The Constitution's Message Missed

It amazes me how the "conservative" "republican" crowd can shout about the Constitution of the United States of America and at the same time, many of them completely miss the point of the whole document.
Maybe it shouldn't - because they shout the praises of the Bible and most of them really miss the point of the whole book.

This post was originally inspired by the "Constituting America" website, which totally goes left field with it's interpretation of the Constitution.

In researching this post, I found a post on the Daily Caller - "Our Conservative Constitution" - which got me totally derailed.  I hope you read it and come back here or the rest of my post may not make much sense...

President Barack Obama told Matt Lauer that, “I have not been able to force Congress to implement every aspect of what I said in 2008 … it turns out that our founders designed a system that makes it more difficult to bring about change than I would like sometimes.”

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/02/10/our-conservative-constitution/#ixzz1mNPFg2N7

My reply to the author is This :

 "If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." George W. Bush (http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/2002/10/29_Dictator.html)
Bush and the GOP wrote and passed the most anti-democracy bill in history - The "Patriot" Act.

Obama's statement is a LOT milder.  Still, he presided over the extension of The "Patriot" Act.

The fact is "Conservatives" were against rebelling against England in the first place.  Progressives were the ones who fought for and who wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. "Conservatives" - by definition - fight FOR the entrenched power in order to "Conserve" the status quo.

Here is what you miss about the Constitution : It gives the Federal Government the right to protect Citizens from abuse and harassment by State Government.  The growth in the Federal Government has been because many states seek to harm their Citizens by stupid, hateful, repressive laws - mostly put forth by "Conservatives" seeking to stop the flow of progress, tolerance and equity.

In THEORY, sure, "States Rights" sounds great. In Practice, though? Probably not so much.

So when you say : "Socialists could have their utopia in California or Massachusetts while conservatives would be shielded from that type of society in Alabama or Mississippi."

You forget that Freedom and Equality loving, Bigotry and Violence hating people would be persecuted in your Alabama or Mississippi.  Therefore, the Federal Government is authorized to step in to protect them from the predations of the State.  I live in Mississippi. Should I be forced to move, leave my family and home, just because I am not a Christian Conservative? Is that "Freedom"? Would a state such as you advocate even allow me to leave or would they imprison me and have me executed for heresy?

Maybe if we really had some freedom of movement (where people could actually afford to get up and move to a different state) or a state or fed paid for someone to move to the state they most aligned with. Then again, why should "liberals" be doomed to the cold or desert states or "moderates" doomed to the plains states and "conservatives" doomed to the heat of the south? Which culture would get which states and who would choose?

Recall that it was a Republican "conservative" president that stripped States Rights. Lincoln did so in refusing to recognize the right of secession.(more on that and the real "big government" party - http://www.lewrockwell.com/gregory/gregory40.html - there are so many things in there I want to quote here, so just go read it!!)

The "Conservative" Republican party is the party of the "Thought Police" and big supporters of a very anti-constitutional Theocracy where they enforce their religious dictates on all citizens (remember the first amendment?). Think not? Remember Prohibition? "Blue laws"? Rick Santorum advocates doing away with contraceptives, based solely on his "religious values". That is what the constitution protects (or should protect) us from.

I am a Thomas Jefferson Constitutionalist and I realize both parties have some really bad, really unconstitutional ideas and goals. Unfortunately, I also realize "Libertarians" are nut jobs who take "small government" way too far to have a functioning society. Right now, the Democrats are the least threat to Democracy and our Democratic Republic. "Conservatives" will always prefer Theocracy or Dictatorship to Democracy.

Okay, done with that reply.  Now on to more thoughts...

The "Conservatives" have one big, giant problem with the Constitution - it prevents them from forcing their 'values' and 'culture' on others.  So when you read that "conservatives would be shielded from that type of society in Alabama or Mississippi." you can safely interpret that as "conservatives would have the freedom to oppress and control the personal lives of every resident in Alabama or Mississippi."  That is not exactly "Freedom and Justice for All" by any stretch of the imagination.

Occupy Wall Street has come under fire for not having solutions to the problems they are pointing out.  Well, the first step is to admit there is a problem and the second is to identify the problem.

So.... what are my solutions?  Stay tuned.
(as a bonus on Reagan, read this!)