Over at f/k/a . . . David G. has written a long and multi-faceted post, ending of course with some poetry, about May 1 which is, among other things, honored in the USA as Law Day. Go read the whole thing – well worth your time – but in the meantime I must share this piece of it:
This past year, we have seen a President acting as if he is unchecked by the Constitution when it comes to fighting wars and terrorism — and watched a Supreme Court that might be far too willing to agree with him. We’ve also seen members of Congress threaten to slash judiciary budgets and remove particular pieces of the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction (e.g., over flag-burning or Commandment-placement). And, of course, we’ve seen a Supreme Court-nomination process that was less than edifying in its attempts to control a candidate’s conduct once on the bench. We should remember, therefore, that our Separation and Balance of Powers do not work automatically. They need vigilance by the public — perhaps, especially by the legal profession.
Oh, yes. I fell a little bit in love with the United States Constitution – separation of powers, Bill of Rights, and all – back in 8th grade history class when we literally read every word of it aloud, which took several days of class time. I don’t remember the discussions, but I do remember the document itself. That’s when I learned that my own family’s right to attend church of a denomination that was disliked by the majority fundamentalist churches there in the Bible Belt, was protected by the First Amendment.
