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If you only read one of the Federalist Papers, this is it. This is the one you want to read and carefully study. This is the one that relates to today’s political wars more than any other of the Federalists. From the beginning Mr. Madison starts with a strong statement. Follow along and find where his warnings match today’s political efforts. Line breaks have been added for easier reading and a few sections have been emphasized. But this Federalist is important to study, especially now. Ping your friends! < The Federalist No. 10 The Utility of the Union as a...

A hiring lawyer from Greenwich, Conn., wrote to The Ethicist of the New York Times with this question: Is it ethical to recommend rejection of members of the Federalist Society simply because you disagree with their conservative politics? The Ethicist, Randy Cohen, said politics should not be a factor.... The lawyer, who made recommendations on summer and full-time associates, had noted the review was intended to take account of judgment and personality. The Ethicist countered that reasonable people differ over politics. “I am tempted to believe that those whose politics differ from mine lack ‘judgment and personality’ and taste in...

This paper is an enjoyable read, especially its fourth paragraph that describes some of the new lands that made up the new nation. Jay defines some elements that promised a great nation: With equal pleasure I have as often taken notice that Providence has been pleased to give this one connected country to one united people -- a people descended from the same ancestors, speaking the same language, professing the same religion, attached to the same principles of government, very similar in their manners and customs, and who, by their joint counsels, arms, and efforts, fighting side by side throughout...

A study of the foundations for our new nation are in order; so, let’s enjoy a study of the Federalist, starting with the first. We will initiate these threads with an excerpt of the Federalist being discussed, followed by the entire text, and then leave the thread open for your amplifications and comments. For those of you who focus on the Anti-federalist papers, I invite you to chime in with relevant passages from those papers. As we have 85 of these threads providing forums, I ask you to be patient and wait for the proper time and context for quotes...

We now see people clamoring for their right of health care, their right of same-sex marriage, their right to reveal information that will damage national security and so on. None of these rights are listed in our first ten amendments, yet the claims continue unheeded. Such claims were forecasted by several of the founding fathers; Alexander Hamilton penned his thoughts on the dangers of a Bill of Rights in Federalist 84. What follows here is a small section of the essay. Prior to this section he sets a foundation for his argument that is worthy of serious study. “I go...

Plowing through the 85 essays of the Federalist Papers, one can read how the Founding Fathers foresaw the problems of impeachment, corruption of government, regulatory excess, gun control, and all the other headline grabbing issues we read about today!

Indiana National Guard Capt. Nathan Harlan was a high school junior when he paid $7 for a 1788 first edition of volume one of "The Federalist" — a two-volume book of essays calling for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

I intend to spend this weekend reading these more diligently ... from argument to argument.

On special occasions, I wear a red silk tie printed with 56 signatures, all but one of them in black; the featured one in white is “Th. Jefferson.” The names are, of course, the signers of the Declaration of Independence. When asked, I tell folks I practice law for a bunch of dead guys. They pay me nothing. But it is an honor to represent them, especially when it reaches into the Supreme Court. That brings me to President Obama’s nomination of Harold Koh, Dean of Yale Law School, as Legal Advisor to the State Department. This nomination is a...

[....] On the other hand, should an unwarrantable measure of the federal government be unpopular in particular States, which would seldom fail to be the case, or even a warrantable measure be so, which may sometimes be the case, the means of opposition to it are powerful and at hand. The disquietude of the people; their repugnance and, perhaps, refusal to co-operate with the officers of the Union; the frowns of the executive magistracy of the State; the embarrassments created by legislative devices, which would often be added on such occasions, would oppose, in any State, difficulties not to be...

The people can never wilfully betray their own interests; but they may possibly be betrayed by the representatives of the people; and the danger will be evidently greater where the whole legislative trust is lodged in the hands of one body of men, than where the concurrence of separate and dissimilar bodies is required in every public act. short context: It adds no small weight to all these considerations, to recollect that history informs us of no long-lived republic which had not a senate. Sparta, Rome, and Carthage are, in fact, the only states to whom that character can be...

There are few things that keep me up at night, but this is one of them. It may be cynicism, but more likely it’s the long sad experience of watching the courts over the years. So when your side finally wins one that should have you celebrating, and yet you walk away with a knot in your gut, it’s probably warranted. Senior Judge Laurence H. Silberman’s majority opinion in Parker v. District of Columbia was a thing of beauty, affirming armed self-defense as an individual right pre-existing the Constitution. It was almost hard to believe. Maybe that's what’s bugging me....

THE MORE I LISTEN TO AND READ ABOUT “the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate,” the more I like him. Barack Obama strikes a chord with me like no political figure since Ronald Reagan. To explain why, I need to explain why I am a conservative and what it means to me. ---SNIP--

A Kerrville women who’s the owner of a 200-year-old book with ties to the Founding Fathers could net thousands of dollars from its sale this summer. “The Federalist,” conceived in 1787 by the likes of James Madison and others, is a powerhouse of a historical document, according to Heritage Auction Gallaries of Dallas, which plans to unveil the book June 3-4. Its estimated value is $150,000 to $200,000. James Gannon, director of rare books for Heritage Auction Galleries, said 50 or so first editions of the papers exist, “but not all complete.” He said Halsey Bascom’s two volumes are in...

Steven Calabresi, Professor of Law at Northwestern University (http://www.law.northwestern.edu/faculty/fulltime/Calabresi/Calabresi.html) and co-founder of the premiere conservative legal organization, The Federalist Society, who previously backed Rudy has now endorsed John McCain. In an e-mail to me he explained: I have endorsed Senator McCain and think he would be an excellent president because he is tough on foreign policy, committed to spending restraint which is the key to small government, and because he has consistently voted for good judicial nominees in tough fights like Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas. I am not troubled by his role as a member of the gang of...

Choosing a person for the office of president of the United States is the most difficult decision that a citizen of America must make. The person I chose is of high quality in character, integrity, wisdom, knowledge, education, experience, and a love for our Creator, [the people] and for our nation—[some]one of obvious moral and ethical character ... including unimpaired soundness in [such] qualities as honesty, reliability, faithfulness and maturity. And, of course, wisdom. Knowledge is also a requirement, and that is acquired from tried-and-true hard work, using the tools of a fine education and experience from the trails of...

The campaigns are in the final stretch. The Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire Primary are but days away. In just over a month, the presidential nominees for both major parties will be effectively set, and a nine-month contest for the leadership of our nation and the power to choose between starkly different directions for our republic will ensue. The Democrat nominee will advocate higher taxes and more government involvement in Americans’ everyday lives. The Republican nominee should advocate lower taxes with greater fiscal accountability, limited government intrusion, and tough law enforcement. Any of the Democrat candidates can advocate their...

That’s the verdict rendered in this article. It’s just another example of the case conservatives should be making on Fred’s behalf. Here’s one of the key sections of the article: In short, Thompson holds the same conservative positions of all the other candidates combined, and has none of their flaws. In fact, any close observer of the campaign season would tell you that Thompson has been on the receiving end of barely any substantive attacks on policy issues. This is no coincidence. And it is the reason he has had to bear the brunt of shallow attacks about his demeanor,...

<p>"...It was an odd time for a dispassionate look at federalist theory. Fifteen people had been killed in one of the worst school shootings in US history. Even the National Rifle Association had scaled back its annual meeting.</p> <p>But in many ways, it was signature Thompson: a defiant faith in his own judgment, an indifference to political fallout, and a near zealotry about the limits of government. A few days after his hearing, he not only opposed a juvenile-justice overhaul backed by his own party but was one of just three senators to vote against funds for a set of antiviolence programs.</p>

From the day in June when I interviewed the man until this very morning, Fred Thompson has caused me to scratch my head in puzzlement and disappointment. On the one hand, Thompson displays energy, intiative, and principle in all matters of policy. He has forthrightly and uapologetically opposed Roe, arguing that abortion law should be returned to the states. He’s solid on health care. Has has displayed more courage and honesty in addressing the need for entitlement reform than all the other Republican candidates combined. In his insistence on the need to achieve victory in Iraq and prevent Iran from...

I'm not entirely thrilled with anybody who's running for president at this point, although some of them have their good points. Right today, I'm just thinking broadly on some of Fred Thompson's good points. That's because he had an interesting confrontation on Fox News earlier today with reporter Chris Wallace, to whom he gave on air criticism of FNC for their coverage of his campaign. He didn't try to intimidate the host with a wagging finger and threatening gestures like Bill Clinton, or send out third party threats and cheap manipulation like Hillary. Instead, he had some specific grievances that...

Fred Thompson's presidential campaign has been unorthodox since Day 1, and his decision to grab the "third rail" of American politics with both hands is a clear indication that he really is a different kind of candidate. Since agreeing to run, after a mild draft effort by conservatives looking to fill the void in the race for a candidate who shared their views and values, Thompson has pursued what can only be considered a nontraditional path. He has eschewed the traditional 24/7 campaign run by his competitors and expected by the Washington-based mainstream news media, which has labeled him poorly...

LADSON, S.C., Nov. 24 — Joe McCormick, a burly man over six feet tall, a World War II-era Mauser rifle at his side, said he was frightened. “Giuliani scares me,” Mr. McCormick said of Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination. “What does a mayor of New York know about guns?” Fred D. Thompson, who was about 30 yards away — just past the “Confederate Cutlery” collection of knives, fingering an M-1 rifle at the Land of Sky Gun Show here Saturday — was more his kind of candidate. Mr....

Yesterday, Senator Fred Thompson issued a statement on the Supreme Court's decision to grant certiorari in the District of Columbia gun ban case. It reads, in part: I’ve always understood the Second Amendment to mean what it says – it guarantees a citizen the right to “keep and bear” firearms, and that’s why I’ve been supportive of the National Rifle Association’s efforts to have the DC law overturned. In general, lawful gun ownership is a pretty simple matter. The Founders established gun-owner rights so that citizens would possess and be able to exercise the universal right of self-defense. Guns enable...

Make no mistake about it - when the nation's largest pro-life group endorsed Fred Thompson on Tuesday its goal was to shake up the Republican contest for the presidency. The National Right to Life's endorsement is the gold standard coveted by those Republicans seeking the White House because it bestows a legitimacy and authenticity on the candidate who receives it as the standard-bearer for those who want to end abortion on demand. The Thompson endorsement not only signals how the organization representing 3,000 pro-life groups has grown up, but it shows just how close the country is to seeing Roe...

Thursday, November 15, 2007 What Fred Said [Larry Kudlow] I just sat down with presidential candidate Fred Thompson, for an interview that will air tonight on Kudlow & Company. The former Tennessee senator was in good form. He attacked Warren Buffet’s tax-hike proposal on the rich as totally wrong, and Buffett himself as nothing more than a mouthpiece for the Democratic party. He agreed with Dick Armey that the GOP will lose if it departs from the first principles of limited government and lower tax rates. He called the farm bill “disgraceful” and would veto it if he were president....

There is an old hymn written by Fanny Crosby, sung at generations of camp meetings, which exclaims: "Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet, and Priest, and King!" Since the emergence of evangelicalism as a cultural force in the 1950s, three approaches to politics, represented by three personalities, have emerged. They are the prophet, the priest and the kingmaker. The prophet has been psychologist James Dobson, who dispenses child-rearing advice on the radio from his Colorado ministry, Focus on the Family. On family issues, Dobson's counsel is moderate and broadly appealing. On politics, his tone sharpens. He rails against compromise on social-conservative...

This is a big reason why I’m a supporter of Thompson: Senator Fred Thompson appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” this morning....One thing I found notable about the interview was Thompson’s explicit commitment to federalist principles. . . Many politicians say such things. President Bush, for one, spoke quite a bit about the need for state flexibility when he was a Governor and a candidate, but seems to have forgotten about such things over the past six years. It appears Thompson actually means it, however, as he stuck to his federalist guns even when confronted with issues where many “conservatives”...

Kathryn thinks Thompson's answer on abortion was muddled. (Between the muddiness and meandering, he's the Mississippi River of political rhetoric.) But I'll just note that for wary pro-lifers, Fred Thompson can say something that Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani can't, which is, "look at my record." Maybe that won't be enough for some people; maybe they'll conclude that Romney is speaking more boldly and making more credible promises. But it seems that one way or another, pro-lifers are going to have to compromise with a less than ideal candidate this cycle. Besides Giuliani's obvious flaws and Romney's conversion on the...

Senator Fred Thompson appeared for the hour on "Meet the Press" with Tim Russert and it was evident that this is a more comfortable milieu for him then the debate format at this point in the campaign. He talked easily and comfortably about issues of foreign policy such as Pakistan and Iran - and displayed a staunch defense of federalism with some positions that may not please some of the members of the base. Thompson certainly came across as authentic - and his grasp of foreign policy issues gives lie to the contention that those with executive experience have a...

Human Events’ presidential preference poll of American conservatives found that former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson leads the competition for conservative support with 23% of the participants selecting him over the other candidates. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee tied for second with 19%, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney came in third at 13% and Arizona Sen. John McCain -- in what is probably a direct result of his stance on amnesty for illegal aliens -- came in dead last at 2.1%. The poll, conducted by e-mail between October 24-29, was sent to approximately 32,000...

Ive seen several others use the term, but I'm not quite sure that it has the same meaning for them that it holds for me. In my case, at least, a conservatarian is a mainstream conservative in the Goldwater/Reagan tradition who subscribes to the fiscal and modern federalist principles of the libertarian philosophy. Why not just refer to myself as a conservative?I don't believe that's possible in the 21st Century. The ink on the conservative label has been smudged by too much abuse of the term. There are people who call themselves "conservatives" these days who leave me scratching my...

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his rivals for the Republican nomination will face a tough crowd when they address the religious conservatives at the Values Voter Summit starting Friday. “I think what we can expect is a lot of folks talking about how dissatisfied they are with the choices they have,” former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) said. Giuliani’s positions on abortion and gay rights continue to dog him as he looks for support within the leadership of the religious conservative movement, and those leaders say they want to hear more from the former mayor this weekend than...

Candidate Says U.S. Must Return To Basics. Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson said Thursday that he's ready to work hard in Iowa to make up for lost time. Thompson was in Des Moines a day after announcing his White House run. He said he still has enough time to get out his message. "The preliminaries are over, the game is beginning as far as I'm concerned and I'm looking forward to it," he said. He said he skipped the debates in an effort to reach more people. "I want to reach them as directly as I...

Conservative Republicans disenchanted with their presidential options dream that Fred Dalton Thompson is the Great Right Hope for 2008. Fans of the 65-year-old actor and former Tennessee senator call him a Southern-fried Ronald Reagan clone with impressive name recognition and a folksy appeal who can unite the party - and beat Hillary Clinton. It won't be a cakewalk for Thompson, who, after several false starts, will launch his candidacy Thursday via his I'mWithFred Web site. He's starting unusually late, has had trouble raising cash and has been soporific in recent testing-the-water outings. "The wow factor is gone," a Republican operative...

Friday, August 17, 2007 Nix That [Kathryn Jean Lopez] From Team Thompson: I'm afraid CNN story you linked mischaracterized Thompson's comment on gay marriage. They've since altered the story....without noting the change. For the record, the Thompson camp has officially noted that "Fred Thompson does not support a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage." He supports the rights of States to choose their marriage law for themselves. The Thompson camp issued this statement: In an interview with CNN today, former Senator Fred Thompson’s position on constitutional amendments concerning gay marriage was unclear. Thompson believes that states should be able to...

The summary below is excerpted from a hostile source but I still like what I hear: Thompson, who is expected to enter the presidential race formally in September, but plans to campaign in Iowa on Friday, was not known as a big-ideas guy and was hardly a heavy-hitter when it came to legislation during his Senate career from 1994 to 2002. Still, he was considered a reliably conservative vote on economic, security and social issues alike. He backed Bush's tax cuts, a prohibition on a late-term abortion procedure and voted to give the president the authority to invade Iraq. More...

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. made it clear as he began taking questions at yesterday's National Italian American Foundation luncheon that he couldn't reveal any of the Supreme Court's forthcoming opinions. But did he at least give a hint? Two of the court's biggest remaining cases focus on the First Amendment, and while Alito didn't mention either, he did make it clear that any restrictions on speech face a high hurdle with him. "I'm a very strong believer in the First Amendment and the right of people to speak and to write," Alito said in response to a question of...

"THE President of the United States is to be "commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several States WHEN CALLED INTO THE ACTUAL SERVICE of the United States." The propriety of this provision is so evident in itself, and it is, at the same time, so consonant to the precedents of the State constitutions in general, that little need be said to explain or enforce it. Even those of them which have, in other respects, coupled the chief magistrate with a council, have for the most part concentrated the military authority...

Last week US District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor, in Detroit, Michigan, ruled that the National Security Agency’s overseas communications intercept program was unconstitutional. This is tied for the worst decision I’ve ever read, in 36 years as a member of the bar, both federal and state. Dozens of pundits have already written about aspects of her decision that are egregiously wrong. Even the august New York Times, which opposes the NSA program and favors Judge Taylor’s result, still has called her opinion “badly reasoned.” It’s important that lawyers, legal writers, and experienced laymen be able to recognize a thoroughly incompetent...

History has attributed to the War of 1812 the label of "The Second War for American Independence". It is regarded as an American victory not because of any military achievement, but because it etched American independence from Britain in stone. In contemporary terms, the war was a disaster, with the British easily occupying Detroit, chasing a fleeing President Madison from the capital, and setting many public landmarks ablaze. It was during this conflict that great anti-war opposition in the North East led to the Hartford Convention. Small-minded men of the waning Federalist Party, who never got over the ascendancy of...

Last February, as rumors swirled about the failing health of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, a team of conservative grass-roots organizers, public relations specialists and legal strategists met to prepare a battle plan to ensure any vacancies were filled by like-minded jurists. The team recruited conservative lawyers to study the records of 18 potential nominees — including Judges John G. Roberts Jr. and Samuel A. Alito Jr. — and trained more than three dozen lawyers across the country to respond to news reports on the president's eventual pick. "We boxed them in," one lawyer present during the strategy meetings said...

Q: Why is Roe v. Wade not considered constitutional law? I'll tackle this question since I have received three similar ones since the Alito hearing's began. A woman can be said to have a right to abortion just as much as she would have a right to decide on a root canal. The problem though is, it isn't neither a constitutional or federal issue -- but an issue of the people through their own State legislative process to determine. The US Constitution did not invest any jurisdiction with the federal government or the Supreme Court over the life and liberties...

This past week (January 11) marked the 251st anniversary of the birth of Alexander Hamilton, whom Richard Brookhiser described as the greatest of the Founders except for George Washington. Hamilton's detractors, beginning with Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adams did not deny his greatness, but feared his motives. They described him as a lover of monarchy whose goal was to corrupt the republican virtue of the American people by means of his economic schemes. Since then, many writers, reflecting the view of his contemporary adversaries, have depicted Hamilton as the "prince of darkness" in a Manichean struggle with Thomas...

 Ladies and gentlemen, Democrats of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, welcome to this introductory tour of the North American federalist in his natural habitat. We hope that by getting to know the 10-toed American federalist a bit better this afternoon, you'll avoid, in the future, some of the errors and missteps that have thus far plagued your efforts to understand, question, and possibly impugn them at confirmation hearings. Sen. Feinstein, please do try to keep up with the tour. We ask that you listen carefully as we debunk some of the stereotypes and myths you may have heard about...

It looks like the third time was the charm for the Federalist Society. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito has long been an active participant in the conservative legal society, an influential group that sometimes goes to great lengths to play down its influence. Alito has been a member for at least 15 years and has spoken before both the national organization and its student chapters on a number of occasions. That's a welcome change for the group after the last two Supreme Court nominations: -John Roberts, the new chief justice, is well-liked by Federalist Society members but belatedly denied he'd...

Founder's Quote:"The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their Constitutions of Government. But the Constitution, which at any time exists, 'till changed by an explicit and authentic act of the whole People is sacredly obligatory upon all." —George Washington Make your voice be heard TODAY! Please join fellow Patriots and sign "A citizen petition to restore Constitutional integrity to government, and entreat the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches to confine their actions to comport with the limits of Constitutional law." Petition Text: To President George Bush, Speaker of the House...

Imagine if Bill Clinton had nominated his personal attorney and White House counsel to a post on the U.S. Supreme Court. Somehow, I can't imagine my conservative friends supporting the nominee – particularly if there were questions about controversial documents being destroyed that might actually shed light on scandals of the past. The stunning series of articles by WND columnist Jerome Corsi, raising serious and nagging questions about Harriet Miers' role as chairman of the Texas Lottery Commission and the cover-up of the way that story intersects with George W. Bush's National Guard service, points up why this kind of...

This old language is a tough read, so I'm gonna add some bolded headings which quickly summarize the paragraphs that follow. Maybe this helps, maybe not. To the People of the State of New York: Hamilton quotes Article 2 THE President is "to nominate, and, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States whose appointments are not otherwise provided for in the Constitution. But the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers as...

WASHINGTON -- Mentioning the little-known Judge Edith Brown Clement as front-runner for the Supreme Court vacancy was not a ploy to obscure the eventual selection of Judge John Roberts. She was the real runner-up, after evoking mixed reviews from conservatives. President Bush was very much impressed with Clement during his interview with her, and sources say he gave her a White House tour. However, anti-abortion activists were not happy, contending that she has no record on their issue. Clement's supporters say she is very well thought of by conservative Justice Antonin Scalia and that she would follow his lead on...