Twice in the past week, I have been stunned by two separate decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court. Although, by now, I suppose I shouldn't be "stunned" anymore because the misinterpretation of the Constitution has become so commonplace.
First, the court ruled that not only could property be seized by the government via eminent domain, for public purposes, but that now PRIVATE PROPERTY could be seized by the government for PRIVATE purposes. What?? You've got to be kidding me. So, basically if the government decides (or is paid off by corporate lobbyists) that the particular business can do a better job with the land or property than the person or group that owns the land, than the government can force the private property owner to sell it for another person or corporation's private use. WHOA. This is a big deal, and unreal.
The next decision that was made was one over the Ten Commandments and the place of religion in the public square. The court made two decisions here, which I believe are rather inconsistent with each other. They stated that while the Ten Commandments which are on display OUTSIDE a courthouse in Texas are ok, they also ruled that the Ten Commandments that are on display INSIDE a courthouse in Kentucky are not okay. As James Robison says in his column this week, "Religious freedom, we have been told, can exist as long as it is silent. But, this is not what the framers of the Constitution intended." I encourage you to read his column on this case, where he discusses the original meaning of the Establishment Clause in the U.S. Constitution.
Something has to be done about the insane decisions by the Supreme Court. I just don't know what. Maybe some more courses on the Constitution and the Federalist Papers for law students? Maybe a better separation of powers between the courts and the rest of the governement officials? Something needs to be radically different, or we will be on the road to injustice, and justice and respect for the rule of law and the Constitution are critical for the survival of our country.
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Thursday, June 30, 2005
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1 comment:
Hi there, I found your blog via a search for something at Mindsay. Though I'm not an American, I just wanted to comment because I agree, that is so totally wrong.
Talk about making laws that enable the monopolising of anything and everything. So much for the future of healthy competition.
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