Is the U.S. Constitution the law of the land or not? Are we a nation of laws or not? Recent events have caused me to wonder. Some now seem to believe if a law is inconvenient, we should just change it to suit ourselves or the situation. If a particular law doesn’t favor our group or our agenda, we should just change it to meet our modern needs or wants.
I hear the word fairness tossed around. Nothing is more fair than a system of laws designed around the equality of all individuals with no special favor being granted to anyone. Our Founders got it right. They put into place a template that, when observed and followed, deals with all our modern situations. No person or persons should be singled out for special consideration for any reason regardless of any past injustices or perceived injustices.
First and foremost the U.S. Constitution is indeed the supreme law of the land. It’s not a living document. It was good when it was adopted and it’s good now. The document itself has in place methods for amending it if and when changes are necessary. In fact, the first 10 amendments, The Bill of Rights, are clear examples of legitimate changing of the Constitution. There have been other amendments throughout the years.
No reasonable person can deny that in this world there is right and wrong, good and evil. There is black and white. Issues facing us can be decided by those very easy factors. Nuance has become a convenient method for some people to try and circumvent what is right.
Our nation guarantees every legal citizen the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Nowhere, however, is there any guarantee of success. We are instead guaranteed equal opportunity. Our outcome will be based on our hard work, our talent and in some cases just plain luck. Some of our citizens will become wealthy and some will not. Such is life. Some may even work long and hard and still fail to achieve monetary success. Again, such is life, but we as free people get to decide what success is.
I believe in personal responsibility. I am responsible for the care and feeding of my family, not your family. That is your responsibility. I believe in obeying the law and I expect you to do the same. If you don’t, I expect the law-enforcement agencies my tax dollars fund to arrest and prosecute you.
The very first amendment to our Constitution guarantees us all the right of free speech and the freedom to practice our religion and its tenets or to practice no religion at all. That is not a guarantee with a time limit. Nowhere in that guarantee is the requirement that my religious beliefs should be compromised because of some politician’s zeal for a nationwide, one-size-fits-all health-insurance program.
Of course the Second Amendment guarantees you and me the right to own and to bear arms. There is no nuance here. This amendment was never about deer or duck hunting. The true purpose of this amendment was and is for my protection against both home invaders and government invaders, either foreign or domestic.
Finally, I believe we are a country of diversity. We always have been. The only difference between today and 1776 is there are many more of us. We already have in place a system of government sufficient to deal with our diversity. We do not need more laws. We just need to obey and enforce the laws we have.