Comments on: A new US Constitution http://cominganarchy.com/2005/08/11/a-new-us-constitution/ Speak Victorian, Think Pagan Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:30:55 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Mutantfrog http://cominganarchy.com/2005/08/11/a-new-us-constitution/comment-page-1/#comment-17843 Mutantfrog Fri, 12 Aug 2005 18:14:52 +0000 http://www.cominganarchy.com/?p=995#comment-17843 "The European Constitution in case in point!" Totally. It may have been well-intentioned, but 500 pages isn't a constitution-it's a whole damn legal code! “The European Constitution in case in point!”

Totally. It may have been well-intentioned, but 500 pages isn’t a constitution-it’s a whole damn legal code!

]]> By: Younghusband http://cominganarchy.com/2005/08/11/a-new-us-constitution/comment-page-1/#comment-17772 Younghusband Fri, 12 Aug 2005 05:10:14 +0000 http://www.cominganarchy.com/?p=995#comment-17772 Chirol, that is exactly what I was thinking. Also, good comments from Curzon, especially the last one. Dan, your right to blog will always be sacred north of the border, eh! I think the replies to this post shows how much of a bunch of crotchety old bastards we all are. The question didn't ask if it should be re-written, it _assumed_ for the sake of argument it needed to be re-written. Counterfactuals anyone? Chirol, that is exactly what I was thinking. Also, good comments from Curzon, especially the last one. Dan, your right to blog will always be sacred north of the border, eh!

I think the replies to this post shows how much of a bunch of crotchety old bastards we all are. The question didn’t ask if it should be re-written, it assumed for the sake of argument it needed to be re-written. Counterfactuals anyone?

]]> By: Curzon http://cominganarchy.com/2005/08/11/a-new-us-constitution/comment-page-1/#comment-17769 Curzon Fri, 12 Aug 2005 04:41:34 +0000 http://www.cominganarchy.com/?p=995#comment-17769 Thanks for the laugh, Dan. And to add my own: <em>You fools! Don't you realize this post was written by a * shudder * CANADIAN!</em> Thanks for the laugh, Dan.

And to add my own: You fools! Don’t you realize this post was written by a * shudder * CANADIAN!

]]> By: Chirol http://cominganarchy.com/2005/08/11/a-new-us-constitution/comment-page-1/#comment-17767 Chirol Fri, 12 Aug 2005 03:49:49 +0000 http://www.cominganarchy.com/?p=995#comment-17767 The European Constitution in case in point! Ours shouldn't be touched. The European Constitution in case in point! Ours shouldn’t be touched.

]]> By: Mutantfrog http://cominganarchy.com/2005/08/11/a-new-us-constitution/comment-page-1/#comment-17766 Mutantfrog Fri, 12 Aug 2005 03:40:16 +0000 http://www.cominganarchy.com/?p=995#comment-17766 That's a mighty stupid list of people. Isn't Christopher Hitchens a foreigner? Isn't Alan Keyes an idiot? Isn't Steve Jobs an megalomaniacal businessman with no particular sign of having either interest in or respect for either law or other people? Meg Whitman- the president of eBay? How is that relevant? That’s a mighty stupid list of people.
Isn’t Christopher Hitchens a foreigner?
Isn’t Alan Keyes an idiot?
Isn’t Steve Jobs an megalomaniacal businessman with no particular sign of having either interest in or respect for either law or other people?
Meg Whitman- the president of eBay? How is that relevant?

]]> By: Dan http://cominganarchy.com/2005/08/11/a-new-us-constitution/comment-page-1/#comment-17762 Dan Fri, 12 Aug 2005 02:07:54 +0000 http://www.cominganarchy.com/?p=995#comment-17762 "Sorry Dan, but your comment proves my point!!" LOL How dare you question the wisdom of a Blog-centric consitution?!? Life, liberty, property, appeal to bankruptcy, the banishment of the poll tax -- all but whims compared to the Right to Blog! “Sorry Dan, but your comment proves my point!!”

LOL

How dare you question the wisdom of a Blog-centric consitution?!?

Life, liberty, property, appeal to bankruptcy, the banishment of the poll tax — all but whims compared to the Right to Blog!

]]> By: Simon http://cominganarchy.com/2005/08/11/a-new-us-constitution/comment-page-1/#comment-17761 Simon Fri, 12 Aug 2005 02:06:33 +0000 http://www.cominganarchy.com/?p=995#comment-17761 I'm with Curzon, and it's not even my constitution. The genius of the system is it's ability to change and adapt. How likely is that in any modern rewrite? I’m with Curzon, and it’s not even my constitution. The genius of the system is it’s ability to change and adapt. How likely is that in any modern rewrite?

]]> By: Curzon http://cominganarchy.com/2005/08/11/a-new-us-constitution/comment-page-1/#comment-17759 Curzon Fri, 12 Aug 2005 02:01:56 +0000 http://www.cominganarchy.com/?p=995#comment-17759 Change our Constitution? I can think of nothing worse. In today's highly polarized, interest group-driven politics, everything from the tiniest phrases to the major clauses would be twisted by people with agendas, hidden and otherwise. And jeez... five random citizens?! Who are these people kidding -- talk about idealist. We'd have all sorts of absurd provisions about people who didn't know crap about rights, law, the responsibilities of the federal government, etc. Sorry Dan, but your comment proves my point!! Unless you're a lawyer you just shouldn't be involved in the process. (Madison, Jefferson, Adams, Morris, Jay, Hamilton... these people were all practicing attorneys.) One reason our Constitution is so good is because it was written by a number of people who, at the end of the day, were willing to settle for a lot less than what they wanted because they knew what was at stake -- a divided, unstable, war-prone shamble of republics if they didn't hold together, and threatening European powers waiting to gobble them up. No such external threat exists today (terror doesn't even come close to the same level of danger), and a redrafting would be dangerously focused on internal politics. Our constitution is great because it is a living document that has allowed slow social liberalization to take place without much social upheaval. To go Churchillian, our current Constitution is the worst except for any other that we could possibly have. Change our Constitution? I can think of nothing worse. In today’s highly polarized, interest group-driven politics, everything from the tiniest phrases to the major clauses would be twisted by people with agendas, hidden and otherwise.

And jeez… five random citizens?! Who are these people kidding — talk about idealist. We’d have all sorts of absurd provisions about people who didn’t know crap about rights, law, the responsibilities of the federal government, etc. Sorry Dan, but your comment proves my point!! Unless you’re a lawyer you just shouldn’t be involved in the process. (Madison, Jefferson, Adams, Morris, Jay, Hamilton… these people were all practicing attorneys.)

One reason our Constitution is so good is because it was written by a number of people who, at the end of the day, were willing to settle for a lot less than what they wanted because they knew what was at stake — a divided, unstable, war-prone shamble of republics if they didn’t hold together, and threatening European powers waiting to gobble them up. No such external threat exists today (terror doesn’t even come close to the same level of danger), and a redrafting would be dangerously focused on internal politics.

Our constitution is great because it is a living document that has allowed slow social liberalization to take place without much social upheaval. To go Churchillian, our current Constitution is the worst except for any other that we could possibly have.

]]> By: Dan http://cominganarchy.com/2005/08/11/a-new-us-constitution/comment-page-1/#comment-17755 Dan Thu, 11 Aug 2005 23:29:56 +0000 http://www.cominganarchy.com/?p=995#comment-17755 As long as it begins with "The Right to Blog is the only fundemental Liberty. All other liberties are derived from it," I don't care who writes it ;) As long as it begins with “The Right to Blog is the only fundemental Liberty. All other liberties are derived from it,” I don’t care who writes it ;)

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