By Eilene Lyon
As we motored home after test-driving potential candidates for our new vehicle, we passed a political sign next to the highway. It is located on private property in a very red corner of New Mexico. It read: God, Family, Second Amendment, Constitution, Trump.
I pondered those in this country who believe the U.S. Constitution, written 230+ years ago, is perfect and unalterable. (Never mind those twenty-seven amendments, of which the Second is the most sacrosanct.)
To them I would say:
Imagine you have just purchased a brand new Ford F150 truck, and the dealer handed you an owner’s manual for a Model T.
We are not living in George Washington’s United States of America, so why are we still using his owner’s manual?
Myricopia 
100% agree! It’s like reading the bible literally. We’d still be stoning people for things that today are considered not only not immoral, but are protected by law. And we wouldn’t be able to wear fabrics that mix wool and linen.
LikeLiked by 3 people
The “logic” of it all just mystifies me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don’t get me started. (My daughter heads a non-profit in NY fighting against gun violence.)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Well, we wouldn’t want to rile anyone up. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Good question! I can’t seem to find where the crank goes on my car.
LikeLiked by 2 people
He he he. Exactly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
And, that the 2nd Amendment was included while all others are ignored.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hey, it’s the only one that matters. 😉
LikeLike
And….the constitution is a “vision” for a free democracy. The central goal in the preamble is to “promote the general Welfare and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity”. It’s unfortunate some Americans believe that all citizens must agree to their idea of “liberty” or we’re not following the constitution. When the whole point was to build a union of individuals to be free to choose, free to develop our own ideal of liberty.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I can see that 300+ million different ideas of liberty could be a bit unwieldy. But universal conformity is completely unrealistic, unless you want to live in North Korea, I guess.
LikeLike
Agree
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’ll put, Eilene! My adopted state of Michigan today moved into severe risk for Covid. All I can do is look at the vaccination rates and shake my head.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I sometimes think this country suffers from epidemic failures of leadership and education. Too much selfish greed and not enough compassion.
LikeLiked by 2 people
An excellent point.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you.
LikeLike
In today’s climate imagine what we would get instead. The electoral college and the senate are totally outmoded and anti democratic but Changing them is impossible.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, maybe not the best time to rewrite. But the problems you mention and gerrymandering are heading us to a permanent minority rule. Other countries evolve and change, while we stagnate, or even devolve.
LikeLike
Agreed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow Eilene, I love that! Well said!
LikeLiked by 1 person
☺️ Thank you, Joni. Be glad your version is more up to date.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well stated! What has happened to Americans’ sense of the value of doing good for our fellow Americans? Also what has happened to our sense of compassion? My parents and their generation would be shocked and disappointed at the extreme focus on individual rights over societal rights.
LikeLiked by 2 people
My grandparents wouldn’t recognize our current society. Even the one I grew up in has vanished into a me-me-me haze.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well said. Hear, hear!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. It just makes good sense to me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a hell of an analogy, Eilene.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Marc. Just one of those things that popped into my head.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It works. But sadly, common sense is in short supply when it comes to this issue.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Must be part of that big supply chain issue.😆
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think Imma buy a boat and go Christmas shopping.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your gift list is going to be YUGE!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Seriously YUGE!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You gave us cause to pause and ponder Eilene. I pondered this morning when I heard that an unnamed person purchased an original print of the Constitution for $43 million. I am not American, so perhaps that purchase sails over my head, but wow … just wow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I read about that auction coming up. Really, who needs so much money they can spend it on old documents and such?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pretty amazing to me too Eilene!
LikeLike
Because we are too cheap todo what Jefferson intended and rework the constitution every 20 years. But that being said, people break laws every day, so the pessimist in me says does it matter? Then the hypocrisy…
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’ve created a monster in Washington. The wackos in Congress (left and right) will just keep making things as miserable as possible for everyone else. I favor a federalist approach to make laws more uniform around the country. But yeah, there will always be law breakers and hypocrites.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sometimes you need to reach rock bottom…we’re almost there
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not sure what it will really take to kill the idea of American exceptionalism and get people to realize we need to make some major changes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
People have taken sides. They won’t listen to anything the other side has to say. We’ve stopped being rational. You know I just lost a good friend? Upon hearing that this guy was in bad shape, another mutual friend said “well, one less Republican”. I’m sure things have been said about the opposition. This is why we won’t solve anything
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a horrible thing to say! Some people are rational, but things aren’t looking good for the future of this country.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not until we learn to listen to one another.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And learn to keep our mouths shut when we don’t have anything nice to say.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agreed
LikeLiked by 1 person
Notionally democratic nation-states need constitutions to anchor their social contracts so public policy and human rights don’t go careening from extreme to extreme with changes of government. They need to be changeable but the change can’t be easy enough to do it according to whim, fashion or transient shifts in political power.
Fetishisation of the kind seen with the attitude of many Americans to the second amendment is obviously dysfunctional. It can’t possibly serve it’s drafters’ purpose in an age of battle tanks and drone strikes but plays to Hollywood driven fantasies of the rugged individualist hero who brings the world justice through firepower. Many people think they need a lethal penis substitute to overcome their own feelings of impotence and powerlessness and are able to set aside the fact the people your gun is most likely to kill is you or your loved ones.
If you simply abolish your constitution your republic will quickly fragment as red and blue areas rewrite fundamental legislation and go their own ways. But in elevating it to something of immutable biblical sanctity you’ve made your social fabric brittle in the face of change and the cracks are starting to show.
Maybe it’s time for a rewrite from the ground up, but I can’t see how you’re gonna heal your body politic enough to ensure the broad participation and good faith needed to achieve a consensus that works for everyone rather than end up with something imposed by the most powerful vested interests. So I guess you’re gonna have to keep patching your leaky vessel and hope it gets you somewhere you can properly rebuild it before it falls apart. I won’t be putting my money on a Hollywood ending – unless you’re a fan of ‘Titanic’.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very thoughtful analysis. I certainly am not interested in burning the house down, but the rigidity currently ascribed to our original constitution begs for a major overhaul. The electoral college and the senate are as undemocratic as we can get.
LikeLike
wow this article is well informative and constructive. thank you
It was worth the reading.
LikeLike