US Constitution For Dummy’s Part II
By JB Williams (11/19/03)
In Part I of this article, we covered Amendment I of our Constitution, that amendment which receives the most abuse in our society today. In Part II, I want to address Amendment X, what it says, what it means, and how it too is being misused.
Bill of Rights - Amendment X
“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.”
Broken down, it say’s “powers” (authority over issues) “not delegated” (not specifically assigned) “to the United States” (to the federal government) “by the Constitution” (by consent of the states, via this document) “nor prohibited by it” (or not specifically prohibited herein) “are reserved to” (remain under the authority of) “the States respectively” (each individual State) “or to the people” (or the people of each State).
Simply stated, “Authority over issues not specifically assigned to the federal government, by consent of the States via this document, or not specifically prohibited herein, remain under the authority of each individual State, or the people of each State.”
We are a society of laws, laws created by man for the betterment of men. But we do not have a law that directly addresses every possible scenario, so as a Free Nation made up of Free States, controlled by a Free People, if no written law addresses a particular situation; people are free to make their own choices. State governments are free to shape and mold their local environments according to the wishes of the local communities, to the extent that they don’t violate the US Constitution in the process.
So where does that leave Judge Roy Moore, and those who agree with him? Well, Amendment I does not in any way prohibit or restrict the practice of religion anywhere, anytime, quite the contrary. Amendment X simply say’s, if the US Constitution does not prohibit or restrict a particular practice, then it is up to each State to decide, and in the absence of State laws on the topic, the people can decide individually for themselves. Judge Roy Moore did just that, so those who chose to misinterpret the Constitution violate the Rights of both the State and its people by removing him from the bench. It’s that simple!
Does the State of Alabama have a law on its books requiring “separation of church and state”, I don’t know for sure, but I doubt it. I doubt that any state in America has such a law.
Unfortunately, there are some who seek to further the moral decay of our society, and lying about what our Constitution say’s is easy for them. It’s up to the rest of us to be better informed on the topic, and resolute in our desire to defend and protect our Constitution the way of life it assures.
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