We must defend not just the sections of the Constitution we find popular, we must defend the entire Constitution.
Some claim, in the vernacular of political-speak, that it is “marginalizing” for an elected official to hold strongly to the tenets of our Constitution. If it is a political sin to consistently defend free speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, the right to keep and bear arms, and freedom from unlawful search and seizure, then perhaps we need more political sinners and fewer political saints.
But there is so much more to our Constitution, and the principles of our republican form of government, that have been so widely abused, ignored and all but erased by both Democrats and Republicans in their zeal to grab political power.
As recently as the middle of this century, crime control was considered a local matter. For good reason: it is the way the Constitution is designed, and the way it should be. Yet every day Congress writes more criminal laws, taking more authority from our state and local governments, and moving closer to a national police state. Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist has warned, “The trend to federalize crimes that traditionally have been handled in State courts threatens to change entirely the nature of our Federal system.”
Before Congress passes more laws, and before individuals demand that Washington solve every problem, we should first seriously consider a simple question: “Does the Constitution allow the federal government to do this?” The question should never be, “Can I use this to get elected?”, nor, “Is it easier to send the problem to Washington?”, and certainly not, “Will it make people feel better if Congress does this?”
Pundits of late wonder why there seems to be a growing embrace of lawlessness, especially in the culture of youth. One must look no further than the example set by politicians and their adult constituents: ignoring the Constitution for the better part of this century, politicians pass laws in contradiction to the supreme law in attempts to further their careers by appeasing special-interest groups. The message has been clearly received by many young people: don’t let the law get in the way of what you want.
For the sake of the future of our Republic, it is important that we are not just consistent, but correctly consistent. We must defend not just the sections of the Constitution we find popular, we must defend the entire Constitution. Most importantly, we must jealously guard the philosophy of freedom upon which it is based. If we do, the sound we will hear is that of liberty once again loudly ringing across our land.