Is the U.S. Constitution truly worthy of the reverence in which most Americans hold it? A view on that from Lewis Michael Seidman, Professor of Constitutional Law at Georgetown University.
LOUIS MICHAEL SEIDMAN, PROFESSOR OF CONSTITUTIONAL LAW AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: I've got a simple idea: Let's give up on the Constitution. I know, it sounds radical, but it's really not. Constitutional disobedience is as American as apple pie.
For example, most of our greatest Presidents -- Jefferson, Lincoln, Wilson, and both Roosevelts -- had doubts about the Constitution, and many of them disobeyed it when it got in their way.
To be clear, I don't think we should give up on everything in the Constitution. The Constitution has many important and inspiring provisions, but we should obey these because they are important and inspiring, not because a bunch of people who are now long-dead favored them two centuries ago.
Unfortunately, the Constitution also contains some provisions that are not so inspiring. For example, one allows a presidential candidate who is rejected by a majority of the American people to assume office. Suppose that Barack Obama really wasn't a natural-born citizen. So what?
Constitutional obedience has a pernicious impact on our political culture. Take the recent debate about gun control. None of my friends can believe it, but I happen to be skeptical of most forms of gun control.
I understand, though, that's not everyone's view, and I'm eager to talk with people who disagree. But what happens when the issue gets Constitutional-ized? Then we turn the question over to lawyers, and lawyers do with it what lawyers do. So instead of talking about whether gun control makes sense in our country, we talk about what people thought of it two centuries ago.
Worse yet, talking about gun control in terms of constitutional obligation needlessly raises the temperature of political discussion. Instead of a question of policy, about which reasonable people can disagree, it becomes a test of one's commitment to our foundational document and, so, to America itself.
This is our country. We live in it, and we have a right to the kind of country we want. We would not allow the French or the United Nations to rule us, and neither should we allow people who died over two centuries ago and knew nothing of our country as it exists today.
If we are to take back our own country, we have to start making decisions for ourselves, and stop deferring to an ancient and outdated document.
OSGOOD: Opinion from Professor Lewis Michael Seidman.
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The folks at CBS News were so enamored with Seidman's opinion they posted a video of this nonsense at their website along with the transcript.
Worse than that, in the last two weeks, Bob Schieffer likened President Obama's gun control initiatives to America defeating the Nazis in World War II, CBS News's political director John Dickerson called on President Obama to destroy the Republican Party, and now this.
I recently asked if CBS News is making a conscious move to the far-left to become broadcast television's MSNBC.
What do you think?
Liberals and their media army are preparing for major political battles if not Blitzkrieg over the next four years. As much as I hate to say it, if I was a lib now would be the time for the big all-out push to the finish line. Republicans are so weak, confused and neutered (I know, this is not far from their normal condition) they really are not a factor in this struggle. IMO the Dems’ Achilles heel is the economy. If it suddenly tanks, they’re in serious trouble. That may be our only salvation.
Personally, I’m delighted. I feel they have exposed themselves, and overreached.
I think this also has something to do with it.
No Constitution, no lawful Federal Government, and no Union.
Hmmm. The scary part is that this almost works for me...
What a bunch of horse squeeze. The libs are such hypocrites. Osgood and his ilk are more than willing to push through gun legislation on the backs of dead children they would otherwise not care about, but no one is to revere the Constitution written by notably great Statesmen? Seriously?
OK Osgood, if you don’t want to follow that nasty old Constitution anymore then tell us what you WOULD like to use?
Please be specific.
Anything authored by Marx come to mind?
If the libs no longer want the constitution they should just LEAVE the damn union and leave the middle states and texas alone to follow it.
The left and east coast can just ignore the damn thing at their own peril.
Isn’t Osgood a serial adulterer? Why would his opinion matter to me?
It’s always good to question even your most dearly-held beliefs... and upon further deep introspection, analysis, and reasoning, I must respectfully disagree with the Professor.
The reason they think it is an ancient and outdated document is because every time they try to interpret it as meaning the opposite of what it CLEARLY STATES we have to go back to look at what the founders said in order to prove them wrong.
If they would just stick to it, there would be no problems- the probelms all come when they DON’T stick to this “ancient and outdsated’ document.
What specifically do they want to add/remove from it?
If they would just stick to it, there would be no problems- the problems all come when they DON'T stick to this “ancient and outdated’ document.
What specifically do they want to add/remove from it?
the media is made up of over 90% admitted democrats. it would seem that THEY are the number one enemy.
Those people have been teaching our children for half a centry now.
Charles Osgood - A modern day Ellsworth Toohey.
My comment from a thread yesterday that started just after the piece ran on TV:
My wife and I were watching this commentary. It was one of those rare times that my wife will vocally respond to a TV report of any kind and we were both in total agreement that the guy was a flippin’ moron. On that basis, I’d say he is blissfully unaware of how the Consitution works or its relationship on his ability to spew such tripe.
Given his comments on the founders and writers of the Constitution and not being tied to what these men wrote, I’d say he’s cemented his moron status for all time. I don’t see anybody of equivalent wisdom on the scene today that would compare to the Founders.
doesn’t say anything about apple pie either. Or if YOU should be put in prison. Nothing about weather a tabby house cat over the age of 6 should be allowed in the state of Wyoming without an elephant and green cheese present
doesn’t say anything about apple pie either. Or if YOU should be put in prison. Nothing about whether a tabby house cat over the age of 6 should be allowed in the state of Wyoming with out an elephant and green cheese present
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