Retired justice urges rebirth of civic education (Souter)

Associated Press ^ | Aug 1, 2009 | Mike Robinson

[decimon]

Retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter urged the nation's lawyers Saturday to help revitalize civic education, warning that the failure of many Americans to understand how the government works poses a serious threat.

[combat_boots]

0bama already met with historians at the WH a couple of weeks ago.

The winners determine what history is.

Then, the b@$tards write the history.

With a consistently dumbed down population, driven often to exclude other points of view or lineage, the foundations of the country and civic responsibility are a propos to the chipping away of Plymouth Rock some years ago.

I touched that rock. You can’t now, and it’s much smaller from the chipping away of it. The thought of America as we know it as a souvenir. Historical, but anecdotal in its present state.

I worked with someone to rewrite the piece on my profile page. I suggest you read it and feel free to comment. Took a while.

We have to be smarter than they are. Perhaps we might even need more than that?

[Erasmus]

Of course, the public understanding how the government really works would be extraordinarily dangerous.....to the government.

[Erasmus]

Now the schools are more interested in making worker bees, than citizens.

I think their main interest is in creating voter bees.

[elpadre]

Hallelujah!! I have been saying such to everyone I can for years. Kids (and many adults) don’t know the Constitution, government, the real facts of American history, or basic family finances. The public schools have failed in these most and vitally important subjects.

[Jacksonian Grouch]

been a long time since we exchanged thoughts on this thread, but I found something that supports what I first stated (that Souter ruled the taking of private property was ok as long as it was for public benefit - and in this case the benefit was rendered by gaining an increased tax revenue from the usurping private entity):

http://straylight.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/04-108.ZS.html

Please note the second sentence, para (b): "...The city has carefully formulated a development plan that it believes will provide appreciable benefits to the community, including, but not limited to, new jobs and increased tax revenue...".

Not explicitly stated was that the increased tax revenue would come from a private company which was to build more residences (condos, iirc). But really, once public use has been transposed into public benefit, then all the florid, vague writings typical of Lawyer-ese won't cover up the simple fact that I can take your house and build a multi-story condo which has ten residences in the same land space, all providing much more tax revenues to the local politicians.

Souter's villainy struck a mortal blow to the vital cornerstone of property rights. Granted, I'm no lawyer, but truth be told, though I'm but a layman, I'm sick and tired of assholes like Souter who don their robes, swear the Rule of Law and obedience to the Constitution as their guiding lights, then proceed to implement an anti-American, anti-freedom agenda in the name of big government.

I don't need a degree in Law to know when I'm getting screwed.

JG

[Jacksonian Grouch]

just a quick note on followup to my last just a bit ago - rereading it sounds like I was venting at you. I wasn’t, I was just sharing a general dislike of of what so much scum can do to what used to be a venerated profession.

JG

[Mark was here]

I agree that Souter is a jerk. My biggest beef with the whole ordeal is with the voters of New London. They elected the government that started the process. Local governments have way more control of our lifers and property than any other level of government. 0ur best protection from the Soutor’s of the world lie in strong State Constitutions that protect property rights.