Our Constitution

This isn't going to be a rant on gun control, but just food for thought about the American Constitution.

Growing up in a small town I have always known the Constitution to be this static and hard-to-develop document that this country was founded on. It outlines the values of the framers that created it, and the people that have come after them and amended it. This post is about why the Constitution has remained this divine piece of paper that every upstanding citizen lives their life by, and if we should question its legitimacy. 

Source: www.ccsouthfla.org

The American Constitution was originally written over 200 years ago by slave owners, majority of whom thought that "all [white, property owning] men are created equal." So why has this 200-year-old document stayed so significant? It has historical meaning to many, of course. It's iconic to most Americans and is the symbol of freedom and liberty. 

Over time, this symbolic document has evolved and changed to adapt to new values; outlawing slavery, universal suffrage, etc. Why then, do we expect any change to be increasingly difficult? In this heated political climate that is our government and most of our lives, the polarity between views is evident. As we have seen in many governmental challenges, compromises rarely come to the table, and if they do it's after much time and money spent by each side trying to get their way. 

Why is it so challenging to change the Constitution? It's happened before right? The bill of rights and superseding amendments are all changes made to the original Constitution. But one of the elements of the Constitution, Article V, has really put a crutch into the change process. It states, among other things, that any changes require a 2/3 approval by the House of Representatives. This basically puts a veto into the hands of the minority. [See where I'm going with this?] Changes to the constitution are incredibly difficult, which may or may not have been the intention of the Framers. 

Now, I'm not a scholar of political science, so I am in no position to suggest changes to the Constitution. This is merely a chance for people to think about why we adhere to this document that may or may not be for the good of everyone it affects. As I stated before, growing up I saw the Constitution as something set in stone. But the intention of the Framers was to make it a fluid and ever-evolving document. Different times come for different measures. It started out with slavery not addressed, but then the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments fixed all that. 

Can you just consider, just for a moment, that a change may be coming? It's the Constitution; it's not biblical, divine or godly. It doesn't need to be treated as anything of the sort. Open up your minds and consider alternatives to the present.

Note: I do not believe guns should be banned. For one particular reason, criminals don't care if something is illegal; they're going to do it anyway. However, I do believe more regulations need to be put into place to prevent mass shootings like what happened at Columbine and Newtown.

Thanks for reading.

I have this book...

A coworker let me borrow this book, "The Lost War," by Masuo Kato. Inside there's an inscription (see photo) that reads "Budo Fukei - Cleveland News - Sept. 28, 1946." I'm trying to do research on this book and the inscription, but so far am having no luck.

The author, Kato, is/was a reporter of Japanese descent and subtitled the book, "A Japanese Reporter's Inside Story." If you haven't guessed, this book is about the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

It was published in New York in 1946 by Alfred A. Knopf.

I'm sharing all of this information in the hope that someone may be interested enough to help me do some research, or at least point me in the right direction. And if/when I find anything, I will share it with you all!

Until then, thank you for reading.

Irrevocable Beginning

First of all, I'm not a conspiracy theorist. I just believe that there are many things in this world that people should question. The philosopher Hume believed that selflessness is an innate trait but at the same time you should be skeptical of your surroundings. I am much like Hume in this way.

In this blog, I'm going to post my ideas; some will be interesting to few or many, and some will hopefully inspire people to open their minds.

A little bit about me...

I come from a small town that seems at times to be shut off from the rest of the world. I recently moved to 'the big city' to attend the University of Washington in Seattle. I knew there was a world outside of my small hometown, but I wasn't prepared for how it would change me, or quite simply bring out the real me. Since I have been here, I have learned a lot about myself; both good and not so good.

I hope you enjoy reading my thoughts, but if not I won't be offended. At the very least, I hope that it will get you thinking about the world around you. You may not agree with what I have to say, in fact I encourage healthy debate, but at least it will invoke your mind to make an appearance once in a while.

Oh, here's a picture of my dog Harley. Just for your enjoyment. :)