The perils of constitution-worship

Economist ^ | 23 Sep 2010 | Economist

[Palter]

[P-Marlowe]

IBTZ

[Walts Ice Pick]

I think we should repeal all of the amendments since the 12th Amendment.

[cripplecreek]

Goals number 29 and 30 of the communist goals presented on the floor of the US house in 1963.

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the “common man.”

[chrisser]

Wow. This anonymous author truly doesn’t “get it”.

He or she is wrong about so many things and on so many levels, its hard to even pick where to start.

At least the article serves as a reminder to me why I stopped reading the Economist years ago.

[Palter]

Obviously, not my view, just posting for more fuel.

[NohSpinZone]

Screw you, limeys. We know the Constitution are the word of men...men brilliant enough to rescue millions from tyranny and forge a country that is now the most powerful, successful democracy in the history of the world. We now have traitors among us who would “transform” this great nation forever. The Constitution is the guiding principle we need to get us back on the right track.

[Palter]

Oh, he gets it.

It’s the editorial view.

[RightInEastLansing]

This guy totally misses the point. “Should gays marry?” He is correct that the Constitution doesn’t address gay marriage, and that is why it falls back to the State authorities.

[NavySEAL F-16]

The most revealing part of the article are the comments.

I will never understand the thought process of a liberal/socialist.

[highlander_UW]

Wouldn't it be splendid if the solutions to America’s problems could be written down in a slim book no bigger than a passport that you could slip into your breast pocket? That, more or less, is the big idea of the tea-party movement, the grassroots mutiny against big government that has mounted an internal takeover of the Republican Party and changed the face of American politics.

Couldn't get past the first paragraph without finding idiocy. No, the list is problems is MUCH longer than the Constitution...but the solution is the constitution. Faulty premise, false claims...faulty conclusions are almost always guaranteed.

[Dead Dog]

“Wouldn’t it be splendid if the solutions to America’s problems could be written down in a slim book no bigger than a passport that you could slip into your breast pocket? “

BS! The fundamental principle of the TEA Parties is that Government aint the solution. Only a leftwing schnitzensocket would assume otherwise.

Same with that cartoon. Mocking the reverence of freedom. F’ing pathetic.

[mamelukesabre]

Very clever. The founding fathers are deified by tea partiers, therefore the ACLU now has authority to remove the founders and the constitution from government.

[P-Marlowe]

Obviously, not my view, just posting for more fuel.

Its a good idea to post a (Barf Alert) when you post the thread.

[The_Reader_David]

I'm not sure why a thread or poster should be zotted for posting the Wet-Tory view from The Economist. Sure, it's not sound, but we've had long, fruitful discussion threads based on posting of looney left articles. Or is this an example of the law-of-small-differences: center-right views that are just to the left of the position dominant on FR get zotted as a threat before obviously leftish stuff?

[SWAMPSNIPER]

The underlying philosophy of the Constitution is timeless, it is as nearly sacred as a secular document can be.

Some questions may be beyond answers, the "progressive" solution to these seems to be application of government coercion, no wonder they hate the Constitution.

[mc5cents]

He is correct that the Constitution doesn’t address gay marriage, and that is why it falls back to the State authorities.

Oh, I guess you missed it. The 9th and 10th Amendments were repealed, I believe during either the Roosevelt or Johnson administrations. My memory is a little foggy on just when. /s

[dsc]

ESAD, ya limey poofter.

[BenLurkin]

"America took a wrong turn when Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt fell under the spell of progressive ideas and expanded the scope of government beyond both the founders’ imaginings and the competence of any state. Under the cover of war and recession (never let a crisis go to waste, said Barack Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel), Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson and now Mr Obama continued the bad work. Thus has mankind’s greatest experiment in self-government been crushed by a monstrous Leviathan."

ALL TRUE.

[seowulf]

Constitution worship...that would be rule of law and natural rights, wouldn’t it?

It seems those things ought to be respected and, yes, that respect would fix most of our problems.