The Tea Party GOP Gets Ready to Talibanize the US Constitution

[Joanne98]

STEPHEN PIZZO FOR BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT

So, the GOP will pander to their Tea Party brethren next month by reading the US Constitution out loud and declaring that any bill proposed by a member of Congress contain a personal guarantee that the bill corresponds with the US Constitution.

I have two things to say about this.

First, good. Reading is something Tea Party folk should do a lot more of. I am sure few if any of them have actually read the US Constitution and, of those who have, I serious doubt they were able to decode the antique English.

Instead, I strongly suspect, they read and "understood" the constitution in the same way they claim to have read and understood the Bible; they began reading it knowing what they knew and what they wanted it to say, so that must be what it says.

But on a more serious note, there is something quite real going on with all this. The far-right has decided to do to the text of the US Constitution what al Qaeda has done to the text of the Koran - twist it to fit their political/social agenda then use it as a bludgeon to get their way.

http://www.opednews.com/populum/linkframerss.php?linkid=1466

[OHdem10]

1. Will they demand a "literal" interpretation?

[HereSince1628]

2. Of course. Literalism is what the illiterati do.

It is so much easier to read and apply literal contemporary meanings to century old texts than it is to ponder the original meanings, intended themes, and guiding principles.

[DCKit]

6. Exactly how do you apply a literal meaning, when you can't read or understand the words..

in the first place?

"Argle, bargle, urgle."

They're not just insane, but illiterate, too boot.

[HereSince1628]

7. Tharz sum a thems that nowz lederz.

I heard it on Fox so it must be True. Honezt.

[glinda]

3. This is where they are going with this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalist_Society

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/MontanaBanana/mitch-mcconnell-federalist-society-health-unconstitutional_n_785332_67959493.html

[prodigals0n]

4. Animal Farm: Chapter X

Orwell, prescient.

http://www.george-orwell.org/Animal_Farm/index.html

Animal Farm
Chapter II
"THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS

1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill any other animal.
7. All animals are equal.


It was very neatly written, and except that "friend" was written "freind"
and one of the "S's" was the wrong way round, the spelling was correct all
the way through. Snowball read it aloud for the benefit of the others. All
the animals nodded in complete agreement, and the cleverer ones at once
began to learn the Commandments by heart.


Animal Farm
Chapter X

"YEARS passed. The seasons came and went, the short animal lives fled by. A time came when there was no one who remembered the old days before the Rebellion, except Clover, Benjamin, Moses the raven, and a number of the pigs.

...

"My sight is failing," she said finally. "Even when I was young I could not have read what was written there. But it appears to me that that wall looks different. Are the Seven Commandments the same as they used to be, Benjamin?"

For once Benjamin consented to break his rule, and he read out to her what was written on the wall. There was nothing there now except a single Commandment. It ran:

ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL
BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS

After that it did not seem strange when next day the pigs who were supervising the work of the farm all carried whips in their trotters. It did not seem strange to learn that the pigs had bought themselves a wireless set, were arranging to install a telephone, and had taken out subscriptions to John Bull, TitBits, and the Daily Mirror. It did not seem strange when Napoleon was seen strolling in the farmhouse garden with a pipe in his mouth-no, not even when the pigs took Mr. Jones's clothes out of the wardrobes and put them on, Napoleon himself appearing in a black coat, ratcatcher breeches, and leather leggings, while his favourite sow appeared in the watered silk dress which Mrs. Jones had been used to wear on Sundays.

...

Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."

[DCKit]

8. Wow. nt

[Enthusiast]

19. PLUS ONE! nt

[Andy823]

5. All I can say is good luck with that!

It's all good "talk" but what happens after a few weeks, or months, when the republicans want to start passing bills that don't fit within the constitution, then what is going to happen? You can't tell me that republicans aren't going to to wild with meaningless bills that only help the rich and the big corporations, and when they do, what then?

[bjobotts]

9. It's the "Wall Street Tea Party" now. even voting tax breaks to outsource jobs

[bjobotts]

10. Promote the common welfare is completely lost on these people.Profits trump patriotism

[bjobotts]

11. Absolutely no understanding of economics what-so-ever.

[bjobotts]

13. We were in twice as much debt after WWII & paid it off by growing our economy

[bjobotts]

14. Now, due to insane trade policies, we are only growing China's economy

[bjobotts]

15. These goobers think they can run NYC like 'Mayberry'.Gov is as big as it needs to be

[jmowreader]

12. The teabaggers actually don't like the Constitution

Especially Article IV, Section 1 (the Full Faith and Credit clause) because when one state legalizes gay marriage the first thing they do is demand a law stating gay marriages performed in that state are not valid in their own state. Which, if you're a Constitutional purist, they most certainly are.

Basically, they like the Second Amendment and the Tenth (except when it comes to pot, gay marriage or miscenegation) and they wouldn't mind having the rest repealed.

[bjobotts]

16. When it comes to the Constitution they are better known as "The Pee Party"

[Odin2005]

17. The extreme Right fetishize the Constitution and the Founders to a religious degree.

It's quite disturbing.

[silverweb]

18. This is SO going to backfire on them!

What entertainment we have to look forward to -- dunces on display!

I can't wait! :rofl:

[Bgno64]

20. Let them read the fucking document

When they get to the part about "provide for the general welfare," the Dems in the chamber ought to request they repeat if a few times.

Same with the 14th Amendment