Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 

Reply
Show Printable Version Search this Thread
01-06-2011, 10:37 AM   #1
Veteran Member
jeffkrol's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Wisconsin USA
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 8,434
Reading of the (amended) Constitution

QuoteQuote:
The original Constitution was a truly great document, but with serious flaws. Over the past two centuries, Americans have amended the Constitution to make it even greater. When you read the Constitution in its entirety, you cannot help but be impressed by the progressive arc of our constitutional history. By trying to sweep under the rug those portions of the Constitution that have been amended, the House GOP leadership attempted to obscure our progressive constitutional history.

"We the People" are the editors of the Constitution, not politicians from one party or another. And it is only by reading the Constitution in its entirety that the promise and power of that duty can be appreciated. It is a great sign of a constitutional awakening for progressives that two Representatives in the House stood to explain that to the GOP House leadership today.
Better than a reality show.............
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elizabeth-b-wydra/why-did-the-gop-edit-the_b_805224.html
FOX take..........
QuoteQuote:
Showing the rust of Republicans not having presided over the House Chamber for the last four years, Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, ruled that Inslee was not making a proper parliamentary inquiry, even though he was. Inslee then asked Goodlatte to yield for a unanimous consent request to find out the answer to his question.

Simpson initially ruled that out of order again, even though such a request is, in fact, in order. Since Goodlatte allowed it, ultimately, Inslee got to ask his question.

Somewhat in jest, Inslee pointed out that since the Republicans did not alert Democrats until now exactly what version of the Constitution would be read, Democrats had not had the appropriate 72 hours ahead of time to consider the language now before the House.

http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/01/06/slight-hiccup-house-started-rea...#ixzz1AHIgXnTQ

01-06-2011, 12:08 PM   #2
Veteran Member
jeffkrol's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Wisconsin USA
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 8,434
Original Poster
Progressive view

QuoteQuote:
In reality, conservatives consistently ignore, distort, and pervert the Constitution in order to force it to fit their political goals and ideology. As the Center for American Progress Action Fund's Ian Millhiser wrote, "the GOP's agenda is nothing less than a direct assault on America's founding document."

'UNCONSTITUTIONAL' PARTS OF THE CONSTITUTION: In an op-ed in the right-wing American Spectator, Fox News' senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano asked a remarkable question for someone who describes himself as a fierce "constitutional conservative": "Is any part of the Constitution unconstitutional ?" "Yes," Napolitano concluded. Napolitano's absurd claim reflects a startlingly widespread conviction among conservatives. While claiming to defend the Constitution, conservatives are really only interested defending the parts they agree with, and are equally committed to dismantling the parts they do not. For example, a Progress Report analysis found that at least 130 GOP members of the 111th Congress -- including their Senate leader, former presidential candidate, and numerous House leaders -- want to "review" or dismantle the 14th Amendment and the right to birthright citizenship it guarantees. The text of the amendment could not be more clear: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States." The conservative plot to end birthright citizenship eerily reflects the vision of citizenship articulated by the Supreme Court's infamous pro-slavery decision in Dred Scott v. Sanford . It has no place in the 21st century. Meanwhile, a number of prominent tea party politicians, including Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), have called for repealing the 17th Amendment, which allows state citizens to directly elect their senators. Indeed, as the Atlantic's Marc Ambinder noted in May, "It's become a part of the Tea Party orthodoxy, now." Why would the so-called constitutionalists of the tea party seek to maim the Constitution to make America much less democratic? "Supporters of the plan say that ending the public vote for Senators would give the states more power to protect their own interests in Washington (and of course, give all of us "more liberty" in the process.)" On top of that, conservatives seek to further dismantle the Constitution by undoing the 16th Amendment, which enables the income tax. Paying taxes is never popular, but it would be impossible to function as a nation if America lacked the power to raise the money it needs to "provide for the common Defense," among other things that the Constitution charges the government with providing.

CONSERVATIVE DISTORTIONS: While seeking to remove whole parts of a document they call "sacred," conservatives also work to subvert the meaning of other parts. The Constitution gives Congress broad authority to "provide for yet a growing movement of right-wing "tenthers" want to squelch this and other authorities to render the federal government almost powerless. This is particularly evident in the slew of lawsuits against President Obama's health care reform law, and the judgment of conservative-activist-turned-federal-judge Henry Hudson striking down the law's individual insurance mandate. The Constitution clearly grants Congress the authority to enact the law through the "Commerce Clause," which allows Congress to regulate the national economy, and the "Necessary and Proper Clause," which grants Congress the power "to make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution" this power to regulate the economy. Even George Washington University Law Professor Orin Kerr, who was a recent constitutional adviser to Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), wrote that Hudson committed a "fairly obvious and quite significant error" by completely ignoring the "Necessary and Proper Clause" in his decision. Kerr's colleague, Jonathan Adler, a leading opponent of environmental regulation, agrees that Hudson's opinion "cannot be right." Even House Speaker John Boehner's (R-OH) own lawyer Carrie Severino wrote in the conservative National Review that Hudson's opinion renders that entire provision of the Constitution "meaningless." Meanwhile, as Millhiser noted yesterday, today's conservative movement's distorted interpretation of the Constitution would send the country back a century, allowing illegal activities like child labor, whites only-lunch counters, and gender discrimination. And a growing number of conservative "tenthers" believe Social Security, Medicare, and the minimum wage are unconstitutional (Goodlatte himself said this week that he didn't know if the minimum wage is constitutional).


THE PROGRESSIVE VISION: The Constitution is a progressive document, and has always been and remains central to progressive thought. The progressive view of the Constitution simply calls for embracing the whole Constitution -- including the Bill of the Rights and the amendments ratified by "We the people" over the past 220 years -- not just the fragments that happen to align with conservative ideology. Progressives recognize that the Constitution is the most enduring government charter in world history precisely because it was designed to be improved and adapted to the times, so these changes cannot be ignored in an attempt to return to some mythical earlier era to which conservatives constantly refer. Tea party conservatives often accuse progressives of undermining the text or abandoning its principles, when in fact it is progressives who must repeatedly defend the document and its emphasis on social justice, expanded franchise, and equality for all from conservative attacks. While conservatives accuse progressives of "judicial activism," it is conservatives who increasingly legislate from the bench, such as in overturning decades of campaign finance law in the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. Progressives recognize that the Constitution sees "We the people" as the source of political power and legitimacy, and that it grants the federal government broad powers to better the nation, separates church and state, enshrines basic human and civil rights, promotes free and fair markets, and broadly protects the right to vote. Hopefully conservatives will see this as well when the document is read on the House floor.
Needed it's own page......
01-06-2011, 03:04 PM   #3
Veteran Member
Ratmagiclady's Avatar

Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: GA
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 13,563
The GOP: The Party of Pushing the boundaries between 'Orwellian' and 'Self-Satirical.'

Holy Mother of *Punk:* it gets worse: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/06/two-house-republicans-vot_n_805423.html

QuoteQuote:
WASHINGTON -- Two House Republicans have cast votes as members of the 112th Congress, but were not sworn in on Wednesday, a violation of the Constitution on the same day that the GOP had the document read from the podium.

The Republicans, incumbent Pete Sessions of Texas and freshman Mike Fitzpatrick, missed the swearing in because they were at a fundraiser in the Capitol Visitors Center. The pair watched the swearing-in on television from the Capitol Visitors Center with their hands raised.

"That wasn't planned. It just worked out that way," said Fitzpatrick at the time, according to local press on hand, which noted that he "happened to be introducing Texas Congressman Pete Sessions while glad-handing his supporters in the Capitol Visitor Center that he secured for them when the House swearing in began."

House ethics rules forbid fundraising in the Capitol.

Last edited by Ratmagiclady; 01-06-2011 at 03:59 PM.
01-06-2011, 07:36 PM   #4
Inactive Account




Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 1,521
"Be afraid, be very afraid" (Kafka) of the The Huffington Post!

01-07-2011, 06:51 AM   #5
Veteran Member
jeffkrol's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Wisconsin USA
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 8,434
Original Poster
The Conservative Constitution of the United States

(humor)
The Conservative Constitution of the United States
QuoteQuote:
We, the Real Americans, in order to form a more God-Fearing Union, establish Justice as we see it, Defeat Health-Care Reform, and Preserve and Protect our Property, our Guns and our Right Not to Pay Taxes, do ordain and establish this Conservative Constitution for the United States of Real America.
Article I. Congress shall have only the powers literally, specifically and expressly granted herein, and no others. That means definitely, without question, absolutely, no regulation of the Health Insurance or Financial Services industries.
The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected not directly by the People, but by other people whom the People have elected to better represent the People.
Any law enacted by Congress and signed by the President may be overturned by the vote of three or more States if they find it burdensome, offensive, annoying or in any way touching on Health Insurance, Property Rights or Guns.
Congress shall have no power to raise Taxes except on February 29, and then only if all the People of the United States approve such a measure unanimously, in writing and in English.
Congress shall balance the Federal Budget, preferably by eliminating the Departments of Labor, Energy, Education and State.
The preceding provision shall not apply to spending for the Department of Defense, appropriations for which shall increase three times as quickly as the growth in gross domestic product and upon the approval of House leadership in conference with Boeing, Halliburton, the Ashcroft Group and Kissinger Associates.................. ect............ Done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the Members present the Sixth Day of January in the Year of our Lord Two Thousand and Eleven. In witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our names, [REDACTED]
Reply

Bookmarks
  • Submit Thread to Facebook Facebook
  • Submit Thread to Twitter Twitter
  • Submit Thread to Digg Digg
Tags - Make this thread easier to find by adding keywords to it!
constitution, democrats, history, house, question, request
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
My Amended Post Production Technique benjikan Digital Processing, Software, and Printing 4 06-24-2009 03:19 PM
USS Constitution vievetrick Post Your Photos! 37 09-07-2008 05:13 PM
Old North Church and USS Constitution, Boston MA palmor Post Your Photos! 7 07-09-2008 08:31 PM
Reading mel Post Your Photos! 2 05-14-2008 02:44 AM
Hello from Reading, UK ukbluetooth Welcomes and Introductions 2 08-01-2007 07:20 AM



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:02 AM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top