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To: rightwing2
"I believe the founding fathers were supports of traditional morality and would have supported such a law against immoral vices such as drugs, prostitution, porn, etc."

They would, and did, support such "vice" laws at the local and state level. They were absolutely opposed to such laws at the federal level. That is plain from a simple reading of the Constitution. The ONLY crimes Congress is given the authority to determine punishment are treason and counterfeiting (crimes against the United States), piracy (crimes that occur outside of the territory of any other country) and crimes against the "law of nations" (as in counterfeiting ANOTHER country's currency...which would make the U.S. a "bad neighbor" if it did not prosecute).

The Founding Fathers (except perhaps for the American monarchist, Alexander Hamilton) would be utterly incensed at the very idea of the federal government dealing with common crimes. They would be especially incensed with the idea of the federal government over-riding STATE laws (as in medical marijuana)...particularly state laws passed by a referendum of The People. That's why they insisted on a Second Amendment. They would have SHOT some DEA agents...and perhaps a Congresscritter or two. (After all, they shot British soldiers for simply trying to enforce existing tax laws.)

If you think the Constitution (specifically the 10th Amendment) does NOT forbid the federal government from criminalizing ANY drug, why do you think that they needed a Constitutional amendment to prohibit alcohol? Or don't you think that amendment was necessary? (Do you think the Congress could have simply passed the Volstead Act without an amendment?)

52 posted on 04/28/2002 9:01:44 PM PDT by Mark Bahner
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To: Mark Bahner
They would, and did, support such "vice" laws at the local and state level. They were absolutely opposed to such laws at the federal level. That is plain from a simple reading of the Constitution. The ONLY crimes Congress is given the authority to determine punishment are treason and counterfeiting (crimes against the United States), piracy (crimes that occur outside of the territory of any other country) and crimes against the "law of nations" (as in counterfeiting ANOTHER country's currency...which would make the U.S. a "bad neighbor" if it did not prosecute).

Well, I think we are in agreement on the drugs issue. I agree that the federal government has no basis to ajudicate or create new federal crimes (including illicit drug-related offenses) in addition to those listed in the Constitution. However, I would make an exception for abortion, where our current liberal activist Supreme Court has unconstitutionally legislated from the bench and overturned the abortion laws of all 50 states requiring that the crime of abortion be made legal everywhere in the country. I would support an overturn of Roe v. Wade, but ideally I would support a congressionally passed federal ban on abortions except to save the life of the mother. The Supreme Court has already done to much damage to our state legal system to reverse the damage done by Roe v. Wade.
53 posted on 04/29/2002 8:29:46 AM PDT by rightwing2
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