Promise and Fulfillment: a meditation

What is the nature of the promise in our Declaration of Independence?

How is our Constitution fulfilling the promises of our Declaration of Independence?

Who makes promises and who fulfills them?

At the very least, we have agreed to be governed only by those whose powers and authorities we have divided, separated, limited, and balanced.

Why have wise men among us so often insisted that we are in need of history lessons and civic lessons? Why have they wanted to stimulate our appreciation for and our understanding of our national heritage

Of what is the U.S. constituted? What is our nation made of?

What are those "Blessings of Liberty" mentioned in the first paragraph of our Constitution?

I want answers.

What's legislation? What's law? What's a legislature? Who oversees and controls our legislature? What are the "legislative Powers" written in section one of the first article of our Constitution?

How's your constitution?

According to our laws, what are the ways to get kicked out of government?

In section seven of article 1 of Our Constitution it is written that "All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives;" What does that mean? What power dose that give you and me?

What are the limits of executive power? What are the limits to the power of our President?

Who has the main job of seeing to it that our laws are enforced? Isn't that the job of our President? What tools does he have for doing that job?

Is there a law of ours that needs better enforcement? What might "better" mean in this case?

What is your job in this government of ours ... this government of the people, by the people, and for the people?

To be continued .....

7% of the Senate

Did only seven of our Senators voted for the Constitution  and a government of the people, by the people and for the people? Will they go the way of Kennedy?

Are only 3 Republicans, 3 Democrats, and 1 Independent for an America of free citizens?

Let's thank the citizens of Kentucky, Oregon, Vermont, Oklahoma, Iowa, Utah for their wise votes.

Let's protect and support these heroes of the Republic:
 R. Paul
Merkley
Wyden
B. Sanders
Coburn
Harkin
Lee

How much of our military has become the servants of those who would be our masters?

Nader, Ron Paul, Kucinich Speak to Occupy Wall Street: Repeal the Federal Reserve Act // Current TV

Nader, Ron Paul, Kucinich Speak to Occupy Wall Street: Repeal the Federal Reserve Act // Current TV

Some interesting talk.

Not Perfect

A page about Fidel Castro in a world history book I was looking at stirred me to consider how I think about 'the people' in the 'We the People of the United States ...' which begins our Constitution. 


I think that, that 'People' is meant to be inclusive. I don't think that it just refers to the comfortable ones. I think that it includes the ones who want a better, more honorable, more just nation.


I think that 'the People' of our Constitution includes the hundreds of thousands of Americans without work, the hundreds of thousands who work and cannot earn enough to house their families without crushing debt. I think 'the people' includes industrial workers who not only lost their jobs, but also saw much of their benefit and retirement funds disappear.


The people includes those who pay interest on money borrowed to get their families from on moth to the next in some dignity. The people includes tens of thousands of teachers and professors who are treated like jailers and trainers, but paid less. Teachers and professors vital for maintaining the good in our society and for providing the people a chance for a better destiny are honored less than a stock broker and paid less.


The tens of thousands of small business men and women weighted down with debt and too often with confounding paper work are part of this 'People.'


Tens of thousands of young professionals with fresh degrees and a desire to work find themselves before closed doors are part of this 'People.'


Each of these  people are responsible for his or her -self and, have also united to form a move perfect union.

War Powers

As I look at the parts of the U. S. Constitution related to war powers, it seems to me that we are failing to act in accord with our fundamental covenants. We dishonor our own fundamental laws. Why is that?


Why do scoff at that which is best among us?


Why do we dishonor that which allows us to be us?


Why are we committing social suicide?

How's Your Constitution?

What do we consider just? I bet you and I could identify some acts and processes that we both consider just.


One of the main reasons the writers and signers of the Constitution gave for that writing and signing was the establishment of justice among them.


What do we agree is just? How do we establish justice among us? What can we do to maintain justice in our lives?


Justice is related to rightness and faithfulness. What is a process that we can name and agree is right. A process is just, in part, to the extent that it agrees with the facts. Where do we get our facts?


When I think of justice I think of fairness. How do we agree on that which is fair to each of us?


How do you and I and the rest of us establish justice among us? What can we do to establish justice? How often? How can we make justice and keep it firm?


Can we learn to speak among ourselves a bit more effectively?




Justice has a lot to do with rightness and faithfulness. How do you and I agree on the right of it? How do we express rightness and our faithfulness to it?
Voting doesn't seem enough.

People of the United States

A page about Fidel Castro in our World History book stirred me to consider how I thought about "the people" in the "We the People of the United States ....." which begins our Constitution.

I believe that "People" is meant to be inclusive. I don't think that it refers to the comfortable ones among us alone. I think that word includes those who want a better, more just nation.

I believe that the People of our Constitution includes the hundreds of thousands of Americans without work  and the hundreds of thousands who have work, but don't earn near enough to care for their families well. I think that 'the People' includes industrial workers who not only lost their jobs, but also watched their benefits and retirement funds disappear.

The People must include those men and women who pay interest on money borrowed to get their families from one month to the next, from one week to the next. The People includes tens of thousands of teachers and professors who are paid less than jailers and honored little more.

Tens of thousands of small business men and women weighted down with debt and confounding paper wok are equally part of the People.

Tens of thousands of young professionals with fresh degrees and a desire to work who find themselves before closed doors are included among the People.

Each  of these Americans are responsible for his or herself each stands ready to pay taxes and to defend the country with blood; each is ready to help us unite in a more perfect union.

Constitutional Questions

I'd be very pleased to read your answers to the following questions:
~ How may justice be established?
~ What does it mean to establish justice?
~ For whom is justice to be established?
~ What is just?
~ What kind of contract is our Constitution?
~ How is it that the constitution is ours?
~ By what right is the constitution anyone's?
~ How is a contract made?
~ How is a contract sealed?
~ How might we establish justice?
~ What kind of justice do we agree to establish?
~ How much justice is to be established?
~ How is justice measured?
~ Who are the parties to the Constitution?
~ How can justice be made firm?
~ How can we establish rightness and faithfulness in conformance with the facts?

It Pleases Me

As a citizen of the United States I believe the following:
Our Constitution is a contract among us.
The Constitution is about cooperation.
The preamble is about why we agree to cooperate.
Its a statement of our motivation and that of the framers.

We each have our own understanding of the letter and spirit of the Preamble and the rest of the Constitution. Still, if we are to maintain our union, we need to agree on how we shall act on that understanding.
Our daily deciding on these acts among ourselves and our representatives is how we govern.
Understanding, agreeing, and cooperating on an act demands a lot of talk, a lot of communication.
Understanding and being understood is called for.
Understanding and being understood calls for some skill and some willingness to persist in the dialogue that keeps us united.

Its my understanding that we once agreed to be the supreme authority in this nation and state and that we provisionally delegate some authority to a federal government. Was that the case? Is it still the case?
I know I still feel the brotherhood, pride, and beauty of our united citizenship.

The following are my motives for being a citizen of this republic. I believe that they were the motives of the founders as well:
~ form a more perfect Union
~ establish Justice
~ insure domestic Tranquility
~ provide for he common defense
~ promote the general Welfare
~ secure the Blessing of Liberty

They chose these as their top goals for themselves and their posterity.

I note and applaud the words they choose to emphasise with capitalization.:
~ Liberty
~ Blessing
~ Welfare
~ Tranquility
~ Justice
~ Union
~ People

I love the meaning I find in these seven capitalized words.