Restoring Education Central to American Greatness http://davidanorris.posterous.com David A. Norris Blog posterous.com Mon, 08 Apr 2013 11:46:47 -0700 Part I: Government/Chapter 2, P 36, 37 http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-i-governmentchapter-2-p-36-37 http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-i-governmentchapter-2-p-36-37

 

The Sovereignty Of Man

Under the Impartial God Of Creation Over Government

 

 

In 1772, Samuel Adams stated: "The right to freedom being a gift from God Almighty . . . the rights of Christians may be best understood by reading and carefully studying the institutions of the great Law Giver which are to be found clearly written and promulgated in the New Testament."  Disrespect for Authority: Being under authority is not being under control.  It is being under God's protection.  The help provided by God-ordained authorities can be illustrated by the protective wall or "breakwater" that shields boats in a harbor from devastation.  Getting a boat into the harbor may be inconvenient, but the barrier tames the waves and keeps boats safe.  Similarly husbands, parents, employers, and police may be an inconvenience at times, but they play an important role in our progress.  God's benevolent instruction is evident at several levels of responsibility and authority for government (Romans 13:1-3).

 

The first level of government is individual self-government.  Lasting success comes by giving attention to God's standards, the laws of creation's nature that were the norm before man's rebellion opened the door for Satan's influence.  Big government, the abundance of police, prisons, and hospitals are the consequences of sinful life practices.  When man restrains his own selfish impulses and desires, the tyranny and exploitation of big government can be avoided.

 

The second level of government is the family.  From the beginning, it has been the holy commitment of one man and one woman in marriage that has defeated the will of Satan in his war against civilization.  God instituted marriage to facilitate companionship and the nurturing of children in the Truth.  The husband cares for his wife in a loving way, and she respects him (Eph. 5:22-33).  Parents are responsible for the education of their children.  By learning to honor and obey their parents, children also learn to honor the lordship of God and become responsible citizens (Eph. 6:1,4; Prov. 15:5).  The Bible makes it clear that property ownership and wealth come through labor, while laziness produces poverty (Prov. 10:4-5). Recognition of this aspect of the laws of creation's nature benefits families (1 Tim. 5:8; Prov. 31:13-27).

 

The third level of government is the voluntary union of people belonging to a church, churches of different denominations to evangelize and edify citizens through Biblical principles for faith and community (1 Tim. 5:17) and discipline (Matt. 18:16-19).  Churches also have the Bible mandate to be societal caregivers (1 John 3:17).  Families and churches are united in the promotion of citizen self-reliance and limited civil governments.

 

The fourth level of government is civil government on local, regional and national levels.  Its prime function is to protect the citizens from criminals inside and outside government and from external aggression (Rom. 13:1-4; 1 Pet. 2:13-14).

 

 

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Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:35:16 -0700 Part I: Government/Chapter 2, P 35, 36 http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-i-governmentchapter-2-p-35-36-31136 http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-i-governmentchapter-2-p-35-36-31136

The Sovereignty Of Man

Under the Impartial God Of Creation Over Government

 

 

In this chapter we can see the rich orthodoxy that brought the universal principles of the Declaration to the American mind.  That the nation was founded upon the principles of God's Word is well documented by the founding compacts, covenants and constitutions.

 

In 1620, the Pilgrims drafted our nation's first self-governing document, the Mayflower Compact: "We . . . having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, do . . . solemnly and mutually in ye presence of God, and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politic . . .. And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience."

http://www.pilgrimhallmuseum.org/mayflower_compact_text.htm

 

The King of England left the colonists alone for 150 years.  Without the albatross of paternalistic authoritarianism, the colonists experienced the benefits of personal responsibility and hard work.  People would come together with their pastor or a prominent student of the Bible as moderator and search the Scriptures for principles of government that would uphold civility in their community.

 

In 1630, the famous sermon by John Winthrop, governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, reflected the great sense of purpose that has prevailed since the arrival of the Pilgrims.  Later quoted repeatedly by Ronald Reagan, Winthrop declared: "We are to be 'a City upon a hill,' a beacon of light for the world to follow."  He continued, "The eyes of all people are upon us.  So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword throughout the world."*

 

In 1638, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut stated: "[We] enter into a combination and confederation together to maintain and preserve the liberty and purity of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ which we now profess."

http://www.constitution.org/bcp/fo_1639.htm

 

*Robert C. Winthrop, "A Model of Christian Charity," discourse written aboard the Arbella during the voyage to Massachusetts, 1630, In Life and Letters of John Winthrop, 1867, 19.

 

 

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Fri, 22 Mar 2013 09:15:00 -0700 Part I: Government http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-i-government-2755 http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-i-government-2755

American Principle Fourteen 

 

Life and Happiness are Humanity's Goals

 

"Unalienable rights, that among these are Life,

… and the pursuit of Happiness."

Declaration of Independence

 

 

"Kings or parliaments could not give the rights essential to happiness…  We claim them from a higher source--from the King of kings, and Lord of all the earth.  They are not annexed to us by parchments and seals. They are created in us by the decrees of Providence…  It would be an insult on the Divine Majesty to say that He has given or allowed any man or body of men a right to make me miserable.  If no man or body of men has such a right, I have a right to be happy.  If there can be no happiness without freedom, I have a right to be thus secured" (John Dickinson, reply to a Committee in Barbados, 1766).

 

An American principle: "What then is the American, this new man?  He is an American, who leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds [citizens are sovereigns under God, government officials are the servants]…  What is an American?  The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas, and form new opinions.  From involuntary idleness, servile dependence, penury [extreme poverty], and useless labor, he has passed to toils of a very different nature, rewarded by ample subsistence.  This is an American" (one of several essays, in Letters From an American Farmer, 1782, by J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, a French immigrant who became a New York state farmer).

 

Regarding the establishment of a representative Republic, Alexander Hamilton declared, "…the people surrender nothing.  The people simply delegate to government servants as trustees the powers to protect and uphold the values, which the people believe to be inside the envelope of life and liberty for the 'pursuit of Happiness.'  Governments must be prohibited from doing things that undermine the citizens' right to life and self-rule.  The means that are helpful to governance and those which are harmful are countless in number, therefore," Hamilton added, "they have no need of particular reservations [spelled out in the Bill of Rights]."

 

"The consequence is, that happiness of society is the first law of every government.  The people have a right to insist that this rule be observed; and are entitled to demand a moral security that the legislature will observe it.  If they have not the first right, they are slaves; if they have not the second right [moral security], they are, every moment, exposed to slavery" (U.S. Supreme Court Justice James Wilson, Lectures, 1790-1791).

 

 

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Tue, 19 Mar 2013 09:15:30 -0700 Part I: Government http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-i-government-84462 http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-i-government-84462

American Principle Thirteen 

 

Government Power and Taxes

Must Be Limited For Liberty's Sake

 

"… imposing Taxes on us without our Consent…"

Declaration of Independence

 

 

Low taxes and limited government are indispensable supports for property ownership and liberty.  "He [the king] has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance" (Declaration of Independence).

 

"The public money of this country [citizens' bank, the public treasury] is the toil and labor of the people… reasonable frugality ought to be observed.  And we would recommend particularly, the strictest care and the utmost firmness to prevent all unconstitutional draughts upon the public treasury" (instructions of the town of Braintree, Massachusetts to their legislative representative, 1765).

 

"That Government is instituted and ought to be exercised for the benefit of the people; which consists in the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the right of acquiring and using property, and generally of pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety" (James Madison, during the first session of Congress, proposing Bill of Rights amendments to the U.S. Constitution).

 

John Dickinson, presentation to the Pennsylvania Provincial Convention, 1774, "Let these truths be indelibly impressed on our minds--that we cannot be happy, without being free--that we cannot be free, without being secure in our property--that we cannot be secure in our property [without representation that forcefully opposes confiscatory taxes]…  But if when we plow--sow--reap--gather--and thresh--we find, that we plow--sow--reap--gather--and thresh for others, whose pleasure is to be the sole limitation how much they shall take, and how much they shall leave, why should we repeat the unprofitable toil?  Let us [citizens of Pennsylvania and even other colony states be alert] take care of our rights, and we therein take care of our prosperity.  'Slavery is ever preceded by sleep.'" (John Dickinson served as a member of the Continental Congress, Governor of Pennsylvania, a member of the Constitutional Convention and the Delaware Constitutional Convention, 1792).

 

Alexander Hamilton, in The Federalist No. 17, emphasizes that taxes should not be imposed at the federal level that enable the government to do things that go beyond the enumerated powers of the federal government and thereby take money from the people that should be available for state and local government needs (in effect, enabling the enemies of citizen sovereignty to use federal government to overpower representative government of, by, and for the people).  The Tenth Amendment was ratified December 15, 1791.  It restates the Constitution's principle of federalism by providing that powers not granted to the national government or prohibited to the states are reserved to the states or to the people.

 

The Federalist No. 10, written by James Madison, condemned taxing the thrifty and financially independent citizens for purposes of leveling (destroying their incentive to prosper financially).  Old European secular controls are "improper" and "wicked."*

*http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=10&page=transcript

 

Government debt that exceeds income cripples nations in the same devastating way that it cripples individuals, families and corporations.  "Indeed, we cannot too often inculcate upon you our desires, that all extraordinary grants and expensive measures may, upon all occasions, as much as possible, be avoided.  The public money of this country is the toil and labor of the people…" (written by representatives of the town of Braintree, Massachusetts, to their legislative representative, Braintree Records 1765-1766).

 

A compact discussion of American principles vital to the family and education can be found in the book, Restoring Education Central to American Greatness.

 

 

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Thu, 14 Mar 2013 08:59:00 -0700 Part I: Government http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-i-government-48165 http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-i-government-48165

American Principle Twelve 

 

Vital to the American Work Ethic,

Property Ownership Must Be Secure

 

"… are entitled to life, liberty and property…"

Declaration, First Continental Congress, 1774

 

"All men… are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Declaration of Independence

 

 

"That all men… have certain inherent rights… namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property" (Virginia Declaration of Rights, 1776).

 

"In the general course of human nature, a power over a man's subsistence amounts to a power over his will [to work and be responsible]" (The Federalist No. 79, by Alexander Hamilton).

 

Karl Marx (1818-1883) helped turn Soviet Russia into a socialist state.  It collapsed after the death of hundreds of millions of people, some by starvation, others murdered by the government.  According to Marx, capitalism would never work because of the inequities between the rich and poor.  He achieved worldwide support of secular intellectuals for taxing the people and redistributing "each according to his ability, to each according to need" still common today.  The truth is that capitalism, man's ownership of the fruits of his labor, helps both the rich and poor get richer.  The promise of ownership encourages men to overcome the pain of labor and take personal responsibility.

 

Socialism was tried in the Plymouth Colony here in America following extensive food shortages.  Instead of the "rule of man," Governor Bradford turned to the Bible for wisdom and then announced that settlers would have a plot of land, and thereafter be responsible for and entitled to the fruits of their own labor (April, 1623).  Entire families went to work, and hard times changed to a plentiful supply of food.*

*http://www.sail1620.org/history/articles/122-plymouth-jamestown.html

 

"That is not a just government, nor is property secure under it, where arbitrary restrictions, exemptions, and monopolies deny to part of its citizens that free use of their faculties, and free choice of their occupations, which not only constitute their property in the general sense of the word; but are the means of acquiring property…" (Essay by James Madison, published in the National Gazette, March 29, 1792).

 

Linking the work ethic to the right of property ownership was a monumental break from the world's political history.  The incentive of property ownership is the engine that makes an economy flourish.  It is the increase in value of the products supplied by the worker that leads the buyer to spend his money to own the product.

 

 

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Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:36:11 -0800 Part I: Government http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-i-government-85354 http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-i-government-85354

American Principle Ten

 

Government Must Be Decentralized

 

"… repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny [British King] over these States."

Declaration of Independence

 

 

Officials who bypass the principles of limited government are suppressing the supreme right of the people to rule.  Such officials have violated their duties as trustees and are in effect usurpers, oppressors and tyrants.

 

The American system is "a Republic--a federation, or combination, of central and state republics--under which: the different governments will control each other…  Within each republic there are two safeguarding features: (a) a division of powers, as well as (b) a system of checks and balances between separate departments: hence a double security arises [essential] to the rights of the people" (The Federalist No. 51, by James Madison).

 

Regarding the federal government usurping essential citizen rights, "True barriers [for] of our liberty are our State governments" (President Thomas Jefferson's First Inaugural Address, 1801).

 

"The necessity of reciprocal checks in the exercise of political power, by dividing and distributing it into different depositories, and constituting each the guardian of the public weal against invasions by the others, has been evinced by experiments ancient and modern; some of them in our country and under our own eyes.  To preserve them must be as necessary as to institute them" (President George Washington's Farewell Address, 1796).

 

"Bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possesses their equal rights, which equal laws must protect, and to violate would be oppression" (President Thomas Jefferson's First Inaugural Address, 1801).

 

 

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Fri, 22 Feb 2013 04:19:00 -0800 Part I: Government http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-i-government-1255 http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-i-government-1255

American Principle Seven (Part II)

 

The Moral Duties Of Civility Are Also a Predicate

For Interpreting Constitutional Meaning

 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident ..."

Declaration of Independence

 

"Tis substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.  Who that is a sincere friend to it, can look with Indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric?"

George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796

 

 

The Bill of Rights of Massachusetts provides, with clarity, truth learned from Scripture and the laboratory of history: "The happiness of a people and the good order and preservation of civil government essentially depend upon piety, religion, and morality…"  Citizens in four additional states agreed to ratify the Constitution by adopting the same wording for their state's Bill of Rights.

 

Jefferson emphasized justification for taxpayer-funded education: "The first elements of morality too may be instilled in their minds; such as, when further developed as their judgments advance in strength, may teach them how to work out their own greatest happiness, by shewing them that it does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed them, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits" (Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, 1782).

 

The Grand Jury for the 11th Judicial District of Iowa investigated problems in higher education.  Their Presentment was adopted unanimously December 23, 1968: "In the field of morality all basic truths have been apprehended.  All the changing conditions we hear so much about [the charm of immoral practices] do not affect [negate] the validity or applicability of the central directives of human conduct.  These truths are demonstrable in terms of benefits and as to how it is that those who disregard them fall easily into alien pitfalls of Fascism, lawlessness, drug addiction, etc.  There is no greater contribution a teaching institution can make to human progress and purpose than to endow students at all levels with this knowledge."

 

The few teachers who are militantly opposed to the "Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" and limited government, present their dogma with godly charm and the promises of an easier life.  Why is secular Political Correctness so dangerous?  Those who disagree, the good teacher majority and students, dare not present data that disproves what is being taught.  Those who do so are victimized by any number of charges… bigotry, unconcern for the destitute, diversity-hating, whatever.  Consequently, students are not taught about the standards of morality that make self-government, prosperity and liberty possible.

 

What is the price?  Alexander Solzhenitsyn, in his Templeton Address, said: "More than a half century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: 'Men have forgotten God: that's why all this has happened.' Since then I have spent well-nigh fifty years working on the history of our Revolution; in the process I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and have already contributed eight volumes of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by upheaval.  But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous Revolution that swallowed up some sixty million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: 'Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened'" (Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Men Have Forgotten God, The Templeton Address, 1983, in National Review, July 22, 1983, 873, quote from David A. Noebel, Understanding the Times, 247-8).

 

The solution requires restoring the intent and meaning of the Bill of Rights that will restore the parents' freedom to choose from among schools that must compete for students.

 

 

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 07:46:19 -0800 Part I: Government http://davidanorris.posterous.com/174285831 http://davidanorris.posterous.com/174285831

 

American Principle One

 

The Spiritual Nature Of Man Is Supreme

 

"All men are created … endowed by their Creator …"

Declaration of Independence

 

Foundational to liberty and the American approach to government is the fact that man is of divine origin.  His spiritual or God-honoring nature is held as being of supreme importance.  Upholding man’s God-given “rights” from abuses sanctioned by governments makes liberty possible.  The divine quality of these rights calls for the unequivocal rejection of the authoritarian entitlements claimed by elitists of all stripes—kings, authoritarian politicians, clergy, educators and militarists.  This principle enshrines certain limits that must, for the sake of liberty, be placed upon the use of the law and government power.

 

Humble support for the sovereignty of man under God over government is the guarantor of freedom for family wholeness, self-reliance and prosperity.  People who know the truth can reject, without fear, the alarming chatter of atheistic sectarians.

 

 

 

 

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Sat, 29 Dec 2012 08:25:00 -0800 Introduction VI http://davidanorris.posterous.com/introduction-vi http://davidanorris.posterous.com/introduction-vi

"Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants," Justice Brandeis

http://www.law.louisville.edu/library/collections/brandeis/node/196

 

Secular militants claim to be patriots because, as they say, dissent is American.   What they mean is evident from how they have gutted traditional American values in public education.  They demand freedom for themselves, but reject the American concept of academic freedom (the freedom to be honestly informed) and the freedom of others to make their own choices.  The soft underbelly of the secular left is the fact that they cannot withstand the competition of ideas.  For them, it is intolerable to allow students to be taught about the non-sectarian and impartial  God of creation upon which inalienable rights, citizen self-government and liberty depend.

 

An elaboration of “In God We Trust” is found in Proverbs 3:5,6:  “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

 

The “In God We Trust” worldview has been the foundation for public education, beginning in the original thirteen colonies and continuing for over 250 years.  The Supreme Court's ruling in the Everson v. Board of Education decision of 1947 began a dramatic shift away from “In God We Trust.”  See Chapter 6 for details about this Supreme Court ruling.  We review the civic religion adopted by immigrants from around the world in Chapters 1 through 4 and Part IV, Appendix B, Iowa's Bill of Rights, taken in part from the Declaration of Independence.  The strategy for restoring competition in education and choice by the people is outlined in Chapters 11 and 12.

 

The unionization of teachers and accompanying tenure law have enabled a small cadre of radicals to take God out of citizen-funded government schools. Newt Gingrich stated:  “Those who want absolute proof you cannot teach American history honestly and accurately without reference to God, go to the Lincoln Memorial and read where in Lincoln’s second inaugural, March 1865, he referred to God fourteen times and used two quotes from the Bible.”*

 

*http://www.c-spanvideo.org/clip/3597743

 

 

Lincoln_memorial_lincoln_contrasty

Lincoln Memorial Statue

 

 

 

There are millions of honest, hardworking teachers, but they have no more control over the lifeview being taught in the soft sciences than do parents.  An entirely different system for educating American youth is needed that would bypass the leftist teachers' union monopoly.  Funds for education provided by Americans must be routed through the parents, similar to the G.I. Bill following World War II.  This bill provided that education sought by veterans be paid from taxpayer revenues, and the veterans had the freedom to use the tuition grant in a public or private institution of their choice.

 

 

Image from http://washingtonvirtualtrip.wikispaces.com/Abraham+Lincoln+Memorial

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Fri, 14 Dec 2012 06:37:00 -0800 Introduction II http://davidanorris.posterous.com/introduction-ii http://davidanorris.posterous.com/introduction-ii

Ideas for decision making have one of two origins—either materialistic and mortal or based upon the reality of everlasting truth, according to the design of Creation's God.  From the beginning, Americans reached beyond the failed practices of man to immortal values that make stability, liberty and prosperity possible.  Judeo-Christian principles have been the foundation for public dialogue and government policy.  Truth from the Hebrew Christian Bible has enabled citizen self-government and individual liberty.

 

William Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England were used by Abraham Lincoln and were continued to be used by students of law into the 1920s.  Blackstone said: “Man, considered as a creature, must necessarily be subject to the laws [principles] of his Creator …  These laws laid down by God are the eternal immutable laws of good and evil … This law of nature dictated by God Himself, is of course superior in obligation to any other.  It is binding over the entire globe, in all countries, and at all times:  no human laws are of any validity if contrary to this.”*

 

*http://www.constitution.org/tb/tb-1102.htm

 

First Principle

The God of Creation is Man's Benefactor

 

That the God of creation is man's benefactor is so foundational it cannot be arrived at by any other proposition.  It is the basic principle upon which all other principles follow.  When man chooses to walk according to God's benevolent law, he learns of the power that is God's alone and by which God grants him victory over evil.  This reality about creation's nature reveals God's protection.

 

"Patriotism is as much a virtue as justice, and is as necessary for support of societies as the natural affection is for the support of families.  The Amor Patriae is both moral and a religious duty.  It comprehends not only the love of our neighbors but millions of our fellow creatures, not only the present but of future generations.  This virtue we find constitutes a part of the first character of history."**

 

--Dr. Benjamin Rush, essay on patriotism published in 1773.  He was a delegate to the Continental Congress from Pennsylvania and signed the Declaration of Independence.  A devout Christian, Rush established Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and served as professor of medical theory and clinical practice at the University of Pennsylvania from 1791 to 1813.

 

**http://www.whatwouldthefoundersdo.org/showQuote.aspx?q=403

 

In fact, the American colonies did not become united until the constitutional delegates agreed to amendments that were specific about religious and educational freedom from government and non-government dictation.  The first ten amendments included the codification of the principles outlined in the Declaration of Independence (separation from authoritarian rule).  Far from being secular, all aspects of human endeavor, including government, fall under the purview of creation’s God.  The values for determining the proper role of laws and the use of government power are clear.  We ought to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).  Adoption of this impartial, nonsectarian, God-honoring predicate for society has served as a marvelous unifier for our diverse immigrant nation.

 

An elaboration of "In God We Trust" is found in Proverbs 3:5,6:  "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."

 

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Tue, 11 Dec 2012 14:43:00 -0800 Introduction I http://davidanorris.posterous.com/restoring-education-central-to-american-great-25997 http://davidanorris.posterous.com/restoring-education-central-to-american-great-25997

The 2012 first edition blog of the above book picked up over 9,000 repeat users.  Directly and indirectly, we were able to answer several hundred questions.  Encouraging responses came from many.  Perhaps the most exciting was an email from Judge Robert Bork's secretary.  

 

As reported in the Ames (Iowa) Tribune, a March, 2008 legislative proposal for union contract negotiators that would make it even harder to fire harmful teachers caused "grave concerns" among school administrators.  Margaret Buckton, chief lobbyist for the Iowa Association of School Boards, said, "Attempts to remove a teacher can last years and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars."  "Grave concerns" is right.  Documented in the Restoring Education Central to American Greatness book, a significantly higher percentage of public school teachers send their children to private schools than do non-teacher parents.  They see the harmful impact that secular absolutism is having upon students' minds and values.  Power-hungry ideologues are now soliciting and ruining a new generation of Americans "with words calculated to destroy the youthful faith in their heritage" (Grand Jury Presentment, 11th Judicial District in and for Story County, Iowa, December, 1968).  Undoubtedly, restoring education central to American greatness is now the greatest singular need in America.

 

The Founding Fathers knew from history that centralized power left unchecked leads to tyranny.  They instituted the Second Amendment to keep guns in the hands of the general public to discourage the use of guns by radical politicians, but this does not keep them from being habitual truth-trashers.

 

To justify taxpayer funding, American history and the Judeo-Christian influence upon the Founding Fathers must be unabashedly taught.  Only with this knowledge can new generations of Americans identify truth-trashers and prevent the deceptive advance of oppressive government.  Those demanding curriculum diversity that undermines the absolutes gleaned from history (traditional American foundations) can pay for their own schools and seek a following, just as must other separatist groups.  The demand of traditionalists is based upon the justification for any education tax being placed upon Americans in the FIRST PLACE.  No other argument is needed, but it must be firmly and uncompromisingly imposed.  "A house divided against itself cannot stand" (Abraham Lincoln, June 16, 1858).  A nation cannot survive if its citizens continue to fund revisionist morality and anti-American rhetoric masquerading as education.

 

Subjects Covered By

Restoring Education Central to American Greatness

 

Part I: Government

Chapter 1

  • Immortal Principles Central to Liberty and American Greatness

Chapter 2

  • The Sovereignty of Man under the Impartial God of Creation over Government

Chapter 3

  • Man May Prosper in Freedom If He Chooses to Honor the Will of Creation’s God

Chapter 4

  • America’s Civic Religion and the Deeper Personal Faith of Our Nation’s Founders

Chapter 5

  • Government by Written and Permanent Law

Chapter 6

  • Defilement of the Judiciary

 

Part II: Education

Chapter 7

  • Academic Freedom and Teacher Tenure History

Chapter 8 

  • Consequences of the Unionization of Government Teachers

Chapter 9

  • The Education Nightmare

Chapter 10

  • Education That Is Profoundly American

 

Part III: Liberty and Responsibility

Chapter 11

  • Appeasement Will Not Work

Chapter 12

  • Our Strategy for Victory: Political Action—Citizen Power

 

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Fri, 07 Dec 2012 13:42:00 -0800 Socialist Agenda Exploits Mankind http://davidanorris.posterous.com/socialist-agenda-exploits-mankind http://davidanorris.posterous.com/socialist-agenda-exploits-mankind

Socialism is a system of social organization that rejects the fact that goods are the fruits of the people’s labor.  The ownership of the means of producing goods provided by the people is claimed by secular authoritarians.  They then use the power of government for laws to control the distribution of goods.  The fact remains that it is the freedom of the people to choose and buy goods made useful by others that gives direction for a healthy economy (supply and demand).  

 

The following was written in 1916 by the Rev. William J. H. Boetcker, a Presbyterian clergyman and influential spokesman for American values:

 

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.

You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.

You cannot build character and courage

by taking away man’s initiative and independence.

You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.

You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.

You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.

You cannot establish security on borrowed money.

You cannot help men permanently

by doing for them what they will not do for themselves.

www.qjotationspage.com/quotes/William_J._H._Boetcker/

 

Winston Churchill stated:  “Socialism is inseparably interwoven with totalitarianism and the object worship of the state.”  He also said, “Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery” (Google, Winston Churchill quotes/w/winstonchurchill).

 

According to Alexis de Tocqueville in 1848:  “Democracy [democratic republic] extends the sphere of individual freedom; socialism restricts it.  Democracy [democratic republic] attaches all possible value to each man; socialism makes each man a mere agent, a mere number.  [The two] have nothing in common but one word:  equality.  But notice the difference:  while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude” (Google, Alexis de Tocqueville Quotations/Quotations).

 

The old European secular philosophy is a reflection of the hope in a fantasy world.    Both the Webster and Random House dictionaries identify socialism as a “Marxist theory.”  Marxists used socialist slogans, such as "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."  The Soviet Socialist Union lasted but a whiff in time in spite of their great universities, KGB (secret police), a worldwide propaganda machine and military aggression (1917-91).

 

Liberals in present-day America justify socialism by saying that we are a wealthy nation.  Some in America, who budget wisely and have a good income, do have wealth, but the truth is that the American government is broke.  Liberal politicians create a supportive voting block by promising them wealth redistribution.  This comes by stealing from Americans (excessive tax), stealing from future generations (debt obligation) and the added tax of interest on the debt.  When government officials are allowed to continue imposing high taxes, the incentive of the people to work hard and save is greatly diminished, the base for taxation is gradually destroyed, and inflation diminishes the purchasing power of the dollar.  Also, the ability of the people to support churches and missionaries and to assist the poor is greatly diminished.  At the time of this writing, the national debt is 16 trillion dollars and growing.  The revenue left after funding excessive government is not enough to pay the interest, so the shortage must be added to the principal indebtedness.


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Sat, 24 Nov 2012 17:39:00 -0800 Responsible Citizen Self-rule and Liberty http://davidanorris.posterous.com/responsible-citizen-self-rule-and-liberty http://davidanorris.posterous.com/responsible-citizen-self-rule-and-liberty

By placing their faith in the principles advanced by creation's God for education, Americans achieved liberty from brutal rulers and the history of big government.

 

Benjamin Franklin, a delegate from Pennsylvania to the second Continental Congress and signer of the Constitution of the United States, wrote this in his Articles of Belief:  "I believe there is one supreme, most perfect Being…  Also when I stretch my imagination through and beyond our system of planets, beyond the visible fixed stars themselves, into that space that is [in] every way infinite, and conceive it filled with suns like ours, each with a chorus of worlds forever moving around him…  That I may be preserved from atheism . . . Help me, O Father!... For all thy innumerable benefits; for life, and reason… my good God, I thank thee!"*

John Quincy Adams, America's sixth president:  "The law given from Sinai was civil and municipal as well as a moral and religious code; it contained many statutes… of universal application--laws essential to the existence of men in society [of the United States], and most of which have been enacted by every nation which ever professed any code of laws."**

To justify taxpayer-funded education, instruction must detail the civil and moral absolutes found in the Ten Commandments but rightly avoid controversy of religious codes that are the domain of church denominations.  The depth of spiritual conviction of these absolutes is spelled out in the Creator-based Declaration of Independence, religious liberty (First Amendment), and the Bill of [human] Rights law.  Citizen equality as sovereigns under God over government is demonstrated when randomly chosen citizens serve as the supreme court for judgment of guilt or innocence in criminal trials conducted by government officials.  The above values are the design, and the Constitution is the tool to implement that design.

 

The preamble to the Constitution, "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare [meaning common needs that do not conflict with or hamper the development of the work ethic and personal self-reliance], and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

 

"Our investigation indicates that the main reason for youthful rebellion and the attitude of carelessness in student morals is their loss of confidence in the wisdom embedded in their heritage.  Failure to dearly implant these truths detaches future generations from past experience, the very basis of education" (Grand Jury Presentment, 1968-69, Problems in Higher Education, the Eleventh Judicial of Iowa).

 

First-amendment-rated-e-for-everyone-225x300

*http://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com/ben-franklin-quotes-1.html

**http://quotes.practicalmanliness.com/john-quincy-adams/138/

 

 

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Fri, 16 Nov 2012 09:37:00 -0800 The First Amendment is the Most Important Amendment http://davidanorris.posterous.com/the-first-amendment-is-the-most-important-ame http://davidanorris.posterous.com/the-first-amendment-is-the-most-important-ame

The most important of all the amendments to our Constitution is the First Amendment:  "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

 

In the 1947 Everson v. Board of Education decision, the Supreme Court majority discarded the principle for control of government by law (government limited by laws instituted by citizen sovereigns).  They displaced it with control of government by man (top down authoritarianism).  Quoting Alexander Hamilton:  "Government is frequently and aptly classed under two descriptions, a government of FORCE [changeable decrees by authoritarian man], and a government of LAWS [governments that derive 'their just powers' from the consent of the governed], the first is the definition of despotism--the last Liberty" (Tully Papers, 1794).  These two approaches to governing society have been at war against one another throughout human history.

 

The Everson v. Board of Education decision clearly compromised "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…" The judges altered the Constitution at the core of its meaning.  Power-hungry judges and politicians, along with fellow travelers in education, the media and monopoly union bosses, are now working overtime.  They are leveraging the judge-created right that empowers liberals to impose government establishment monopoly in public education, preventing the competition of ideas by moral religions.  The power to impose false renditions of truth upon  captive government classrooms and poison youthful minds is being used to confuse, marginalize and rule new generations.

 

"For many years psychologists and educators have recognized the processes by which thought and behavioral patterns acquired in youth become the basis for adult motivation.  In modern times thoughtful observers have become progressively aware that moral, social, and political concepts implanted during the time of mental immaturity not only participate in the conduct of later life, but, once acquired, such concepts become dominant and often unalterable in the adult" (Story County Grand Jury, in and for the 11th Judicial District of Iowa, 1969).

 

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Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:39:00 -0800 The First Amendment http://davidanorris.posterous.com/the-first-amendment http://davidanorris.posterous.com/the-first-amendment

The most important of all the amendments is the First Amendment.  This is demonstrably true.  It was not until secular militants were leveraged by the 1947 Supreme Court's Everson v. Board of Education decision that the role of moral absolutes ceased to be standard in government schools.

 

On September 25, 1789, Congress requested unanimously that President Washington proclaim a national day of thanksgiving and prayer.  This is the same Congress that on the same day approved the final draft of the First Amendment to protect the people's rights to religious freedom from suppression by government administrators, judges and legislators.  President Washington proclaimed on October 3, 1798:  "Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor…  Now, therefore, I do recommend… that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed…  And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions… And to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue."*

 

The First Amendment was added to the Constitution to emphasize the proper use of the Constitution as a tool to protect and uphold religious freedom.  This freedom enables the religious denominations to compete in public, including education.  This, in turn, sharpens the importance of moral absolutes in the minds of citizens who are the sovereigns under God over government.  For most of our history, the Judeo-Christian basis for citizen self-rule has been vigorously taught.  Non-denominational prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance were practiced in classrooms.  For several decades now the moral religions, most directly Christianity, have been under systematic attack by liberal judges.  Americans can agree with the following quote as long as any conflict between amendments to the Constitution are reconciled by having the First Amendment, in its original meaning up until 1947, upheld as supreme.

 

"A constitution, like any other document, is to be read as a whole.  The court, in the language of the lawyers, 'will take the instrument by its four corners' and read each part in the light of the rest.  Since written constitutions come into effect through popular assent, the meaning intended by the people would be sought by the courts.  The common understanding of the words at the time the language was employed is therefore of cogent significance.  This consideration, however, will not prevent the application of the terms employed to conditions arising later and not contemplated at the time the language was adopted…  There is an ancient rule of statutory construction, coming down through Blackstone, that in seeking the true meaning of legislative language the court will take cognizance of the 'old law, the mischief and the remedy.'  The rule is useful in constitutional construction" (Rosco Pound, Dean of the Law School of Harvard University, Volume III, National Law Library, P. F. Collier & Son Publishers, New York, New York, 1939, 23-24).

 

*http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/GW/gw004.html


 

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Mon, 05 Nov 2012 08:58:00 -0800 Part Ten: Grand Jury Presentment of "Problems in Higher Education" http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-nine-grand-jury-presentment-of-problems http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-nine-grand-jury-presentment-of-problems

Portions of the Presentment of the Grand Jury for the Eleventh Judicial District of Iowa follow, with words added for clarification in brackets.  Supplemental ideas are italicized.

 

End of Presentment II

 

"The 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure by the American Association of University Professors has no legal effect, but the AAUP publicly censures colleges and universities that they believe have violated [their version of] academic freedom.  However, nearly all [not all] of the colleges and universities have adopted this statement or a variation of the statement which is contained in the faculty policy manual of each college or university, and it is incorporated by reference in the employment contract between the university and each individual faculty member."*

 

The penetrating damage imposed because of tenure laws sheltering radical professors and teachers in the soft sciences must be [reversed].  The authority of taxpayer/parents to control what is taught in government institutions must be restored.  By routing education revenues directly to the parents or guardians, sanity will be restored to education.  The many thousands of honest and morally upright teachers will again have the unimpeded support of the citizen consensus.  Not only will what is taught be cleaned up, but also competition between education suppliers will reduce the cost [and increase the quality] of public education.

 

The voice in the chorus of concerned citizens is imperative.  What confronts the American family and voter electorate is a test of wills.  School administrators must be able to fire leftist teachers [without spending] years and… tens of thousands of taxpayers' dollars defending education from the [resulting] lawsuits imposed by ACLU lawyers and the imperial arm of radical judges.  To effect change, active citizen involvement in the political process must exceed the determination of those who are using political circumvention to destroy the family and liberty.

 

43056858587115878

*Dr. Ronald B. Standler, "Academic Freedom in the USA," http://www.rbs2.com/afree.htm

 

 

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Tue, 30 Oct 2012 12:01:00 -0700 Part Seven: Grand Jury Presentment of "Problems in Higher Education" http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-seven-grand-jury-presentment-of-problems http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-seven-grand-jury-presentment-of-problems

Portions of the Presentment of the Grand Jury for the Eleventh Judicial District of Iowa follow, with words added for clarification in brackets.  Supplemental ideas are italicized.

 

Where to Go for the Solution

 

The frustrating inability of the public to correct the distortion of academic freedom is due, in the Grand Jury's view, to the failure of the people to see the continuation of the atrocious abuses by radicals as the breakdown in the responsibility-authority-control principle that it really is.  Any organization, educational or otherwise, is an attempt at cooperation.  Cooperation is not possible unless responsibility and authority go hand-in-hand.

 

The parents and taxpayers delegated a portion of their responsibility and authority, through an administrative chain-of-command, for the selection of educators who want to teach and [who] agree with public policy.

 

The system of organization varies in the several states, but in Iowa the Board of Regents [chosen by the Governor] is responsible to the public for education at the state universities.  It is…. the Board of Regents who must lay down corrective policy on behalf of the people.  If the problem is not corrected… the public must impose changes as necessary.

 

The taxpayers, having the final responsibility for the universities, quite properly should have the authority to change the Board of Regents' membership or take other measures if they find themselves in disagreement with Board policy.  If the established procedures for governing at this level leave the Regents insensitive to public interest, then it is time to update governing procedures.

 

The citizen public, having given the Board of Regents [in this case] the responsibility to implement public policy, must also leave them the authority to go to the university president, who has the executive responsibility of the university.  The university president, vested with the responsibility by the Board of Regents, has the authority to [replace] his aides if he believes they are not carrying out his ideas [in the public interest].

 

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Fri, 12 Oct 2012 14:30:00 -0700 Part Two: Grand Jury Presentment of "Problems in Higher Education" http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-two-grand-jury-presentment-of-problems-i http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-two-grand-jury-presentment-of-problems-i

 

Portions of the Presentment of the Grand Jury for the Eleventh Judicial District of Iowa follow, with words added for clarification in brackets.  Supplemental ideas are italicized.

 

The American Ideal Reflected in 

the Constitutions of the States

 

Control over the use of government power has always been a test of wills.  The Judeo-Christian approach to government was vehemently opposed by atheists during the writing of the Iowa Constitution.  The following quotations are from the Constitution of the State of Iowa, which is similar to many other state constitutions.

 

1. Preamble:  "We, the People of the State of Iowa, grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuation of those blessings, do ordain and establish a free and independent government, by the name of the STATE OF IOWA."

 

2.  Article I, Section 2:  "Government is instituted [by the people] for the protection, security and benefit of the people."

 

3.  Article I, Section 1:  "All men are, by nature, free and equal, and have certain inalienable rights--among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining safety and happiness."

 

4.  Article I, Section 2:  "All political power is inherent in the people."

 

5.  Article I, Section 2:  "They [the people] have the right at all times, to alter or reform the government, whenever the public good may require it."

 

6.  Provision for unrestricted exchange of ideas for education and government policy, no matter how radical, is provided through frequent elections:  candidates for office must go before the public and be chosen by mature citizens at the ballot box.

 

7.  Article IX, Section 3:  "The General Assembly shall encourage by all suitable means the intellectual, scientific, moral and agricultural improvement."

 

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Image from http://www.brennancenter.org/blog/category/voter_registration/P16/

 

For more information or to purchase Restoring Education Central to American Greatness:

http://bookstore.iuniverse.com/Products/SKU-000185969/Restoring-Education-Cen...

http://www.amazon.com/Restoring-Education-Greatness-Principles-Liberated/dp/1...

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/restoring-education-david-a-norris/1103308053...

 

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Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:38:00 -0700 Reaction to the Grand Jury Investigation on Higher Education http://davidanorris.posterous.com/reaction-to-the-grand-jury-investigation-on-h http://davidanorris.posterous.com/reaction-to-the-grand-jury-investigation-on-h

Restoring educational traditions central to American greatness provides the sure basis for strong families, prosperity and limited government for, by and of the people.  Many people are in the dark about the God-rejecting worldview now being imposed upon captive student classrooms and as a result, they do not join in opposition. 

 

It was my privilege to chair a Grand Jury for the Eleventh Judicial District of Iowa that investigated activities at Iowa State University and made several recommendations for changes in higher education.  As noted in a previous blog*, the God-rejecting worldview in American education must be exposed.

 

"Ames, Iowa--(AP)--The Grand Jury wants 'moral pollution'… 'and defamation of our country' (in the Humanities curriculum) stopped" (Denver Post).

 

With a prestigious media network, political, religious and social studies courses, statewide extension offices, and an adult education outreach, universities possessed (and still possess) immense power to shape public opinion.  The president of the university and campus radicals did everything they could to discredit the Grand Jury's work.  Initially, however, news of the Presentment was unimpeded.  The university president and all members of the Iowa Board of Regents except one were out of the state during Christmas break when the Presentment became public.

 

Except for the coverage in the Des Moines Register and a few radical student publications, most news reports were accurate.  Those who were critical were very spirited in their objections.  A January 8, 1969, Des Moines Register headline read, "ISU President Lashes Out at 'Distorted' Report by Jury."  Later, the Iowa State University Press published a book for the Iowa Civil Liberties Union entitled Freedom in Iowa.  This publication showered ISU President Robert Parks and the liberal presidents of the other two universities in Iowa with honors and attacked the work and reputation of several Iowa leaders, past and present, including myself.

 

The Grand Jury Presentment itself was well documented.  One news article reported that the Iowa Civil Liberties Union had decided they would not sue the Grand Jury.  Another paper reported that an ongoing effort had failed to get the new judge, Harvey Uhlenhopp, serving the Eleventh Judicial District, to dismiss the Presentment.  Within two years, Judge Uhlenhopp was elevated to the Iowa Supreme Court.

 

I was concerned that some reporters and editors would misrepresent the Grand Jury Presentment.  Consequently, reporters were told that I would respond to inquiries in writing only, and this brought their interest to a halt.  I personally received approximately one hundred letters from citizens, all of whom praised the jury's work.

 

I was later told that an Iowa State University administrative vice president was briefing the incoming extension course attendees and denigrating the work of the jury.  Eventually, a county extension officer attending one of the on-campus short courses stood up and strongly criticized the vice president's presentation.  His practice of criticizing the jury report ended.

 

Out_in_iowa_ames_daily_tribune_1969

*http://davidanorris.posterous.com/the-healing-of-citizen-paralysis

 

For more information or to purchase Restoring Education Central to American Greatness:

http://bookstore.iuniverse.com/Products/SKU-000185969/Restoring-Education-Cen...

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http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/restoring-education-david-a-norris/1103308053...

 

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Tue, 25 Sep 2012 08:04:26 -0700 A Suggestion For Our Friends In the Judiciary http://davidanorris.posterous.com/a-suggestion-for-our-friends-in-the-judiciary http://davidanorris.posterous.com/a-suggestion-for-our-friends-in-the-judiciary

Looking to the future, at such time as the American people elect Senators and Representatives who are committed to reining in supremacist judges, a plan for "such exceptions," provided for by the Article III, Section 2, should be at hand.  

 

By the authority of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, the representatives we elect to Congress "shall have power… to constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court." Article III, Section 1, reads:  "The judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish."  Article III, Section 2, reads:  "The Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions, and under the regulations as the Congress shall make."

 

Congress has limited the courts several times in the past.  Provisions in the Constitution were predetermined to aid in doing just that, regulating the balance of power with necessary exceptions.  These should also be the talking points until necessary corrective change is achieved for today.

 

The following exception would be effective.  Any future court decisions reflecting upon the first ten amendments that are not clearly linked to their meaning, as understood prior to 1947, would be classified as a Supreme Court Interim Opinion or some similar designation.  Going back to 1947 is a heavy lift, but it only applies to future court decisions that hinge upon the so foundational basis for "government of laws, and not of men."  Categories of law that are not related to the first ten amendments would be exempt from the Supreme Court Interim Opinion requirement.  If the legislative branch does not pass laws to solve the problem dealt within a Supreme Court Interim Opinion within a specified period of time (for example, three years), the court decision would expire regardless of the ramifications.

 

Adoption of the Supreme Court Interim Opinion requirement by Congress blends with the legislative and judicial separation of powers without undermining judicial independence, and it is consistent with the constitutional system of checks and balances.  Our representatives in Congress would then bear responsibility for treatment of the problem, and the Supreme Court would be shielded from the bleeding of reprehensible engineering imposed by unelected judges.

 

Going back to the 1947 precedent requirement is a logical time for instituting the Interim Opinion requirement.  It was in 1947 that the Supreme Court majority twisted and undermined the citizens' First Amendment protections from government-established authoritarians.

 

Stare decisis is no excuse for preserving court precedents.  Stare decisis is legal talk for an everyday practice that we all follow.  It simply means that once a decision is implemented, it should be supported for a considerable period of time to see if, in fact, it is helping or, at a minimum, not doing harm.  When a law is proven to be harmful, that law should be reversed.  The practice of preserving court precedent was never intended to be a mandate for national suicide.

 

If there is a better approach than instituting a Supreme Court Interim Opinion requirement for restoring sanity to the judiciary, then have that approach be the public goal.  Determining a better approach is the duty of conservative lawyers and judges, who are better situated to frame a solution.  The recommendation needs to be reasonable and would require an ongoing, nationwide sales campaign until it is successful.  This would best be determined by a citizen Congress composed of conservative lawyers, law professors and judges, convened to make recommendations for restoring the rule of law.  The Congress should involve participants from every state, be privately funded, and meet in secret for the same reasons the Constitutional Convention met in secret.  This Congress would compare in importance to the decision-making phase for the judiciary conducted by the Constitutional Convention.

 

Equal-justice-lg-web

Image from http://www.floridajustice.info/2012/08/judicial-activism-is-simply-i-did-not-...

 

For more information or to purchase Restoring Education Central to American Greatness:

http://bookstore.iuniverse.com/Products/SKU-000185969/Restoring-Education-Cen...

http://www.amazon.com/Restoring-Education-Greatness-Principles-Liberated/dp/1...

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/restoring-education-david-a-norris/1103308053...

 

For previous blog entries on similar topics, simply go to this site and scroll down:

http://davidanorris.posterous.com/

 

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