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Vandals of the Constitution
Tuesday April 15, 2008
By Mychal Massie
PericlesA reader recently reminded me of a poignant, though fictional, account attributed to Taylor Caldwell. While I do not recall which of her works it appeared in, its resonance is applicable to where we find ourselves today.
It seems, as the account goes, there was a group of men from the then young city-state of Rome who wished to draft an iron-clad constitution for their budding civilization. They visited Pericles for advice. Reputedly, upon the men's departure, Pericles shook his great head, knowing that their constitution would not stand regardless of implanted safeguards because – according to Pericles – when civilizations begin to crumble, "vandals" will change the constitution even if it means changing the definitions of the words employed.
Such is what has happened, not only to our words, but historical events as well. While I could write volumes on the opprobrious revisionism of history, it is the calculated redefining of words and intent I wish to address.
Nowhere is this more evident than in our own Constitution, beginning with the Preamble itself. The Preamble of our Constitution reads: We the people of the United States in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Untied States of America.
While greater minds than mine will – and are welcome to – argue the simplicity of what follows, I conclude that I am no less correct, for I submit that therein lies the efforts of "vandals" seeking to obfuscate and subvert simple definitions and meanings.
To "establish justice," simplistically stated, is the upholding of that which is just, fair in treatment and due reward in accordance with honor, standards and law – it is conformity to truth, fact and/or sound reason. It is the adherence to a moral and equitable code. It is not that which we see today, with lawyers and so-called lawmakers defining justice in whatever way best suits their agenda.
To "insure domestic tranquility" should mean that we are able to lead lives free from domestic turmoil or disturbance. We should have peace, safety and security, yet the very government that is to insure same is guilty of causing the greatest discomfort. Nefarious government beings are guilty of reinterpreting laws to deprive us of our property, invade our privacy, foment a perceived climate of inequality and control our waking lives.
The concept of "providing for a common defense" denotes an action. Yet today, that very action is decried, and those who proudly serve to ensure our safety and freedom are maligned and cursed.
"Promoting the general welfare" does not mean providing it – it means promoting it, i.e., contributing, helping. That is a far cry from the dependence on government provision brought about by the New Deal and Great Society initiatives.
Government was never intended to become our provider. It was intended to promote a climate whereby we could provide for ourselves, regardless of race, color or sex. But today that meaning has been redefined, and in so doing it has crippled generations through malaise and government dependence. It has established a zeitgeist that discourages self-sufficiency.
When our Founding Fathers wrote of "securing the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity," they could not have envisioned that today we would witness such a disregard for the lives of our future generations. Could they have envisioned abortion would not only be sacrosanct, but that it would be viewed as an industry? An industry that in 40-plus years would murder more children than the total number killed in all battles and wars America fought or participated in since her inception.
Is what we have and live under today what the Founders "ordained"? I submit it is not. But as the moral culture that sustained us, that led us to abolish slavery, defend the freedom of other nations, allowed for the freedom of worship, encouraged self-sufficiency and domestic tranquility crumbles, vandals are aggressively at work conspiring to change forever even the most simplistic of meanings to that which serves their Erebusic agenda.
I personally believe our Founding Fathers knew this very danger lurked in the hearts of evil men. I believe it was for this reason the Constitution was drafted in such eloquently simplistic verbiage. It was not intended to be a document of high liturgy that only the elite could understand. They intended it to be understandable to all. But corrupt men, understanding this, have altered said intent, thus placing themselves as lords and arbiters over the people – convincing a populace brainwashed into believing that these arbiters are necessary, even to the point of handing over to them the control of our most basic freedoms.
These malevolent vandals will continue to redefine and subvert our Constitution until "we the people" put an end to it. And I can assure you that voting for the lesser of the three evils we have before us is not the way to do so.
Related offers:
"Constitutional Chaos:
What Happens When the Government Breaks Its Own Laws"
"Betrayed by the Bench:
How Judge-made Law has Transformed America's Constitution, Courts and Culture"
Mychal Massie is chairman of the National Leadership Network of Black Conservatives-Project 21 – a conservative black think tank located in Washington, D.C. He is a nationally recognized political activist, pundit, columnist and the former host of the widely popular talk show "Straight Talk." He has appeared on Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, C-SPAN, NBC, Comcast Cable and talk radio programming nationwide. A former self-employed business owner of more than 30 years, he is also a member of the conservative public policy institute National Center for Public Policy Research.
