1. The Constitution and You

“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people,
it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government -- lest it come to
dominate our lives and interests.”
-- Patrick Henry

If you are of my generation, you may recall those 8th grade Civics classes. The ones in which we learned the horrors of Communism and the superiority of the American way of life … ahhh, those were the days.

Somewhere between the duck and cover drills and the understanding that Soviet nuclear weapons were bad while US nuclear weapons were good, there was a period of time devoted to the Constitution of the United States of America. It was pretty dry reading then, and to be blunt, it's still pretty dry; in spite of this, it is probably the most important document you will ever read. Why? Because it is the Supreme Law of the Land - the tenets and principles it sets forth bear directly upon your life every day.

I have been amused lately upon hearing references to at least two of our Congressmen who like to boast that they always carry a copy of the Constitution in their breast pocket. Sadly, upon looking at the voting record of many of our lawmakers in recent years, it's sometimes hard to believe that any of them have actually read the document with any understanding.

Today, with the resources available on the internet, there is no reason why Americans should remain ignorant about the Constitution. The document itself consists of only seven articles describing how the Government functions, and 27 amendments that make up for the shortcomings of the original work. This is probably less information than most of us had to learn to obtain a Drivers License, but in spite of this, knowledge about the most important document ruling our lives is at an all time low. A poll conducted by the National Constitution Center found that only 5 percent of Americans can correctly answer 10 rudimentary questions about the Constitution.

No amount of apathy can serve as an excuse now that you're out of Civics Class - and you don't have to carry it in your breast pocket like some of those latter day Patriots in Congress. Just read the document, and take a little time to understand what it says!

The US Constitution: A Primer for the Unwashed

As I said, I don't want to write a lot of fluff, and I've never been big on reinventing the wheel. While I thought it would be nice to provide a high level overview of the Constitution, written in simple, understandable English, I couldn't do better than what is provided by USConstitution.net, on their page The Constitution for Kids, which is written for students in Grades 8 - 12. Don't worry that it's written for kids; if you read and understand it, you'll still be ahead of most Americans, including George W. Bush. On the off chance that you're reading this George, they have a version for kids in Kindergarten thru 3rd Grade HERE. Good Luck George.

On a serious note, if you have kids, it's never too early to introduce them to the concepts that form the underpinnings of our Nation, and this is a fantastic starting point.

Here are a few more resources that I have found useful, and can recommend to give you the information that you need:

Justice Learning's Guide to the Constitution - Interactive Learning
The National Constitution Center - Explore the Constitution
USConstitution.net - A great tool for additional research
Wikipedia The Constitution - Hyperlinked and Cross Referenced

A Living Document Open to Interpretation

One very important fact regarding the US Constitution is that unlike the constitutions of some other countries, ours is a living document that is open to interpretation on an ongoing basis. The task of interpreting the Constitution falls to the Supreme Court; or more precisely, to the Justices of the Supreme Court.

While many of the laws outlined in the Constitution are pretty cut-and-dried, others are open to broad interpretation. This is why the appointment of Supreme Court Justices by the President carries such weight; since the Justices serve for life, the appointment of ultra-conservative or ultra-liberal candidates has a potential to shape the future of our Nation for a very long time beyond the term of the President who makes the appointment.

If ultra-conservative Justices held a majority in the Court, for example, they could change the current interpretation of the Constitution to restrict a woman's right to choice, or severely limit freedom of speech.

Even though the president makes the appointments, the candidates are confirmed by Congress; this is why it is important to pay attention to who is being appointed, and to let your Congressman know how you feel about the candidate!

So you see that it is really up to you - understanding how your Government works, and knowing the rights that you hold as a citizen of this Great Nation are a cornerstone of true Patriotism.