"It is ironic-and somewhat fitting-that we in the United Sates celebrate the anniversary of our Constitution at a time when refugees are streaming out of he Communist bloc, seeking freedom.
Because of Hungary's action in tearing down its border posts, thousands from East Germany and Poland have escaped economic and political oppression.
Their future is uncertain, but their hope for a better life is clear.
It is hard to imagine what life is like in a nation that does not guarantee rights to its people. Perhaps in the last 200 years we may have begun to take these rights for granted.
The U.S. Constitution was forged in 1787 by 55 men working behind closed doors to produce the words we live by.
As Warren Burger, chairman of the Bicentennial of the Constitution, says, they rejected the divine right of kings. For the Constitution places power in the hands of the people.
Through the skillful work of those men in Philadelphia, we have a document that defines a limited government with separated and divided powers, providing checks and balances on the exercise of authority by those who govern.
It spelled out the powers of Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court, defining the federal role in the shaping of the nation but leaving important powers to the states.
It established a republic governed by the rule of law which has survived and prospered.
So secure were our Eighteenth century forefathers in their wisdom that the document they produced has only been amended 26 times in those 202 years.
Ten of those amendments, including free speech and religion, were added five years after ratification and form the Bill of Rights.
It is a blue print for government which other nation's citizens do not share.
The Bill of Rights covers areas which are fundamental to our system of justice; a speedy trial, protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, cruel and unusual punishments, self incrimination and double jeopardy.
The Union victory in the Civil War in 1865 brought the 13 amendment, which abolished slavery. Blacks got the vote five years later.
The most recent change, in 1971, reduced the voting age from 21 to 18 in line with many modern democracies' views about the maturity of youth.
It all adds up to a blueprint for survival, something incredibly dreamed up in the horse and buggy era which survives intact in our space-age high technology world.
As we celebrate its existence this week, let's also take the opportunity to consider what hope it offers the rest of the world. Our Constitution has survived natural calamities, war, economic depressions and political crises.
Presidents, judges, congressmen, and activists come and go, making their mark on history and changing the times they live in.
But the words we live by don't change.
The separation of powers is unique. It allows us to function with a Republican President, Democrat House and Senate, and a Supreme Court split 5-4 between conservatives and liberals. Its checks and balances encourage diversity but result in long-term harmony.
Consider East Germany. A one-party state, a totalitarian militaristic regime where dissent is stamped out, no viable opposition parties survive and the people's role in their government is minimal.
It's no wonder that 10,000 have packed their meager belongings n suitcases, taken advantage of Hungary's unexpected actions, and headed west.
Their rights-few as the are-don't come with a guarantee.
ours do. The Constitution"
No comments:
Post a Comment