REPOST: How Tyranny Came to America [re: Constitutionalism 101]

Constitution Party / www.constitutionparty.org ^ | 2000 | Joseph Sobran

[Stand Watch Listen]

REPOSTED

Original FR post ...December 21, 2000 http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a4266da0ffd.htm

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Excellent post SWL. As usual.

This should be required reading for everyone old enough to vote.

[jamaksin]

Most excellent post.

"The modern American educational system no longer teaches ..." Bingo! Enough said right there!

[f.Christian]

Evolution !

[Lil'freeper]

Splendid! Thanks for posting it.

[tahiti]

The Ninth means that the list of the people’s rights in the Constitution is not meant to be complete — that they still have many other rights, like the right to travel or to marry, which may deserve just as much respect as the right not to have soldiers quartered in one’s home in peacetime.

In a 1965 case called Griswold v. Connecticut, the Court struck down a law forbidding the sale of contraceptives on grounds that it violated a right of “privacy.”

Justice Goldberg, writing a concurring opinion states, "The Ninth Amendment to the Constitution may be regarded by some as a recent discovery and may be forgotten by others, but since 1791 it has been a basic part of the Constitution which we are sworn to uphold. To hold that a right so basic and fundamental and so deep-rooted in our society as the right of privacy in marriage may be infringed because that right is not guaranteed in so many words by the first eight amendments to the Constitution is to ignore the Ninth Amendment and to give it no effect whatsoever. Moreover, a judicial construction that this fundamental right is not protected by the Constitution because it is not mentioned in explicit terms by one of the first eight amendments or elsewhere in the Constitution would violate the Ninth Amendment, which specifically states that [381 U.S. 479, 492] "[t]he enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

[SuperLuminal]

BTTT

[Stand Watch Listen]

bttt

[brityank]

Would that everyone could comprehend what is clearly laid out here. Thanks.

[madfly]

fyi

[RLK]

Anything can be corrupted over time if the people wish it to be so. Anything can be corrupted over time, even if the people do not want it, if corrupt people in critical positions of authority work long enough to make it so. An thus it is with the governemnt of this nation and its constitution.

[billbears]

As I said earlier, the Founders believed that our rights come from God, and the government’s powers come from us. So the Constitution can’t list all our rights, but it can and does list all the federal government’s powers.

Too bad many in the 'conservative' party no longer understand that or care. We're too busy helping lay the groundwork for a global government. Apparently as long as it's founded in these United States then to heck with what the Constitution says

[Ff--150]

many in the 'conservative' party no longer understand that or care. We're too busy helping lay the groundwork for a global government.

How true!! Well said. These "neo-cons" are former liberals--some want to be on the winning side; others out to do what you just said, "lay the groundwork for a global goverment."

[Centurion2000]

bump

[Fraulein]

Bookmarked

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Mindless pseudointellectual onanism.

[Southack]

"Where does the federal government get the power to legislate in this area? The answer is: Nowhere. The Constitution lists 18 specific legislative powers of Congress, and not a one of them covers national health care."

Nonsense.

Pull out your handy pocket copy of the Constitution, and flip to Article 1 Section 8.

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
...
To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.

In other words, the Federal Government can "provide for the... general welfare of the United States," which would seem to legitimize Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid and other welfare state programs.

What people do who don't *like* the general welfare clause of the Constitution is simply to ignore it or to dismiss it as though it had never been ratified into the law of the land.

That's a fundmental mistake (made frequently by the Constitution Party and various Libertarians).

Every word in our Constitution counts, and every word in that document is our law.

[Yeti]

What people do who don't *like* the general welfare clause of the Constitution is simply to ignore it or to dismiss it as though it had never been ratified into the law of the land.

No, what people do who *like* it a little TOO much is to pretend the phrase "general welfare of the United States" actually says "specific welfare of each of the people" and pretend to believe that the Founding Fathers intended to create a Borg state.

The meaning of the clause has been perverted in the same way as the interstate commerce clause -- a fig leaf for the actions of those whose goals for us are generally diametrically opposed to the goals of those who authored the document they distort.

Sophistry in the service of an ulterior motive.

[Black Agnes]

Funny how we survived & read that very same constitution with those very same words for ~200 years without ANY welfare state. Hmmmmm. Socialism was invented *after* our constitution was written. Unless you think the founding fathers were time travelers.

[chnsmok]

Fantastic article. Not only should be required reading in our schools, but also by some here on Free Republic.