Intermarkets' Privacy Policy Support
Donate to Ace of Spades HQ! Recent Entries
JD Vance Appears on "Tales from the Crypt" and DESTROYS the Crypt-Keeper with FACTS and HOLY WATER
THE MORNING RANT: Columbus Day Buck Shots Mid-Morning Art Thread The Morning Report — 10/14/24 Daily Tech News 14 October 2024 Sunday Overnight Open Thread (10/13/24) Minimal Content Edition Gun Thread: Pre- TXMoMe Edition! Third Trump Assassination Thwarted Food Thread: Hummus! Is There A Pun To Be Made With Humus? No. First-World Problems... Absent Friends
Bandersnatch 2024
GnuBreed 2024 Captain Hate 2023 moon_over_vermont 2023 westminsterdogshow 2023 Ann Wilson(Empire1) 2022 Dave In Texas 2022 Jesse in D.C. 2022 OregonMuse 2022 redc1c4 2021 Tami 2021 Chavez the Hugo 2020 Ibguy 2020 Rickl 2019 Joffen 2014 AoSHQ Writers Group
A site for members of the Horde to post their stories seeking beta readers, editing help, brainstorming, and story ideas. Also to share links to potential publishing outlets, writing help sites, and videos posting tips to get published.
Contact OrangeEnt for info:
maildrop62 at proton dot me Cutting The Cord And Email Security
Moron Meet-Ups
|
« Those in Glass Hangars Shouldn't Throw Stones |
Main
| WashTimes' Misleading Headline: "Values Groups Out at CPAC" »
January 06, 2011
Ancient Document Written In Foreign Language By Some Dead White Guys Being Read In House Of RepresentativesIf you're watching the reading of the Constitution in the House, you may want to follow along so you can see what these strange, undecipherable words look like. Is this a stunt? Yes, of course. That's the beauty of it. Stunts attract attention. This is attracting attention not just to the Constitution itself but the very different philosophies some in each party have when it comes to interpreting the Constitution and its role in our government. I say "some" because let's be honest, lots of Republicans gave plenty of lip service to the Constitution but honored it more in the breach than anything. And let's also be honest, if Republicans/conservatives are serious about getting back to constitutional first principles, it's going to be a long term process of educating and persuading a lot of people. Remember how Joe Miller got tripped up on the idea that unemployment insurance was unconstitutional? Forget the merits of the statement, that's simply a bridge too far right now for most Americans. Now for your moment of RINO Zen....while I support a much more limited understanding of the Constitution than is currently fashionable, I think too many conservatives fall back on "just do what the Constitution says". The Constitution is not a mathematical formula you just plug variables into and get the answer. Applying it to specific problems requires some degree of interpretation. Consider something so basic as the First Amendment. 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. No one seriously argues that "freedom of speech" means you can libel or slander someone. So we all accept that there are limits, even when the document itself doesn't speak to them, we are just arguing over what they are, where they are and how they are to be reached. By the same token, just because any constitution is going to require some degree of interpretation in its application, that doesn't mean judges and the political branches can read whatever they want into the Constitution and have no limitations on their actions either. And despite what liberals say or think, the Constitution doesn't need judges to breathe life into it. If what you want to do isn't allowed by the Constitution as is, there's a legitimate amendment process and it doesn't involve judges. Our challenge as conservatives and constitutionalists is to layout a coherent view of how the Constitution should be understood and applied. Since the ultimate arbiters of what is constitutionally legitimate or not is the people as a whole, this is as much a political argument as a legal one. November's elections and today's reading of the Constitution and the debate it's sparking is a step in the right direction for those of us who prefer a more modest, text based interpretation. You can tell that's the case by the reaction of liberals to today's event. You'd think they were vampires and Republicans just pulled out a cross or something. Perhaps if we keep holding the Constitution up to them, they'll burst into flames. It's worth a shot. | Recent Comments
BurtTC:
"That lifetime warranty? They meant Sears' lifetime ..."
Robert: "Columbia is not the capital of Colombia. But I ..." [/i][/u][/s][/b]Oddbob: "[i]NY Post: Top Oregon official put on leave for a ..." Nick in Tallahassee: "That one clearly gay dude giving his “full t ..." Kindltot: "[i]How is that possible? Betting markets have spec ..." Sebastian Melmoth: "How come autocorrect can’t determine the cor ..." [/i][/u][/s][/b]Oddbob: "[i]I can only think of one physical thing I've had ..." Anonosaurus Wrecks, Born In the Wagon of a Middle Class Show [/i] [/s] [/b] [/u]: "NY Post: Top Oregon official put on leave for alle ..." Huck Follywood: "Pretty surprising to see the Dixie Chicks particip ..." Thomas Paine: "I can only think of one physical thing I've had si ..." Alberta Oil Peon: "Four out of five dentists recommend Trident for th ..." Sebastian Melmoth: "Musk is today’s Howard Hughes. Posted by: ..." Recent Entries
JD Vance Appears on "Tales from the Crypt" and DESTROYS the Crypt-Keeper with FACTS and HOLY WATER
THE MORNING RANT: Columbus Day Buck Shots Mid-Morning Art Thread The Morning Report — 10/14/24 Daily Tech News 14 October 2024 Sunday Overnight Open Thread (10/13/24) Minimal Content Edition Gun Thread: Pre- TXMoMe Edition! Third Trump Assassination Thwarted Food Thread: Hummus! Is There A Pun To Be Made With Humus? No. First-World Problems... Search
Polls! Polls! Polls!
Frequently Asked Questions
The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick
Primary Document: The Audio
Paul Anka Haiku Contest Announcement Integrity SAT's: Entrance Exam for Paul Anka's Band AllahPundit's Paul Anka 45's Collection AnkaPundit: Paul Anka Takes Over the Site for a Weekend (Continues through to Monday's postings) George Bush Slices Don Rumsfeld Like an F*ckin' Hammer Top Top Tens
Democratic Forays into Erotica New Shows On Gore's DNC/MTV Network Nicknames for Potatoes, By People Who Really Hate Potatoes Star Wars Euphemisms for Self-Abuse Signs You're at an Iraqi "Wedding Party" Signs Your Clown Has Gone Bad Signs That You, Geroge Michael, Should Probably Just Give It Up Signs of Hip-Hop Influence on John Kerry NYT Headlines Spinning Bush's Jobs Boom Things People Are More Likely to Say Than "Did You Hear What Al Franken Said Yesterday?" Signs that Paul Krugman Has Lost His Frickin' Mind All-Time Best NBA Players, According to Senator Robert Byrd Other Bad Things About the Jews, According to the Koran Signs That David Letterman Just Doesn't Care Anymore Examples of Bob Kerrey's Insufferable Racial Jackassery Signs Andy Rooney Is Going Senile Other Judgments Dick Clarke Made About Condi Rice Based on Her Appearance Collective Names for Groups of People John Kerry's Other Vietnam Super-Pets Cool Things About the XM8 Assault Rifle Media-Approved Facts About the Democrat Spy Changes to Make Christianity More "Inclusive" Secret John Kerry Senatorial Accomplishments John Edwards Campaign Excuses John Kerry Pick-Up Lines Changes Liberal Senator George Michell Will Make at Disney Torments in Dog-Hell Greatest Hitjobs
The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny More Margaret Cho Abuse Margaret Cho: Still Not Funny Iraqi Prisoner Claims He Was Raped... By Woman Wonkette Announces "Morning Zoo" Format John Kerry's "Plan" Causes Surrender of Moqtada al-Sadr's Militia World Muslim Leaders Apologize for Nick Berg's Beheading Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree Milestone: Oliver Willis Posts 400th "Fake News Article" Referencing Britney Spears Liberal Economists Rue a "New Decade of Greed" Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility Intelligence Officials Eye Blogs for Tips They Done Found Us Out, Cletus: Intrepid Internet Detective Figures Out Our Master Plan Shock: Josh Marshall Almost Mentions Sarin Discovery in Iraq Leather-Clad Biker Freaks Terrorize Australian Town When Clinton Was President, Torture Was Cool What Wonkette Means When She Explains What Tina Brown Means Wonkette's Stand-Up Act Wankette HQ Gay-Rumors Du Jour Here's What's Bugging Me: Goose and Slider My Own Micah Wright Style Confession of Dishonesty Outraged "Conservatives" React to the FMA An On-Line Impression of Dennis Miller Having Sex with a Kodiak Bear The Story the Rightwing Media Refuses to Report! Our Lunch with David "Glengarry Glen Ross" Mamet The House of Love: Paul Krugman A Michael Moore Mystery (TM) The Dowd-O-Matic! Liberal Consistency and Other Myths Kepler's Laws of Liberal Media Bias John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate "Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long) The Donkey ("The Raven" parody) |