The debates were republished in a thick volume, with small print, by an educational arm of the State of Virginia, about 1960. But read the Amendment, itself, before you read what I or anyone else say about it. It is mostly about punishing the South. Everyone quotes the 1st section, but no one reads the 2nd through 4th, and Congress has largely ducked its responsibility under the 5th. Most of the Amendment is dated, and ridiculous. It is the precise opposite of what Lincoln intended for the post-war era. But it also goes against the whole intended division of State and Federal responsibility. It is incongruous to our system.
Virtually every problem Americans have had with Judicial Activism, since the days when FDR started to appoint Leftists to the Courts, flows from the 14th Amendment. Wonder why, you can no longer post the Ten Commandments on your school wall? Wonder why it takes forever to finish with the endless appeals in criminal cases? Wonder why Abortion is leagalized? Why State Legislatures can no longer have a check on big city factions, by allowing every rural county to have at least one representative? Wonder why we have had school busing or Federal Courts redrawing school districts, or Congressional Districts, etc., etc.?
The answer in every case is the same. You may see one benefit in the Amendment, but it has been an absolute can of worms for Americans trying to preserve their heritage.
William Flax
The debates were republished in a thick volume, with small print, by an educational arm of the State of Virginia, about 1960. But read the Amendment, itself, before you read what I or anyone else say about it.
I have, many times in the last five years arguing about it here at FR. - As you well know.
It is mostly about punishing the South. Everyone quotes the 1st section, but no one reads the 2nd through 4th, and Congress has largely ducked its responsibility under the 5th. Most of the Amendment is dated, and ridiculous. It is the precise opposite of what Lincoln intended for the post-war era. But it also goes against the whole intended division of State and Federal responsibility. It is incongruous to our system.
Then why do you people rant about it so?
Simply put, you oppose it because it clearly, in the first section, says that states ~must~ obey our constitutions outlines on basic individual rights.
Virtually every problem Americans have had with Judicial Activism, since the days when FDR started to appoint Leftists to the Courts, flows from the 14th Amendment.
No, it flows from the 'penumbras' they see, 'leftists & rightists' together. -The WODs, for instance, is a rightist penumbra, that flies in the face of the due process of the 14th.
Wonder why, you can no longer post the Ten Commandments on your school wall? Wonder why it takes forever to finish with the endless appeals in criminal cases? Wonder why Abortion is leagalized? Why State Legislatures can no longer have a check on big city factions, by allowing every rural county to have at least one representative? Wonder why we have had school busing or Federal Courts redrawing school districts, or Congressional Districts, etc., etc.? The answer in every case is the same.
Yep, -- the answer is in political failure at state/local levels. The same establishment rules ALL levels of government in this country, as anyone can see. We play Demo-Rino political name games, thats all. Socialism rules.
You may see one benefit in the Amendment, but it has been an absolute can of worms for Americans trying to preserve their heritage.
The only hope we have of restoring our republic is to insist that all levels of government honor our constitutions original intent. The 14th does so. - It is not the problem.
Blame politics.