NP Rank:
Should our Constitution be considered sacred? No, of course not.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, of the U.S. Supreme Court, when asked if Egypt should get a Constitution modeled on the U.S. Constitution stated:
"You should certainly be aided by all the constitution-writing that has gone one since the end of World War II. I would not look to the US constitution, if I were drafting a constitution in the year 2012. I might look at the constitution of South Africa. That was a deliberate attempt to have a fundamental instrument of government that embraced basic human rights, had an independent judiciary. It really is, I think, a great piece of work that was done.
Much more recent than the U.S. Constitution: Canada has a Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It dates from 1982. You would almost certainly look at the European Convention on Human Rights. Yes, why not take advantage of what there is elsewhere in the world? I'm a very strong believer in listening and learning from others."
This brought calls from impeachment, treason and her being a traitor from the far rightwing. Let me explain, the rightwing views tradition and authority as sacred over anything else. Even though our Constitution is our second constitution (the first being the Articles of Confederation) since it is old, it must be defended in every way according to the far right.
Justice Gingsburg is given the duty to defend the Constitution and our constitutional rights but that does not mean she can not have an opinion on the document, especially when it comes to new constitutions in different nations. Indeed, the U.S. has worked with fledging democratic states in putting in place constituitons that are quite a bit different than our own.
Our Constitution was made for us, Americans, not the other way around. It has great things in it, but freedom of speech, free exercise of religion and rights in support of a jury trial are what is most important, not per se the Constitution. Any other constitution that holds these protections is just as good as a constitution as the one we have.
The Constitution is not the 10 Commandments from up high (which is a myth of course) but the product of imperfect human beings. It can be criticized (especially in areas such as the electoral college), and should not be free from criticism. We can amend it, and indeed, we can call a new convention to replace it. To state that criticism of it is treasonous does a disservice to the Founders who gave it to us. We should not engage in Constituiton worship as if it was a cult.

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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (19)
at 07:17 on February 21st, 2012
Jerry, you had me until you said: " Constitution is not the 10 Commandments from up high (which is a myth of course) but the product of imperfect human beings.
I am truly not sure what you mean by this remark. If only we all actually followed the 10 ütterances", Words, Things, as it means in the original Hebrew text, then we might not be in the mess we are in right now. It is irrelevant how it was inspired or how it made its way into the public domain. The points expressed are prescribed for healthy living in a community of humans in all kinds of different cultures. No need for the hives..
at 13:53 on February 21st, 2012
The Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution per se, is what sets American democracy uniquely apart from other free societies, in that it states:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
In other words, those unalienable rights are God-given, and cannot be subject to revocation or infringement by government. That is a key principle, the derivation of which goes back to the Magna Carta, and one worth defending at all costs. It is a principle that is lost upon any government that asserts the right to indefinitely detain any citizen solely upon suspicion.
Had Ginsberg made that distinction, perhaps she wouldn't have come under such withering criticism -- although I have a feeling that her most vehement critics would not be satisfied with anything that a person named "Ginsberg" has to say.
That said, I do believe the basic tenets, the rights guaranteed to all citizens under the U.S. Constitution are sacrosanct, and those who cavalierly talk about altering its bedrock principles risk the appearance of coming off as betrayers of the law of the land -- despite the fact that the Constitution has been amended many times, in most cases to expand the rights of American citizens, not to restrict those rights.
at 13:58 on February 21st, 2012
Addendum to my comment, supra:
The arrogance of the fascist censors of the Lockheed Martin censorship regime run under the direction of Constitution-betraying bureaucrats of the U.S. government. One of the censors who reviews my every keystroke (since apparently I am regarded as a "dissident") apparently didn't like this turn of phrase, and so, three times, would not let me edit the comment to expand upon this theme:
The Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution per se, is what sets American democracy uniquely apart from other free societies, in that it states:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
In other words, those unalienable rights are God-given, and cannot be subject to revocation or infringement by government. That is a key principle, the derivation of which goes back to the Magna Carta, and one worth defending at all costs. It is a principle that is lost upon any government that asserts the right to indefinitely detain any citizen solely upon suspicion.
The nasty little fratboy censor apparently didn't like that last sentence. Apparently, such cyber-harassment is supposed to persuade me to amend my comment. Screw you and your multibilliondollar taxpayer-raping "program," fascist censor!
at 18:18 on February 22nd, 2012
Mr. Scrivener,
I hope you got my message. I forgot to mention a site that I know you will relate to it's ideas and concepts. I promise that it will blow your mind. Go to dataasylum.com
Joe Puntureri
at 08:36 on February 23rd, 2012
Your obvious psyop disinfo site would be a bit more credible if it weren't so slick... just my 2 sheckels.
at 10:38 on April 6th, 2012
Well...you remind me of myself. I cannot remember for sure, but I think I gave you my blog site...conveniently-crazy.blogspot.com. On my blog, I am trying to recruit the perpretrators with money....$2500 to be exact as I want them for a book I am writing. I think you propably went to dataasylum.com.....that is slick. I believe some of the info but not all. It doesn't even mention electricity and the ways it can work on your moods and thoughts; to name a couple of things. I truly was and am reaching out to you, because from your Gestapo article which I have printed 15 copies (at Staples) due to my computer giving me a "you cannot print this page message. I want to send them to State Representatives, the DOJ and the Supreme Court. I am still mulling my overall strategy. I refuse to live like this. It started 10-12 years ago. I focused on it 7 years ago for 6 months and then I had to re-focus back on work as I was running a small manufacturing company called United Erie, Division of Interstate Chemical Co., Inc. I also have plans for a documentary as well as lawsuits. I have been put in the psych ward due to my behavior which I now have under control and the Doctors lied their asses off as did my psychiatrist. We should have lunch and talk. I know from NowPublic, you are for real. I am for real as well. My personal email is ponterey@live.com and my cell is 814-882-9711. Who knows maybe we could collaberate on the book with your journalism and investigative experience. I will drive to Philly from Erie, PA. Please contact me.Joe Puntureri
at 10:44 on April 6th, 2012
Mr. Scrivener, I forgot to complete one of my thoughts in the above response....after the 6 month focus period 7 years ago, I went along just doing my job. I find if you don't focus on it, less overt things happen....anyway, due to a multitude ( a whole catalogue of stuff happening to me in my own home about 2 years ago the re-focus on the stalking, gasliughting started up again....it has affected my relationships in a huge way. (disinformation in my own neighborhood) Someone has got to pay. As long as this 50 year old breathes, I will not stop trying to exact the justice that I and so many others deserve. And that my Sir is my 2 sheckles. Take care, Joe
at 06:54 on February 22nd, 2012
The current attempts of imperfect human beings (much less intelligent than our Founding Fathers) to "improve" the allegedly "out-dated" Constitution is nothing more than a transparent attempt to make their crimes legal. These crimes are the unPatriot Act, the NDAA, the strip-searching at airports (and soon our major roads), and the constant surveillance of ALL Americans by a network of predator drones, satellites, cellphone towers, GPS, EZpasses, fiber optic digital tv, RFID-chipping,. cellphones and even the SMART monitoring of our electricity and water usage. This is an attempt of the "five percent" of power-mad psychos to control completely the "normal" ninety-five percent of human beings. In addition to all of these blatant acts that "lock down" the population, the Federal District of Criminals have added the complete takeover of local police as well as the militarization of the local police and creation of nationwide vigilantes (snitch groups). The US is the new USSR -- but a hundred times worse because the US Gulag is sneakier; it is unseen -- an ELF prison using the "silent bullets" and "invisible barbed wire fence" of gangstalker-jailers and directed energy weapons. These Constitution-shredding monsters want to re-write the Constitution so that it can no longer bear silent witness to the liberties that have been eliminated by our new Global Kings and Barons.
at 11:52 on February 22nd, 2012
So where are the good people on the inside -- or have they all been purged or cowled into silence? Are you the last man standing, "John Doe?" When will Joe Biden realize that his forced sleep attacks emanate from within?
at 19:22 on February 28th, 2012
It's not "cowled" into silence but "cowed" into silence.
at 20:12 on February 28th, 2012
Didn't we go through this before? It is "cowled," as in "cowl," a shroud worn by monks who took a vow of silence. You military contractor psyops agents are arrogant AND ignorant, too.
at 20:50 on February 28th, 2012
Yes, we went through this before. You were wrong then you are wrong now. Repeating the same arguments that failed last time makes you look rather foolish. Just google the term and you will see you are wrong.
at 16:29 on February 29th, 2012
I did not write the second post under the name "church lady" -- No, it was one of the usually illiterate cyberNazis. The illiterate Nazi is right on this one -- go to any dictionary. "Cowed" means "intimidated." You should use the word "cowed" -- not "cowled. You say you are using cowled as in "a monk's hood for secrecy." A monk's hood was not for secrecy but for warmth and for the privacy of prayer. Nobody was hiding from anybody in a monastery; they had little privacy. Your use of "cowled" is a creative use of English, because English allows nouns to be co-opted as verbs, especially in poetic speech; but your use of "cowled" to mean "veil in secrecy" is not the standard meaning for "cowl." Your clinging to your own meanings reminds me of your obstinacy in failing to recognize that your Democratic Party is no different than the Republicans in chicanery and warmongering. But you persist in attributing your own shining meaning to these Obummers.
at 23:12 on February 29th, 2012
Hey, pseudo-cyber-church lady, I'm impressed that you actually LEARNED something by trolling Vic's blog (the proper definition of "cow" versus "cowled"). This speaks to the continuity of your cyberstalking defense contract; there's nothing like having job security in these days of rampant unemployment. You've demonstrated a capacity for learning that qualifies you for your next step -- membership in the resistance. Here's your assignment, should you decide to accept it: make copies of the scheming, stalking emails between the Nationwide Terrorist Network of Gangstalkers and put them on Faceleaks.
at 19:28 on February 22nd, 2012
People (victims) just can't believe this shit until it happens to them. No normal person can believe that their own government is sponsoring and encouraging this vigilante violence and crime (surveillance, breaking and entering, microwave assaults). As kcragidc says in his youtube videos in disbelief at the hundreds of people who stalk him, "Who would [be willing to] stalk someone for his country?" Kevin -- a decent person as can be seen in his videos -- can't believe that the average person would sign up to do this crap. Well, they do. Lots of agents in the FBI, DHS, etc, don't know all that is happening -- they aren't told. There are always "two" agencies -- the bulk of the FBI (and other secret police agencies) and the inner circles (as Ted Gunderson found out AFTER his retirement). The Big Psychos running the Shadow Government of Corporate Predators know that this Global Weapon System keeps them in power. The Little Psychos -- the CyberNazis and gangstalkers -- enjoy the stalking. In the old days, the little psychos used to watch the murders organized by the big psychos in the Coliseum or at the guillotine or the hangman's gibbet. The little psychos' new Coliseum is the Torture Matrix.
at 08:20 on February 23rd, 2012
So true. But the Big Psychos made a big mistake when they targeted Joe Biden for consciousness loss/forced sleep attacks in public, then arranged for the photo to be splayed across the media via Drudge. You do NOT mess with Joe... and he is nobody's fool.
at 16:06 on February 23rd, 2012
You can believe in a politico like Joe if you want, but count me out. Since we're making wishes over the rainbow that this Torture Matrix can be taken down, I'll stick with trusting in the outraged idealism of Gerald Celente and Benjamin Fulford.
at 20:20 on February 28th, 2012
The bit players in the Alex Jones full spectrum dominance psyop that would have the sheeple believe the government is putting microchips on the backs of insects and is zapping people with drones and not the cell tower mounted multifunctional radio frequency directed energy weapon system? See "U.S. Silently Tortures" and "Gestapo USA" at http://VicLivingston.blogspot.com
PS -- the comments webform is blurry again, a sure sign I'm posting to a counterfeit, phony pages under control of the cyberNazis of Lockheed Martin censorship regime run under USG contract...
LOCKHEED MARTIN RUNS DRACONIAN CENSORSHIP REGIME FOR U.S. HOMELAND FUSION CENTER AGENCIES/COMMANDS -- INTERCEPTS, CENSORS, TAMPERS WITH TELECOMMUNICATIONS OF EXTRAJUDICIALLY 'TARGETED' AMERICANS, LEAVING THEM VULNERABLE TO I.D. THEFT, FRAUD, SAYS VETERAN JOURNALIST:
http://nowpublic.com/world/u-s-govt-censors-internet-political-speech-fraud-deception
http://nowpublic.com/world/u-s-govt-uses-spoofed-web-pages-and-urls-censor-internet
http://viclivingston.blogspot.com
at 16:25 on February 29th, 2012
Alex Jones' full spectrum dominance psyops is preferable (because it is closer to the evil truth) than your full spectrum dominance DELUSION that we have real elections and real political parties. Drones or cellphone towers -- the result is the same. Full spectrum death of the republic.