COMMENTARIUS COMMENTS ON THE CONSTITUTION PARTY

He's getting ahead of me. Ioannes at Commentarius de Prognosticis is posting commentaries on the Constitution Party Platform again and I haven't kept up. They're well worth reading and I suggest you do so. Consider this party seriously. The Republicans and the Democrats have brought us to the precipice of collapse we now find ourselves looking over because they have both become acolytes of strong central government. There is no reason to believe they will pull us back.

You can find Ioannes' to latest articles here and here.

DRUGS AND THE CONSTITUTION PARTY

No, you don't have to be using one to support the other.

Read Ioannes' comments on the Constitution Party Drug Plank here.

I believe that the federal war on drugs has been the biggest waste of money and greatest infringement on human rights in America in the last 30 years. As a long time abuser of drugs I can say, along with Ioannes, that if you want them, you'll get them. Laws never stopped me.

What the law has done is create a system of corruption so pervasive, even Al Capone would feel a tinge of disgust. Gangs and governments, including to an extent our own, rely on drug money for their very existence. Remove the profit and you will remove the crime. It worked with the end of prohibition.

Let states, counties and cities decide how best to handle the problems in their areas. Let them have real power as they were intended to. As an example, here in Franklin County we have a big problem with meth cooking. What is our response? We are in the process of making it illegal for grandma to buy cold medicine. City by city these laws are going into effect. While the citizens have the right to do this, what would happen if they had real power? What if the people of Franklin County could pass a law stating that if one is convicted of manufacturing or distributing meth they will be hung by the neck until dead on a scaffold erected in front of the courthouse; for all to see and as a warning to other cookers. And further, what if we said that any public official caught doing business with the meth cookers would suffer the same consequence? Now that, my friends, is a war on drugs.

As with anything else, you can do what you want, as long as you don't infringe on the rights of others. So if you want to grow some pot, smoke it in the privacy of your home or with friends, knock yourself out. As long as you aren't driving or endangering someone else in some way, who cares? Most drugs should be treated as alcohol and tobacco are treated. Legal for those of a certain age and available and taxed in the marketplace. There are some drugs, however, like meth, that are in a different category. It is hard to make the case that their use is possible over any length of time without causing harm to people beside the user. I believe that they would have to be treated differently than smoking dope or eating a few mushrooms.

But that's a decision for the people of my town, county or state to decide. Get the federal government out of the drug business, whether in enforcement or through corruption. They've proven they can't get the job done.

NATIONAL DEFENSE AND THE CONSTITUTION PARTY

What? So you mean we can't invade sovereign nations anymore under the pretense of spreading freedom and democracy? Find out what the Constitution Party has to say here. Read the article in full because the comparison between the Catholic Doctrine of Just War and the views of the Constitution party are enlightening. Ioannes has been doing a great service pointing to the similarity between Catholic teaching, the Constitution Party and the Founders. They don't agree because they are all Catholic; they're not. They agree because they believe in the truth.

CRIME AND THE CONSTITUTION PARTY

Subsidiarity is a beautiful thing especially when it is exercised in government. Read how this applies to the Constitution Party and their plank on crime here. Ioannes is doing a great job of putting their platform in perspective.

BIG GOVERNMENT AND THE CONSTITUTION PARTY

Read Ioannes' comments on the Constitution Party and Big Government here. When you read it think of how the country would change if just this one plank was enacted. Reduce the federal government back to its Constitutional limits and virtually all of the problems we face today will, over time, disappear. It's really that simple and that radical.

CONSTITUTION PARTY-COPYRIGHTS AND PATENTS

This one hits close to home for bloggers. We are constantly "borrowing" the thoughts of others to expand upon. It's really kind of the core activity around here. Of course, bloggers tend to be honest about it, giving credit and links to the original sources. The professional media does the same thing,though but they generally treat their stories as original works with usually no mention of sources.

I tend to trust the bloggers.

Click here for Ioannes' comments on the Constitution Party copyright and patents plank.

CONSCRIPTION-IS IT CONSTITUTIONAL?

For the answer from the Constitution Party click here.

I've never understood how the draft could be constitutionally permissible. We have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Being drafted definitely deprives you of the last two and has a definite possibility of depriving you of the first. Besides, if we have to go to war I would much rather have soldiers that made a free will choice defending the country than a bunch of conscripts.

CONGRESSIONAL REFORM-CONSTITUTION PARTY STYLE

Cicero would be sad to find himself quite at home in these United States where legislature has not changed in 2045 years, for like the Roman Senate before it, the US Congress is guilty of having and fostering both too much liberty, and too much pleasure.

History goes 'round and 'round and nothing ever really changes, most especially politics and human nature. Read Ioannes' most recent commentary on the Constitution Party Platform here.

CONSTITUTION PARTY-CHARACTER AND MORAL CONDUCT

"Why do we in these United States have an economic crisis, a racial crisis, a health care crisis, an energy crisis, a climate change crisis, and all the other crises that go along with these? It is because we have abandoned morality, righteousness and holiness."

Yep, that pretty much sums it up. Read Ioannes's latest post on the Constitution Party platform here.

THE CONSTITUTION PARTY AND THE STATES

In today's installment of his commentary on the Constitution Party Platform Ioannes examines the plank titled "Bring Government Back Home". He quotes paragraph 1885 of Catechism of the Catholic Church and its discussion on the role of "subsidiarity" which states:

The principle of subsidiarity is opposed to all forms of collectivism. It sets limits for state intervention. It aims at harmonizing the relationships between individuals and societies. It tends toward the establishment of true international order.

According to The Acton Institute subsidiarity is defined as:

(The tenet) that nothing should be done by a larger and more complex organization which can be done as well by a smaller and simpler organization. In other words, any activity which can be performed by a more decentralized entity should be. This principle is a bulwark of limited government and personal freedom. It conflicts with the passion for centralization and bureaucracy characteristic of the Welfare State.

This is a vitally important concept that seems to be lost on many today, including the United States Council of Catholic Bishops. The very basis of the American Republic is subsidiarity; the understanding that all rights come from God through man who in turn lends some of them to the state. Because of this all the power of the state rests in God through the individual, not in the Federal Government as so many believe today. The closer to the individual the center of political power lies the better for society. The Constitution Party supports the Tenth Amendment which states clearly and succinctly:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Until, through our power at the ballot box, we force our politicians to understand and accept the limited power we have lent to them and they begin to act accordingly Americans can never be free. The Constitution Party understands its limits and thus respects and honors our freedom and our God given authority over the government.

Vote Constitution Party!

THE CONSTITUTION PARTY AND THE SANCTITY OF LIFE

Read Ioannes' third installment of his series on the Constitution Party Platform, this time regarding its plank on The Sanctity of Life.

It's vital we understand that the options as they are presented to us through the media are not the only options available. The Constitution Party is the third largest party in the country. It can win and it can make a difference.

VOTE FOR THE CONSTITUTION- VOTE U.S.CONSTITUTION PARTY

Ioannes over at Commentarius de Prognosticis is running a series of commentaries on the platform of the Constitution Party over the next few weeks. Here is an excerpt from his first installment:

"This blogsite has been exceedingly critical of the Democrat Party, and rightly so given its policies supporting the infanticide of the unborn and the legitimatization of homosexual relationships. But we have been mostly silent on the Republican Party. It is therefore time to state clearly what we do support, and that is the principles of the US Constitution Party. Its platform is the closest to the teachings of Holy Mother Church."

I too am an ardent supporter of the Constitution party and agree whole heartedly with the paragraph above. I'm going to link back to each of the forthcoming articles in hope of spreading the word to as many people as possible about this great alternative to the Republicans and Democrats. Neither of the traditional parties can be trusted to do what they promise; well maybe the Democrats. They've been pretty upfront about their Progressivism lately.

We always hear that a vote for a third party is wasted. We hear that a party like the Constitution Party will just take votes away from the Republicans and give the election to the Democrats. If this is the case then so be it. I can no longer vote Republican if I am offered a candidate from the Constitution Party. I have thrown away my votes for the last 20 years, punching the Republican ticket in vain hope that the size of the Federal Government would be reduced to its Constitutional limits. Instead, I've been given expanding government and increasing involvement with wars and empire building in foreign countries. And now we are faced with a cataclysmic collapse of our entire Republic. Both wings of the Progressive Party are responsible. So why should I vote for either ever again?

The first installment at Commentarius de Prognosticis can be found here and the second here. Read them and go to the Constitution Party website for further information. I'll post additional entries from Ioannes as they become available.

All of us that consider ourselves conservatives need to support the efforts of the U.S. Constitution Party. We have to start somewhere to bring Constitutionally sane government back to America. We know through long and bitter experience that the Republicans are no more likely to accomplish this goal than the Democrats. It's time for a different way to be tried.

Vote for the Constitution; vote Constitution Party!