Constitution Day

And Also: I admit to have grown tired of Rachel Maddow, but the news in general tires me out -- it's depressing in repetitive fashion. But, I'm glad Chris Hayes has a new show; his strong "The Nation" voice is appreciated.

A couple quotes from a few years back:

Why study the Constitution? Study the Constitution because it is both the foundation and the guardian of our liberties. Study it also with the knowledge that as strong and enduring as our Constitution has been, it is nevertheless a fragile, almost intangible thing that cannot survive without the dedication and constant support of citizens. The statement of Benjamin Franklin, made in 1787, is still true today. This is a Republic, if we can keep it.

-- Sen. Byrd

On September 17, 1787, the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention held their final meeting. Only one item of business occupied the agenda that day, to sign the Constitution of the United States of America.

-- Constitution Day [shifts to next business day, if it falls on a weekend]

I'm not sure if 9/17/87 is the best day to celebrate, since it might be better to be concerned about when it was ratified or officially was put in place (not the same day), but then we celebrate 7/4 based on the potential over the actuality. Guess there is some message there about our culture. Anyway, the day continues to have value, the government (per the Declaration of Independence) established to secure our rights and protect our interests, the Constitution to do so better:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

A reasonable (and sane) reading of the document continues to be important, even as some use it to the public's detriment:

Keeping Faith with the Constitution wades into a long-running debate about how we should interpret our Constitution. This debate is an important part of public policy discussions on everything from judicial nominations to health care reform. For a long time, conservatives have framed this debate by portraying themselves as strict adherents to the text and original understanding of the Constitution, while claiming that liberals and progressives ignore the text and decide cases based on their own values or policy preferences.

That characterization is, of course, a caricature.

-- Pamela Karlan

This is also the traditional time that the Cato Institute releases there book analyzing some of the key rulings of the previous Supreme Court term, though it might take a bit of time to be available on Amazon (I will get it in the beginning of November). And, the first Monday of October is just around the corner as the more chilly weather upon us here suggests as well. Time goes on.