It passed by without much fanfare, but Dec, 15 was the 190th anniversary of the date the Bill of Rights became part of the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution, it’s been said, sets up the government of the United States and serves as its foundation and framework. Under it, the Bill of Rights (the first 10… Continue reading Bill of Rights 190 Years Old
Category: Constitution
Prayer before sports events worthwhile
A federal judge has upheld an Atlanta, Ga. High School senior’s claim that pre-game prayers at school football games are unconstitutional. “The court grants plaintiffs request for a judgment declaring pre-game invocations at Douglas County High School football games unconstitutional,” said the decision by U.S. District Judge Ernest Tidwell. The case arose last fall when… Continue reading Prayer before sports events worthwhile
Moment of silence could mean prayer
Two recent reactions have nudged the lingering national issue of school prayer into the limelight again. First, President Reagan put in another pitch for voluntary prayer in the public schools in his recent State of the Union address. And the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will consider reinstating a New Jersey law, struck down by lower… Continue reading Moment of silence could mean prayer
Constitution 197 Years Old Today
Citizenship Day (Sept. 17) usually passes without much fanfare – in some cases even without public recognition. Americans at least ought to display the flag. And at minimum, it would be well if some patriotic organization in each community would call the day’s significance to the people’s attention. Citizenship Day marks the anniversary of the… Continue reading Constitution 197 Years Old Today
Reflections on Our Great Country
As we mark Independence Day 1984, let take a few minutes to reflect on what happened July 1, 1776 – also on some other dates and events significant in America’s birth of freedom. On the Fourth, the Continental (Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence at Philadelphia. (The building in which the lawmakers sat received the… Continue reading Reflections on Our Great Country
Fascinating Tale of Archives
It has been called “the nation’s memory.” It preserves and makes available for research historically valuable records of the federal government. Three billion documents, beginning with papers of the Continental Congress, are entrusted to its care. Such is the National Archives – a half-century old this month – headquartered in an imposing neo-classical style building… Continue reading Fascinating Tale of Archives
Most Want Prayer in Schools
Combining imagination with reality for a moment, suppose that Washington, D.C., were destroyed by a natural catastrophe or act of war and that archaeologists of a latter millennium found such inscriptions as the following amid ruins of government buildings and memorials: “In God We Trust,” on a wall in the Senate chamber of the Capitol.… Continue reading Most Want Prayer in Schools
The ERA question
Should the ERA become part of the Constitution? There’s a better way to achieve equality while preserving desirable distinctions between the sexes, says Rex. E, lee, Dean of the Brigham Young University law School and former assistant U.S. attorney general. In his book, “A lawyer Looks at the Equal Rights Amendment” published recently by the… Continue reading The ERA question
Canal Vote in Retrospect
It didn’t seem to matter that an obvious majority of Americans opposed the Panama Canal giveaway. (Mail to Washington was overwhelmingly against the treaties). The Senate proceeded anyway to vote 68-32, barely the two-thirds majority required, to ratify the proposal to transfer the canal to Panama in the year 2000. It didn’t seem to matter… Continue reading Canal Vote in Retrospect
Cool ‘Impeachment Hysteria’
It’s time for Americans to call a moratorium on the “resignation or impeachment hysteria” and give President Nixon a chance to govern with full effectiveness. When and if the judicial process, in the multi-layer investigation now proceeding, comes up with proof of an impeachable offense, then there’ll be plenty of time for public clamor. In the… Continue reading Cool ‘Impeachment Hysteria’