Fear of Clowns

On a roll, Beth then reveals her lack of study of the Constitution while at the same time referring to it as if was divinely revealed,

What is the role of government anyway? Is it not meant to provide for the common defense? Then why is the world would we wish to reduce the budget at the Pentagon, without at least looking first to all the other budgets that have no Constitutional basis? But the backward thinking of the average lefty is to slash that defense budget first and foremost, but do keep that federal money pumping into the public broadcast system! We'd have no TV shows otherwise!

Of course, the Founders very intentionally left out the authority to support a permanent federal army, "those large and permanent military establishments which are forbidden by the principles of our free government" in the words of James Madison.

That Beth sees in the Founders' words an actual endorsement of our current war machinations reveals not only an ignorance of the actual text of the document, but also story of our nations founding - Minutemen vs. King George's Standing Army of redcoats. The complaint in the Declaration of Independence of King George "[keeping] among us, in times of peace, standing armies, without the consent of our legislatures."

Labels: conservatism, consitution

// posted by Erik @ 8/25/2007 09:08:00 PM
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