This is essay is prompted by an article from N.Y. Times Columnist Jamelle Bouie, The Administration You Save May be Your own. The thrust of the article is recommending that those Democrats running for President espouse eliminating the filibuster in the Senate. The following is my response:
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Mr. Boule misses the spirit of the segue from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution. It was meant to get us to something close to the European Union of today, not to "One nation under God." The tenth amendment spells this out clearly.
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The rules of the two houses of the legislature were intentionally not defined, and left up to the members themselves. Political parties were never anticipated, which is why only after the 12th amendment did the man who came in second, rather than be forgotten, become Vice President. Clarence Thomas still argues that any state may establish an official religion, as the Constitution specifically limited the only federal congress from doing so. And technically he's right.
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The partisan hatred that is burgeoning over the last decades, won't be solved by removing the filibuster, a vestige of the ideal of common values among the states. I'll posit that national survival may require a reversal to "originalism." Roe v. Wade would be eliminated, but most states will enact something similar, while other can make abortion a crime.
Sure, there will be dislocation, as many people will move to the states that reflect their values -- on this issue and on others. Some will choose to live in the Christian State of Alabama , while others will opt for the Humanist State of California.
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Sounds absurd, but no more than the illusion that a Democratic. victory in 2020 will quench the raging fire of hatred that is consuming our country.
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Comments are not only welcomed, but appreciated.
I can be contacted at my website alvrdb-10@yahoo.com
This site is not to reach an audience, but individuals, one person at a time. These are my thoughts that I have the hubris to believe may be unique, therefore worthy of the time of the reader. Some will be tough going, especially for those who try to identify where I'm coming from, what I represent -- as they will be stumped. They reflect my own struggle to make sense of things, rather than to convince the reader of the merit of my solutions, if I have one.
These articles are written for those of all political persuasions, unlike a larger set of articles that I wrote for the Liberal website Dailykos. com under the user name of ARODB. These were written for that audience, even though I often was presenting a position that challenged their core beliefs. Yet, some were just comfortable sharing of the feelings of the moment, when politics was subordinated to our common humanity.
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Sounds absurd, but no more than the illusion that a Democratic. victory in 2020 will quench the raging fire of hatred that is consuming our country.
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Comments are not only welcomed, but appreciated.