Article 1, Sections 1 and 2

Section 1 All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.  Section 2 The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.  No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.  Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.  The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to choose three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five and Georgia three.  When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies.  The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment. 

With the Preamble done, now we get into the nitty-gritty. Section 1 establishes the Congress and the sole legislative body of the government. Get that? Only Congress can make laws. Not judges, not presidents.

Section 2 describes in detail the makeup of the House of Representatives. Some notable parts: You need to be an "inhabitant" of the state you are elected in, and only the House has the power to impeach (haven't had to think about that in a few years, huh?).

comments?

The Preamble:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Many people question the relevance of the U.S. Constitution.  Many people swear an oath to protect and defend it.  How many people truly take the time to learn and understand it?

I am attempting to do just that.  To really learn what this document has to say, and what it means to our everyday lives.  I'd like to invite you along.  

It is a large document, but I'm going to break it up into small sections, to offer time to digest and comment on its meaning.  Regarding comment, I will on occasion do just that.  Sometimes I may just let the text stand on its own.  Sometimes I'll add a thought.  I welcome thoughts and comments at any time.

I don't know how often I'll update it.  I suppose the vague answer is as often as i can.

This document is the law of our land.  It sets down in ink what the federal government can and, more importantly, can not do.  I'm not sure many people in a position of leadership in this country understand that.  Maybe they'll join us on this journey too. riiiiiiiiiiight.

Anyway, welcome aboard if you care to join me.

and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity

The "Blessings of Liberty".  They knew exactly what they were saying, and what they meant by it, and how valuable it is.  It is more valuable and relevant today than at any other time in our history.

see you next time.

Exactly who wants control again?

I remember over the last several years, those on the left have accused those of us on the right of wanting to control the lives of others and legislate our way into homes. Can we just examine that for a second?

Ok, so here's the main areas where we are accused of "pushing" our ideals:

1. Abortion- Generally, right leaning folks believe killing babies is wrong, and left leaning folks do not, or believe that it may be wrong but it is necessary. Yes, this is one issue our side has tried to legislate away.

2. Drugs- illegal drugs are dangerous, and by the way, illegal. This has been a big plank for we on the right, even from the Nancy Regan days, and an important issue. There are those on the left who consider this a victimless crime (a ridiculous assertion, by the way).

3. And for some, homosexual behavior- Here again, quite a few of those on the right feel that any behavior that puts someone at increased risk of catching a deadly disease should be discouraged. The left calls it an "alternate lifestyle".

Yes, these are the main areas that have sent the left into a tizzy, accusing us of interfering in others private business, and again, legislating our way into the lives of others. Ok, I give. They're right. I would agree that the right generally feels that we would all be better off if these things weren't as rampant as they are.

Now, however, I'd like to take a look at what the left, including our current President and Congressional leaders, is trying to dictate to the country, let's compare:

They want to tell us

1. what kind of car we can drive

2. how warm we can keep our home

3. how much money we can make

4. who we can hire

5. how much we can eat

6. how far we can drive

I'm sure I left some out on both sides. But look at these lists, which side do you think takes more "real" freedom away?

Tell me again which side wants to control our lives?

We are NOT cowards! Or are we?

This week, our (OUR) Attorney General called us a "nation of cowards" with regard to race relations. Several spokesfolks and pundits have come out since, trying to explain what he meant and mellow out some of the sting.

Frankly, I think he meant EXACTLY what he said. And I think this is a pretty accurate description of how this new administration sees us. I wonder if this is all we've given them to see?

What have we done over the last few weeks to stop the unraveling of our system of government and economy? Where is the outrage like we see from the left when someone on the right makes a trivial comment? Here we are having our livelihoods systematically stripped away in the name of a false rescue, and We, The People are still going about our daily lives, totally unaware about what is happening in front of us.

Since the day this new administration took office, we have been barraged with comments about how evil we are because we are successful, how much this country is failing, that we are cowards, that we make too much money, that we should be ashamed for living our lives the way we do. It has been one guilt trip after another.

I say enough. I probably can't make any impact at all, but I have to do something. I don't have the ear of the media, or thousands of listeners on the radio. All I have is this outlet here. A miracle of modern technology.

I say it's time to stand up for our country. I say it's time to be proud again to be an American, if you've lost that sense of pride. I have ALWAYS been proud to be American, but it seems too many people have bought into the crap lines that we have reason to be ashamed of ourselves.

Is our nation perfect? Of course not. And when did we all of a sudden expect it to be? But just because our system isn't perfect, and has faults, does that mean we throw it all away? Does that mean we give up our inalienable right to be free? To pursue our own happiness? To determine our own destiny?

If you want to see how great this nation truly is, take your eyes OFF the government for a while. Turn them inward. Look at the good things you have done in your life. You work hard, you raise a family, you love that family.

Then turn your eyes around you. Look at your friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Do you see the good things THEY do in life? That THEY have accomplished? There is lots of good to be seen.

Have you accomplished all you have in your life because the government has told you what you can be? Because they have told you where to work? What you can buy? What you can drive?

No! You have accomplished these things exactly because the government has NOT told you what to do. You are where you are because of the freedom you have.

Maybe you are not seeing accomplishment. Maybe right now you are seeing failure. It is not freedom that has failed you. Avoid the temptation to look to the government for a fix, for a rescue. They cannot provide one. Or at least, they cannot without conditions to be placed on you for the rest of your life. You will pay them back, hundreds of times over. Make no mistake. The government will not GIVE you anything.

Once again I say, instead of looking to the government for a fix, turn your eyes inward. Find that drive, that motivation, that fire that you once had. That fire that drove the founders of our land to fight for the very freedom we are trying to save today. Find that passion for what you want to do, for your family, for your friends, for your way of life.

Our lives are busy. Our lives our hectic. But if we don't find that fire again, if we don't develop that passion for freedom that drove our predecessors, our lives will be forever changed. We will be permanently dependent (or should I say co-dependent) on that government that bailed us out, and we will find ourselves with a debt that we can NEVER repay, indebted forever to them.

I say again, ENOUGH. I don't know what to do beyond this. I am a single voice in an amazingly vast internet universe. Maybe with enough voices joined together... just maybe.

I'm open to suggestions.

This isn't funny anymore. We're in real trouble.

This is all about Pelosi/Reid/Obama pushing their agenda, and not at all about recovery. This is not Republican vs. Democrat, or Right vs. Left. This is completely about right vs. wrong. This isn't politics anymore. This isn't "he's going to do" or "she could get away with", or "he might do". This is happening right now people! The changes being made to our country will have ramifications for years and years and years. The damage done this week will be close to impossible to fix.

If you are a responsible adult, if you work hard, if you pay your bills, if you care about your future or your children's future, you can't just go about your own life anymore and not care about "politics". Time is precious, money is worse than tight, but we have to do something, anything. We need to make noise. We need to make our voices heard. Washington isn't listening, but maybe others in this country will.

We need to stay optimistic. We are still America, no matter what they do to us!

Welcome

I'm just an ordinary man. Located below will be my thoughts, reactions, opinions...whatever strikes my fancy. Come back often. Maybe you'll find something interesting.