Our Constitution is in actual operation; everything appears to promise that it will last; but in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes." -Benjamin Franklin
Proud to Support Those Who Put Their Lives on the Line Everyday in Defense of Our Constitution!
The Importance of Having a Constitution
Background
* In its most general sense, a constitution is the fundamental, underlying framework of government for a nation or state. Most countries have a constitution. The United States has a constitution and is a constitutional government because it requires everyone regardless of position or office to abide by higher law. The United States Constitution establishes both the government's power and the fundamental rights belonging to all people who reside within the borders
* While most of the world's constitutions are written, they need not be. For instance, Great Britain has an unwritten constitution. When the British refer to the term constitution, they are referring to their collective legal traditions, including: the Magna Carta of 1215, the English Bill of Rights of 1687, Acts of Parliament, and the collective decisions of the British Courts (known as the common law).
* When people in the United States refer to the Constitution, they are often referring to the written document that lays out the structure and function of the federal government and that contains the Bill of Rights. People also may refer to their own state Constitutions.
The Provisions of the U.S. Constitution
* Written in 1787 and ratified in 1789, the U.S. Constitution is the oldest national Constitution still in use.
* The U.S. Constitution contains seven Articles.
o Article I established the Legislative Branch of government.
o Article II established the Executive Branch of government
o Article III established the Judicial Branch of government.
o Article IV regulated the relations of individual states with each other.
o Article V established a means for amending the Constitution.
o Article VI established the Constitution as the Supreme Law of the Land.
o Article VIII established a procedure for ratifying the Constitution.
* There are 27 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution of which only 25 are active.
o The first Ten Amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. They list specific rights of the people which the government may not infringe upon. They were added immediately after the Constitution was ratified. (e.g., freedom of religion).
o The Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the sale or transportation of alcohol and the Twenty-first Amendment repealed the Eighteenth.
o The remaining amendments either alter portions of the Constitution or expand individual rights.
The Importance and Strength of the U.S. Constitution
* One of the primary roles of any Constitution is to limit the powers of a government by informing all of the citizenry of those powers a government may legitimately possess.
* No Constitutions: Historically, many rulers did not write constitutions in an attempt to keep all power to themselves. For instance, King Louis XIV of France (who did not have a constitution) is famous for saying "I am the State"-meaning that the law was whatever he said it was. A constitution exists to prohibit such unchecked concentrations of power.
* The British Constitution and the Revolution: Although they saw many benefits of the unwritten British Constitution, the Founders argued that, without reducing basic principles of government to writing, they were too easy for rulers to manipulate. Indeed, the Founders justified the Revolution by arguing that the British King and Parliament routinely violated the British Constitution. Thus, they established a written Constitution for America.
* "Empty Constitutions": Even if constitutions are written, they are empty if the government is free to ignore their provisions at will. For instance, the former Soviet Union had a Constitution, which it often disregarded.
* The U.S. Constitution: The ultimate strength of the U.S. Constitution is that it not only establishes a government, but it establishes a government which, to use Thomas Jefferson's words, can "govern itself." In other words, the document not only lets all people know the limits of the government's power, but, the system of checks and balances that it has created ensures that these limits will be obeyed.
Sorry this took so long I've been having some problems sending comments (actually more than just computer problems....time seems to be an issue lately as well ;)
I check in almost daily but rarely have much time to stay..(-_-)...
Hope your summer is everything you want it to be & more *smile*
"You cannot be free by obeying the rules. You cannot be free by waiting for someone to rescue you. You cannot be free simply by hoping for a brighter day tomorrow. Freedom comes from within. It does not come from without. It does not come from a charismatic leader. It does not come with a set of instructions. It does not come from being raised with doses of discipline and dogma. It does not come from being given your freedom only after you prove yourself to your parents, teachers, pastors, or other authority figures. It does not come from any God who demands obedience before He promises blessings (or threatens curses). It does not come from delineated rights. It does not come from The Constitution. It is you from whom freedom springs. It is you in whom freedom thrives. No one gave it to you. Like Dorothy and her ruby slippers, your way home was with you all the time. You just didn't realize it. Do you understand? You are freedom. Contrary to that tiresome cliché, freedom is free. -- B.R. Merrick.
Conservatives4palin are holding a webathon to help retire Gov. Sarah Palin's legal debt June 15-22 2009. Please visit www.conservatives4palin.com for more details. Have a great weekend!
"As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air -- however slight -- lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness." --William O Douglas
"Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking; where it is absent, discussion is apt to become worse than useless." -- Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoi
I know most Honor Our Fallen on the last Monday in May... but in our home May 30th was the day in which we Honored them. My dad was a WWII Veteran... and just because those in Congress took it upon themselves to change the date to make Memorial Day into a three-day weekend... made know difference to my dad. They could change it to whatever they wanted... but for him... Memorial Day would always be May 30th. And in being his daughter and being like-minded as him in so many ways... and in having this day always be the day in which we Honored Our Fallen. I have continued to do so even though he has been gone longer than my heart and mind wishes to dwell. He lays beside my brother... both receiving flowers on the 30th of May in Honor of their service.
To the men and women who gave their all... who believed in something greater than self... and sacrificed so others may be free... to live free... and all that entails. I Honor you this day and remember all that is great in the country in which I live because you made it possible for me to live it.
Nobody sees a flower - really - it is so small it takes time - we
haven't time - and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.Georgia O'Keeffe
