Amazing, with all the talk about the Constitution from every quarter, I haven’t heard a word about today being the 222nd birthday of the Constitution of the United States. Not from Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck. And I’m really surprised…make that disappointed. In all fairness, I didn’t listen to either’s radio show today in its entirety, so I may have missed it if they did mention Constitution Day. Not from The News Journal or the Delaware State News. Not one word.

I’ve been saying for a long time that we’re the only political party that still believes in the Constitution. Yet, people talk about it all the time. Especially these days. And, there’s no shortage of accusations that whatever whoever is doing is “unconstitutional.” I’m sorry, but my fear is that most United States’ citizens don’t even know what qualifies as unconstitutional.

All the time I hear that we live in a democracy and that we have a democratic form of government. Article IV, Section 4 states: “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government…” So, what’s the difference; what’s the big deal? In a republic, we have rights. In a democracy, we have no rights. In a democracy the rights you enjoy can be voted away by the majority. If you have a house on a lake and your neighbors want to fish from your property, all they have to do is vote to do so and your “rights” are gone. It’s mob rule. It’s two coyotes and a roadrunner voting on what’s for dinner. The reason it’s in the Constitution is to stop government from taking your rights away.

We don’t have Constitutional Rights. We have natural rights…from God, if you will…from nature, if that works for you. They come from our very being. In any event, they don’t come from the Constitution. They existed before September 17, 1787, and they’ll exist long after the United States of America is but a footnote in history. Our founders understood that.

The Constitution isn’t about the American people. It’s about binding the Federal Government. It’s about keeping overreaching politicians in check. Unfortunately, that’s not (and hasn’t been) working the way it should.

On June 1, 1837, Daniel Webster wrote: “I apprehend no danger to our country from a foreign foe … Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence, I must confess that I do apprehend some danger. I fear that they may place too implicit a confidence in their public servants, and fail properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made the dupes of designing men, and become the instruments of their own undoing. Make them intelligent, and they will be vigilant; give them the means of detecting the wrong, and they will apply the remedy.”

Every one of us has “the means of detecting the wrong.” It’s the Constitution of the United States. I hope you know it and understand it. If you’re unsure, or would like to freshen your perspective, may I respectfully make a suggestion? Michael Badnarik teaches a class on the Constitution and there is an online version at http://www.archive.org/details/Michael_Badnarik. In case you don’t know, Mr. Badnarik was the LP’s presidential candidate in 2004. He has been studying the Constitution for over 20 years. Please, take a little time to learn about the Constitution. It’s liberating.

Sorry if I’ve gotten too personal but this is one subject I’m passionate about. I’d be satisfied if the media would just recognize the significance of September 17th. I didn’t want to let this day go by without showing proper respect to our Constitution and to wish you a happy Constitution Day.

In Liberty,

Jim Rash
LPD State Chair