The Amendments to the Constitution and the Present Administration
In my last article I made a comparison of some of the 27 charges the Continental Congress made against George III in the Declaration of Independence to our present administration. In this article, I will make a similar comparison in the amendments to the Constitution and this same administration.
After the Constitution was ratified and the federal government began operations, a call from the states went out for a bill of rights to protect the states and its citizens from any potential abusive power by the newly created federal government. Shortly thereafter, 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights were proposed September 25, 1789 and were ratified on December 15, 1791. Since this date, another 17 amendments were ratified by a supermajority of both houses of Congress and by ¾ of the existing states within the next 201 years. No amendment has been ratified since 1992. Amendments to the Constitution are difficult to ratify and are meant to be so as it means an altering of the Constitution and a changing of power either to or from the people or the government. The original 10 amendments were meant to be a chain to stop any abuse by the federal government. Let’s see how our current administration feels about the amendments as demonstrated by their own actions.
The 1st amendment forbade Congress from establishing a national religion. It also forbade Congress from passing a law prohibiting the free exercise of religion, the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, and from the right of people to peacefully assemble. This amendment also gives the people the right to petition their government for a redress of grievances.
The free exercise clause of the first amendment has taken a beating from the courts for years when liberal administrations appointed liberal justices to rubber stamp any complaint brought by the likes of the ACLU. The current administration has taken this abuse to a whole new level by prohibiting military chaplains from praying in the name of Jesus Christ and have threatened discipline to any service member who evangelizes for their Christian faith. All this was done without an act of Congress. The leader of the current administration was the first man in this office to openly mock practicing Christians in a speech where he complained that “they cling to their God”. Free speech has taken a beating since the concept of political correctness entered public debate about one generation ago. Today, if a citizen speaks his mind against gay marriage, anthropomorphic climate change, gun control, radical jihadists or any other topic contrary to the opinion of the current administration, such a will be ostracized and demonized by members of this administration including the current president himself. Calling certain critics as “flat-earthers” before taking a unilateral approach on a political issue is just one example of how our leader is far from presidential. As for the right of the people to peacefully assemble, can anyone remember how the party in charge treated those that assembled to protest at their last national convention during an election year. Citizens of this nation were herded into caged facilities amusing referred to as “free speech zones” In the United States, the whole nation is a free speech zone. Petitioning the government in this nation has become a joke. Even when polls show that large majorities of people oppose a piece of legislation such as the (Un)Affordable Care Act, and even after the same people turn out a large percentage of administration’s party from the legislature, the administration will still protect its policy at all costs. Finally, while Congress has never established a national religion, I believe the party of the current administration has established a secularized faith by making their leader(s) as people deserving of worship.
The 2nd amendment guarantees to citizens the right to keep and bear Arms. After a national tragedy, the administration and its party rushed to pass laws that would negate these rights even though a significantly large majority of citizens maintain proper usage of their weapons in ways that do not harm others. When the legislative effort failed, the president used the unconstitutional method of changing the law by executive order.
The 3rd amendment guarantees that soldiers can not be quartered on a citizens property without the consent of the owner. Many people argue that this is an archaic amendment that only applied to times during British rule. However, with the recent revelation that agencies of the government are intercepting our online messaging, I would argue that there is a government agent who has a presence in my home, even as I am typing this article. As I send this to the Patriot Post via my e-mail, I have to question who will read this article first.
The 4th amendment guarantees a citizen’s right to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures. See my response to violations of the 3rd amendment.
The 5th amendment includes a clause that citizen can not be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. Does this president’s attitude to the unborn, and also those who have just entered this world, reflect the rights of these who have no voice?
The 10th amendment grants all other rights not enumerated in the Constitution to be reserved to the States and the people. This is an amendment to grant state’s rights which have mostly ignored since the Civil War. This administration, however, has taken the violation of this amendment to a new level by denying the people of Arizona to enforce immigration laws during a time of foreign invasion and from the electorate of the state of California to define marriage in their state.
The 11th amendment prohibits citizens from one state from bringing suit against another state. When the voters of California passed proposition 8 defining marriage, the administration joined with those outside of California to overturn this law in court in defiance of the will of the people.
The 13th amendment abolishes slavery except for punishment of a crime upon conviction within all national territories. With the allowance of illegal immigration, slavery has returned to our country. Many are transported here against their will and are subject to slavery to the persons that brought them. This problem has occurred with many cultures who have settled here. The current administration has made no effort to correct this crime against humanity nor does it even mention it on a national platform.
The 3rd clause of the 14th amendment clearly spells out removal of any public official to has given aid and comfort to an enemy of our nation. After suffering many attacks from a radicalized portion of a religion aided by the governments where this religion is prominent, it can be demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that this administration has helped those who wish to harm this nation.
The 15th amendment protects the rights of citizens of races in voting. However, when members of a radical racist group intimated voters on the election day our current president was first elected, this administration dropped all charges that had already been filed.
I can write about other amendments, but the point has been made and there is one final point I wish to make.
The 22nd amendment limits the president to two four years terms and limits extra presidential service if the president filed more than ½ of another president’s term. Since we currently have a president who has violated so many constitutional amendments in addition to the articles that separate the powers of the executive, legislative and judicial branches, and has created crises for the purposes of advancing his agenda, does anyone have any reason to doubt that this administration would look for a way to violate this amendment as well?