[pxpaulx]

The Constitution has been in jeopardy for several years.
It's been on life support since January 20, 2009. Recovery is doubtful.

Come on, how bad of a short term memory do you have?

I think that 50 years from now, when people my age are on their deathbeds and people your age are long gone, we will safely look back and say our parent's generation sold us a bill of goods. The divisiveness of this country is beyond measure, and you can only tread water so long. Do you want more talk, or do you want to move forward? Make way for progress, please.

[Parallax]

The purpose of a constitution is to provide stability, and continuity. If you think core principles should be dynamic, then let's play some poker. I'll use my "dynamic" rules, and change them as we go. It'll be fun!

[GeneV]

The Constitution has been in jeopardy for several years.
It's been on life support since January 20, 2001. Recovery is doubtful.

Corrected your post for you, Jim.

In truth, the last decade has not been good to the document.

[Parallax]

Thanks, Gene. I knew I could count on you to straighten me out.

[pxpaulx]

The purpose of a constitution is to provide stability, and continuity. If you think core principles should be dynamic, then let's play some poker. I'll use my "dynamic" rules, and change them as we go. It'll be fun!

Then why are we all still milking cows and rocking the horse and buggy? Seriously.

BTW I am game, maybe it would be fun. Actually that sounds more like business as usual. Face it, we're all just the chips.

[reeftool]

What has happened to the "new" government that promised to be transparent? Where is the "new" administration that promised to be "green" and be "friends to our evnironment" and turn around the policys of the past? It's time to call them out for being the lying sacks of crap they are. Anderson Cooper should be commended for the coverage he is doing in the gulf.

[Parallax]

I don't believe that cow-milking is an ideology. Freedom of speech, religion, freedom to assemble, freedom to be secure in your person, house, papers, and effects are. Milking a cow, whether by hand or machine, has no effect on principal.
Saying to the press, in essence, "you can't take and publish a picture of that because it makes me look bad", kind of does go against some fundamental premises.

[Nesster]

In truth, the last decade has not been good to the document.

Considering it was written by undocumented foreigners who gave themselves the biggest immigration amnesty ever, it has done fairly well

Considering it was written by undocumented foreigners who gave themselves the biggest immigration amnesty ever, it has done fairly well

And that, of course is a totally false statement. The residents of this country had no formal immigration policy. In fact they didn't have any policy formal or not. So therefore they weren't illegal.

[MRRiley]

And that, of course is a totally false statement. The residents of this country had no formal immigration policy. In fact they didn't have any policy formal or not. So therefore they weren't illegal.

And further to that point... the United States had NO immigration policies or restrictions prior to 1875. Anyone walking across the border before then is/was completely legal. Anyone entering thereafter, who did/does not follow the in-force policies was/is considered ILLEGAL!

it's that simple...

[jeffkrol]

nice comprehensive list:
List of United States immigration legislation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Let's be honest.. THIS is really what drives immigration reform............

Simon Rosenberg, president of the liberal think tank NDN, formerly the New Democrat Network, calls the Immigration Act of 1965 "the most important piece of legislation that no one's ever heard of," and said it "set America on a very different demographic course than the previous 300 years."

By adding so many Asians, Latinos, and African immigrants, Rosenberg says, the act changed the racial narrative in America from one of oppression - the white-black divide dating to slavery - to one of diversity. That change was strongly echoed in the Obama campaign, which emphasized the candidate's mixed-race background as making him representative of a new generation of Americans.

[GeneV]

Considering it was written by undocumented foreigners who gave themselves the biggest immigration amnesty ever, it has done fairly well

I get the point, but the history may be a bit flawed. I suspect all of the founding fathers were legally here under the laws of the sovereign at the time they came.

Of course, from the point of view of the Native Americans, it might be different. I don't know what the tribal immigration policies would have been.

[Nesster]

Yes, it was a quip.

However, I do believe that at the time declaring independence from Britain was not legal

[Parallax]

Yes, it was a quip.

However, I do believe that at the time declaring independence from Britain was not legal

They did seem to get their knickers in a twist over it, didn't they?

[subeeds]

Of course, from the point of view of the Native Americans, it might be different. I don't know what the tribal immigration policies would have been.

They would have varied from tribe to tribe. However, the East Coast NA's more or less welcomed them with open arms.

Parallax-
"I don't believe that cow-milking is an ideology. Freedom of speech, religion, freedom to assemble, freedom to be secure in your person, house, papers, and effects are. Milking a cow, whether by hand or machine, has no effect on principal.
Saying to the press, in essence, "you can't take and publish a picture of that because it makes me look bad", kind of does go against some fundamental premises."

The government has been doing that whenever they pretty much please for the last few decades. I see nothing wrong with taking with taking pictures of wildlife dead from the oil spill pictures. I also see nothing wrong with taking pictures of flag draped coffins coming home to their families, either. Before anybody jumps on me for that last comment, yes, I have had had 2 family members come home in flag draped coffins-my brother first and 5 years later my nephew. Both came from Afghanistan before we were "officially" there.

It's the same principal to me: The government doesn't want the people to know how badly things are really going.