Hard core right wingers will read this title and cheer. Hard core lefties will instantly dismiss it as rubbish. I realize the topic of the Constitution is a highly flammable topic. So before getting started, let me make one thing abundantly clear. I believe that our founding documents, most importantly the Constutution, are important and set forth the way in which our nation is to operate. I don't want to dive into conspiracy theories or hyperbole here, I simply want to look at events over the past four years and see if the title of this post holds up.
First, I don't want to focus on the
Articles of the Constitution first, but rather the Amendments, and specifically the
Bill of Rights, or the first 10 Amendments.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Ok, starting with the first Amendment, I can easily make a case that our (we the people) rights to both freedom of speech and the free exercise of our religion have already come under assault by the current Obama administration. I believe the most egregious and obvious example of this came with the passing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as ObamaCare. The specific example that I'm thinking of is the Catholic church and their desire not to include coverage for contraceptives. There are many articles on the subject I found via a simple Google search, here is one example from
National Review. I have heard many emotional arguments on why the Catholic church should be forced to do this for the common good. Even if that is true, and I'm not conceding that point, but even if it were, the PPACA would certainly appear to me to be infringing upon any Catholic organizations freedom of speech and the freedom to exercise their religion. One argument I hear all the time is that "over 90% of Catholic women have used birth control of some sort already." Maybe so, but that is completely irrelevant in regards to this discussion. Its the Catholic churches stance that such behavior is wrong. Just because some Catholics don't adhere to that teaching does not give the federal government the right to say the Church can't believe it anymore. If anyone can show me rationally how this does not break the 1st Amendment I'm all ears.
Yet another example comes from California's best and brightest, Senator Dianne Feinstein. Freedom of speech is not a right if you ask her. Check out
this video where she declares the freedom of speech a "special privilege".
Amendment II
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
This is the big one in today's news following the tragedy in Sandy Hook, CT. I'm not going to take much time on this one because the Ammendment is short and quite simple to understand. In no situation can the federal government infringe on our right to bear arms. I will say this. If we the people do believe that the right to bear arms needs to be revoked, then it has to be done via a Constitutional ammendment. If the President gives an Executive Order putting any limits whatsoever on the ability to own arms, then his EO's would be in direct violation of the 2nd Ammendment. It appears he's getting ready to do just that with
19 Executive Orders, so stay tuned.
