We have a contingent in our community who call for some form of governance other than the Constitution after the Ruckus. In fact, there are several different groups who call for a rejection of the Constitution based on several reasons. For this post, I am addressing only those people who use this excuse for abandoning the Constitution as the rally point because, in their words, "The Constitution has demonstrated it is a failure to restrain bad people, and this has led to our current troubles..."
You see the list of religious texts in the image above. Except for Islam (which I refuse to consider to be a religion - it is a political tool, not a religion) each of those books has very similar overall moral tenets. A good Buddhist will see an Evil act much the same as would the Catholic and the Jew.
Malum in se is a Latin term that means, essentially, an act that is wrong or evil in itself. A malum in se act is one that sane, normal people will agree is evil or wrong, regardless of the religion they may follow. Pedophilia is malum in se. Murder is malum in se. (Please note I distinguish murder from killing - killing is not, by definition, immoral or Evil.) Rape is malum in se. Slavery is malum in se. Kicking a puppy is malum in se (and will earn you the beating of your life if I see it or find you afterward.)
Those religious books work for only one reason - the people who subscribe to each faith respect the words in the books.
If one chooses to ignore the tenets of Judaism or Catholicism, the words are incapable of forcing the individual to change their behavior. Holy Men are not discarding their books just because some people refuse to abide the tenets included within.
I think you have probably already connected the dots I have laid out.
The Constitution is exactly the same. The Constitution cannot compel any man to respect the tenets included any more than the bible can make a man follow its tenets.
I hold that if We the People do our duty to compel our politicians and bureaucrats to adhere to the limitations imposed by the Constitution, to respect the Rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights, all in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution/BoR/DoI will prove to be the most effective documents ever created by man for the just governance of a people who respect Liberty.
Just as the Priest works hard to keep his flock in a state of respect for the tenets of his religion, we Americans are equally responsible for enforcing respect for the Constitution, BoR, DoI.
If people respect their moral tenets, and they respect the Constitution, no worries.
If they disrespect the religious tenets or the principles of the Constitution/BoR/DoI, neither set of words on paper will correct the bad behavior.
Keeping our fellow men in line is our responsibility. No piece of paper can do it, and I don't care how you write it. If you add an Amendment to the US Constitution that bad politicians shall be executed, yet we do not execute them, we fail to enforce the terms and principles of the documents, and the documents, the principles are ignored. We have impeachment, and we do not use it. We have the voting box, and far too few use it (and far too many stupid people DO use it.) We have 2A as a final recourse - why must we procrastinate to the point that a 2A remedy becomes the only option left? Human Nature, perhaps. No matter.
Whether the Bible or the Bill of Rights, if we respect the words and values, all is well. And if we ignore the words, then We the People fail the documents.
It is time to be preparing, folks - because the day nears when we will have no choice but to demand people respect our Rights in the minority. And if we have to do that by making them the minority, well, that's on them...
But if you can't force people to adhere to the Bible, what makes you think you can force people to respect the USC/BoR/DoI?
The Constitution will work when we force compliance. Until then, until we force compliance, no document is worth the paper it is written upon.
And until someone shows me a document that is superior to the Constitution, that will remain my rally point. I do not think the mental prowess exists on all of Earth to write a better set of documents than the USC/BoR/DoI.
What we need to become is guide to our flock.
Kerodin
III
Short version: The Constitution didn't fail us...
ReplyDelete...WE failed IT.
No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.
ReplyDeleteReligion has killed more people on this planet than all the wars put together.
First, I must state that there is no/has never been any document(s) prepared by men to govern men any better or more complete than our Constitution and Bill of Rights. They are worth the jeopardy of everything I own or might own to secure. I am preparing for that jeopardy like many others, particularly those that frequent this and similar blogs.
ReplyDeleteIn the late'70's(circa) the now late Rev. Jerry Falwell of Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, Va. formed a group called "The Moral Majority" which had among it's tenets the effort to return to "more moral" society. His efforts drew fire from within as well as without the pastoral community including the Christian community at large. The main thrust of the opposition was, simply stated, "you can't legislate morality." True enough but laws keep an otherwise anarchial state from forming. Our Founding Fathers were enlightened men - this fact cannot possibly be argued when what they assembled as documents for governance are examined alongside their personal efforts for Liberty. What they unilaterally recognized was man's nature to stray from personal internal controls. They knew well the tendency of men to resort to graft, greed, corruption, bribery and the like to get ahead. As they formed and shaped our Founding Documents, while acknowledging the structure of their day(most of them being one form of Christian or another) they incorporated the mechanisms of oversight,control and - if/when necessary - change and that by brute force as a final, no-other-options-left choice. From my perspective, what we want today has very little difference from Brother Falwell's desire: those in governance to act with honor, integrity and in accordance with our society's most prized documents for effecting the greatest and most far-reaching liberty for Americans. Add to this if whomever cannot/will not act in the best interest of individual liberty, then it's time to go and install those who will.
I brought up The Moral Majority because it's goals closely match what I perceive to be at least part of those of the III. We're governed today by a majority of honorless, self-absorbed, career politicians lacking the personal character it takes to think beyond their next election and the keeping of the power associated with it.
Our Founding Documents were designed for adherence to them by moral men - men of character, honor, integrity, compassion and temperence. When those who govern are void of these traits, the entire system begins to crumble and devolve into exactly what our Founding Fathers warned of. Such is what we have have today. As long as society itself remains on it's current track, liberty will continue to suffer - consider the gene pool from which it must draw. If the source is infected, so will any selection be that's made from it.
When the time comes that Liberty must be restored by the final means outlined in our Constitution, it's my hope, prayer and accompanying efforts that it be re-established with men of character - otherwise we'll be worse off for the effort.
I'm not versed in Latin but since the phrase malum in se (an act that is wrong or evil in it self) exists there must be a Latin phrase for a person's who are naturally evil in themselves). Although I was brought up to know right from wrong through parenting and religion, I also believe that I innately knew right from wrong. Human nature provides natural guidelines, the USC/BoR/DoI and religious text simply reinforce these morals and ethics.
ReplyDeletePeople who are innately evil do not have the ability to see right from wrong, or do but choose not to follow morals and ethics. I believe that is what someone like Saul Alinsky so successfully taught progressives to circumvent (his method to allow evil to achieve wide spread acceptance) and over rule man's natural desire to behave justly.
III
Resist
VICTOR
I highly recommend you read "Our Enemy, the State" to get a historical perspective on the Constitution and its passage, if you haven't yet. It wasn't what you have been told it is.
ReplyDeleteNo thanks. I've read and studied about the Constitution enough during my 61 years to know I'm not changing my mind.
Delete"I've read and studied about the Constitution enough during my 61 years to know I'm not changing my mind."
DeleteWhat a coincidence. Two generations of kids have read and studied enough about progressivism to know that they're not changing their minds either. I guess that's why y'all got to slug it out.
Meanwhile, I get chided for bringing epistemology into any of this, when that's all it's about: Things are as they are, not as we say they are.
"No, Jim...you're a flaming asshole. Things are as I believe them to be, and that's that."
Oh, yeah. We gotta slug it out if they refuse to back down. It's a natural progression I think.
DeleteI'm quite sure there is nothing at this point that is going to alter my general view of the world and how things should be. It's a right of passage having survived to my sixties. I studied, read, experienced and settled on some choices. Over the last couple of years I've come to know that there are quite a number of people that agree with me generally. And really, that's all that's necessary.
Klein, you know damn good and well that I don't think you're an asshole. A little tedious maybe. But not an asshole. I'm reasonably certain that if I were to be made king of the world, you would get along just fine. You'd bug the shit out of me, but you'd get along fine. Should the roles be reversed, I'd get along fine too. I would just demand that esoteric lectures be confined to the hours of 1300 to 1303 on February 29th. ;-)
I concur completely.
ReplyDelete"The Constitution cannot compel any man to respect the tenets included any more than the bible can make a man follow its tenets."nets.
ReplyDeleteExactly right. Without accountability, rewards or consequences for action, followed through, it means nothing.
Great post!