Have you ever read your State Constitution? (Link)

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[B4Ranch]

 

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[B4Ranch]

This is the first time I have ever seen this link. I hope you all enjoy it.

[The Obstinate Insomniac]

The biggest problem with reading my State's Constitution is that it is amended several times a year by citing a part of a section and striking it out to be replaced by the new language which is added to the bottom of the revised Constitution. It requires a lawyer with a full staff to be sure of what any section currently means.

[Michael Barnes]

Thanks...I'm glad PA has this little caveat in it's constitution:

Sec. 21. The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of them-
selves and the State shall not be questioned.

[Enterprise]

Thanks for the link.

[Badray]

Thanks for the post. I am familiar with parts of the PA Constitution and I think that this excerpt from the Declaration of Rights is one of the strongest statements in defense of our rights - if only the government recognized it's existence and honored it.

Sec. 25. To guard against transgressions of the high powers which we have delegated, we declare that everything in this article is excepted out of the general powers of government and shall forever remain inviolate.

When you consider that one of the items excepted from the general powers of government is:

Sec. 21. The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned.

Doesn't that make ALL PA gun control laws unconstitutional?

[Badray]

"Thanks...I'm glad PA has this little caveat in it's constitution:..."

See post 5 for further reassurance. Or maybe not. :)

[RonF]

All high school students in Illinois are required to read both the Federal and State Constitutions and pass a test on them in order to graduate.

[greydog]

Thanks, added it to my browser's Favorite toolbar.

[sarcasm]

This article of the New York State Constitution should be implemented immediately:

Only citizens should be counted when apportioning seats in the legislature.

[SierraWasp]

CA's Article I, Section 1 is stronger on privacy and property rights than the US Constitution!!!

When I asked the head of a San Francisco EnvironMental law firm why this wouldn't make CA property owners more secure in their rights, he said that Federal Judges were more "Anti-Government" than CA Judges!!!

Our Constitution is not only an abortion due to legislators constantly changing it on a whim to make it "living/breathing," the Direct Democracy Initiative Process with the Ballot Box Legislation Industry in our State is rapidly bastardizing the poor thing to DEATH!!!

It is REALLY UNSTABLE on the OPERATING TABLE, all the time!!!

[#3Fan]

Now that Illinois is "California on the Lake", I just read Marx to know what my state Constitution says.

[LiteKeeper]

read later

[breakem]

radical!

[MadMoo]

CA's Art3, Sec6 says that English is CAs OFFICIAL LANGUAGE. So then, why are "English as a SECOND LANGUAGE" classes taught throughout the school system?

[Pontiac]

§ 1.01 Inalienable Rights (1851)

All men are, by nature, free and independent, and have certain inalienable rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and seeking and obtaining happiness and safety.

§ 1.04 Bearing arms; standing armies; military powers (1851)

The people have the right to bear arms for their defense and security; but standing armies, in time of peace, are dangerous to liberty, and shall not be kept up; and the military shall be in strict subordination to the civil power.

After reading these articles from the Ohio Constitution Bill of Rights, it is difficult to understand why people think we need a Concealed Carry Law in Ohio.

[BillyBoy]

>> Now that Illinois is "California on the Lake", I just read Marx to know what my state Constitution says. <<

All Illinois high students are required to take a test on both the U.S. and the Illinois constitution. I am familiar with both.

The 1970 Illinois state constitution is somewhat conservative and contains a number of protections against bureaucratic government. The amendments we have psased since then (such as the cutback amendment to reduce the size of the state house) have mostly followed that spirt, with the exception of that stupid 1998 amendment to increase the governor's appointment power...However, the state legislature has never really cared much to follow the constitution.

"...the right of the individual citizen to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
--Illinois Constitution, Article I, Section 22.

[#3Fan]

Let's hope it isn't amended too much over the next two and four years until we can make a run at gun-grabber Blagojevich.

[B4Ranch]

That is the kind of question you need to ask a legislator. Of course he will surely want to know where you got the info from because I doubt he has read the State Constitution.

[Phil V.]

SECTION 1. All people are by nature free and independent and have inalienable rights. Among these are enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining safety, happiness, and privacy.

Once upon a time in a land far, far away there lived a phree people . . .

[SierraWasp]

That wording adopted by statewide vote November 5, 1974!!!

"Once upon a time in a land far, far away there lived a phree people . . ."

Why did they phail, in such a short time???