We the People

URL and to post comments: http://dollarvigilante.com/blog/2013/10/15/its-the-constitution-stupid.html Tuesday,October 15, 2013 [Editor’s Note: The following post is by TDV contributor, Antonius J. Patrick] Arguably, the most important reason why conservatives, populists, and even libertarians have failed to halt and turn back the rise of the American Leviathan state has been largely due to their uncritical acceptance, and often times deification, of the United States Constitution.  While at first not venerated and, in fact, detested by many among America's founding generation, the Constitution, over the time, has gained the status of Holy Writ among those on the modern-day Right.  Recently, though, the Constitution's secular "holiness" has been challenged by a number of scholars and writers. One of the ablest has been Kenneth W. Royce, a.k.a, "Boston T. Party," in his book, Hologram of Liberty: The Constitution's Shocking Alliance with Big Business. Originally written in the late 1990s, Hologram has been updated with comments on the most recent example of the growing American totalitarian state such as the draconian Obama healthcare legislation.  Like the unappreciated and insightful anti-federalists who saw the flaws in the Constitution and accurately predicted it would lead to tyranny, Royce keenly dissects it from start to finish and concludes that the document itself is the problem, not its interpretation by liberalistic judges which has led to America’s nascent totalitarian state. The Constitution created a powerful central government and stripped the states of any real mechanism to oppose its dictates. Royce contends that this was no mere accident and backs his claim with solid evidence that this is what our supposedly “limited government” founding fathers wanted all along. And, to attain this end, the framers used a number of underhanded and illegal tactics against their opponents.  The framers of the Constitution cunningly used ambiguous language and terms such as “necessary and proper,” which would later permit and excuse all sorts of state expansionary schemes and measures. While the Constitution has been championed by modern day conservatives for its brilliance in limiting government, Royce demonstrates it was brilliantly designed to do just the opposite. The enactment of the Constitution was a veritable coup d’état which replaced the very workable and decentralized Articles of Confederation. The much touted system of “checks and balances,” where the separate branches of the government are supposed to limit each other, was a ruse from the beginning and has shown to be utterly useless as a mechanism for curbing federal largesse.  Conservatives consistently link the Constitution and the American Revolution into similar political categories. The adoption of the Constitution was, in fact, a true reversal of the aims of the American Revolution which was in itself and act of secession similar to what the Southern States tried to accomplish, but were coercively prevented from doing by the mentally disturbed and power-crazed dictator, Abraham Lincoln.  The American Revolution was a revolt against empire and all of its nasty elements: militarism, conscription, mercantilism, debt, and war. The Constitution was meant, in part, to re-impose the British-styled system of government (minus an aristocracy) back on American soil. Those who trumpet the Constitution as a high point in the development of the Western world’s path to freedom and personal liberty show a decided lack of understanding of political theory and plain logic. While not stressed in Royce’s book, theorists have shown that individual liberty and prosperity exist most fully when there is a plethora of political jurisdictions. The best example of this was the political history of Europe which for the longest time was divided into a multitude of kingdoms, principalities, confederations, states, and free cities. During this period, not only was there a tremendous level of prosperity, but just as important was the unparalleled accomplishments in music, art, literature, and architecture.  If America had remained under the Articles of Confederation, a similar societal development may have occurred. Instead, under the Constitution, the country became “unified” under a central state, which not only crushed local political autonomy, but suffocated true cultural diversity.  While the 18th century opponents of the Constitution and all those who have opposed federal tyranny ever since have been unsuccessful, the end of Constitutional rule in America may be fast approaching. The continuing economic deterioration and potential financial collapse will undoubtedly have significant political ramifications, the most likely of which will be the breakup of the Union.  The great orator and anti-federalist, Patrick Henry, said it best about the adoption of the Constitution: “I look upon [the constitution] as the most fatal plan that could be possibly be conceived to enslave a free people.” Comments or questions? Email us at TDV@dollarvigilante.com and we may use your email in our Feedback Friday each week. Antonius J. Patrick is a Washington, D.C.-based writer who reports on culture- and religion-related issues for American Free Press People often wonder when exactly America went bad. Obamacare? Going off the gold standard? The income tax? The Civil War? No, good reader. T'was at the very start. And I don't just mean the signing of that damnable Constitution. That was just the end of the beginning. America was lost when the "founding fathers" forcibly imposed their paternity on a free people by ordering them into a bloody revolution against a distant and feeble imperial power. The Constitution was just the icing on that terrible cake.  But that may be good news! If a free America died over two centuries ago, then maybe Obamacare is just another bit of gas escaping a  pocket in what's left of the corpse. Maybe something new is about to be born.  Just in case we got another couple generations of police state imperialism to go, however, look at your options for protecting yourself and your assets someplace else.  Regards, Gary Gibson Editor, The Dollar Vigilante