The Wayback Machine: The Greatest Thing About America Will Be Its Downfall

The following is an article that I wrote on Myspace when it seemed like the Bush Presidency would never end.  While I generally still feel the same way, the first 100 days of Obama’s Presidency have given me a (potentially false) sense of optimism.  Take a read at what was going through my head in 2006, then tell me what you think.

Courtesy of shaji_r/Flickr

Who do you think rules this country?  Is it the President, Congress, or maybe the whole of the US Government?  Actually the ruler of this great (soon to be once great) nation is the Constitution.  A piece of paper drafted by a group of bright-eyed individuals tired of the despotic tendencies of the traditional governments of the day.  Its greatest strength being that it was meant to be individually interpreted, so as to be edited as necessary by future generations.  Unfortunately, this purposely loose article is being ripped to shreds by those who would wish to manipulate such a noble document for their own political gain.  They concoct wars and rumors of wars in an effort to solidify their argument for having a strong central government.  The American people are like puppets on a string; why do you suppose the entertainment industry is such a massive industry?  A wise man once said, “Religion is the opiate of the masses.”  One hundred and fifty years later, we have given up on religion, and our new drug of choice is the entertainment industry.  Ask anyone two name any amendment except the first two, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who can answer said question.  Ask that same person who Britney Spears is married to, and they can not only tell you who it is, but also give vital facts on him as well.  NO ONE KEEPS THEIR EYE ON THE BALL.  While we’re at the movies or watching TV, the federal government is slowly taking away our individual freedoms, while pulling the most important rug of all right out from under us.  We can complain all we want about freedom of speech and the right to bear arms, but the amendment that really gives the individuals and the states its teeth is the Tenth Amendment which states that “the powers of the federal government are those delegated to it by the states and the people.”  The Tenth Amendment, not the First, guarantees our freedom.  So while we bicker over the right to free speech, the federal government takes away states’ right.  Just last year the US Supreme Court declared that marijuana possession was a federal offense, regardless of where you were located.  Thus, if you lived in a state where medical marijuana was legal, you could (and people already have been) arrested by federal officials.  This is a dangerous precedent that has been largely ignored by our fellow citizens.  This isn’t just a case of Johhny Law vs. the potheads; this lays the groundwork for the federal government to take away other rights guaranteed to the states.  Today it’s marijuana, tomorrow it’s imminent domain, all the while your freedom of speech has slowly atrophied right before your eyes because the public did not keep its eye on the ball.  I say all that to say this: the Constitution is what rules this country, not any elected or appointed official.  The greatest strength of the Constitution is its timeless interpretability.  How could I possibly make a difference in this country being but one lowly person? I can’t, but the states can.  The Founding Fathers knew that a massive federal government would be too intimidating for any individual to stand up to, which is where the states come in.  Power to the states=power to the people.  Now what to do from here is the real mystery.

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