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To: Publius Valerius
Art 6 para 2.

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.

Read it, then read this:

The First 10 Amendments to the Constitution as Ratified by the States December 15, 1791

Preamble

Congress OF THE United States begun and held at the City of New York, on Wednesday the Fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.

THE Conventions of a number of the States having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best insure the beneficent ends of its institution

RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.:

ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.

"The whole of the Bill (of Rights) is a declaration of the right of the people at large or considered as individuals .... It establishes some rights of the individual as unalienable and which consequently, no majority has a right to deprive them of." -- Albert Gallatin, New York Historical Society, October 7, 1789

The prohibition is general. No clause in the Constitution could by any rule of construction be conceived to give to congress a power to disarm the people. Such a flagitious attempt could only be made under some general pretence by a state legislature. But if in any blind pursuit of inordinate power, either should attempt it, this amendment may be appealed to as a restraint on both. William Rawle on the Second Amendment

The BoR was a Declaration of our Rights. Not a complete list, but protected as part of the "Supreme law of the Land" the "Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding".

It was understood that States could add further protections, but could not detract from this common pool of our Rights. These were to be off limits. From anyone...

14 posted on 07/01/2009 1:19:47 PM PDT by Dead Corpse (III)
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To: Dead Corpse

That’s very interesting and all, but it just ignores the debates that went on in Congress. Madison proposed amendments that would have bound the states. They were voted down. There was great argument over this. Those that wanted to bind the states lost.

I suggest that you read the debates surrounding the introduction of these amendments in Congress.


16 posted on 07/01/2009 1:35:54 PM PDT by Publius Valerius
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