Letters from Linden
by JACK LINDEN
The president is and has been accused of not telling the world that America is exceptional. He has been criticized for stating that we have made mistakes in our foreign affairs and the treatment of other nations. This criticism is coming from the entertainers on radio and television and some of the Republican leadership. In reality, those people are saying we are exceptional except….
The Republicans are arguing that we need to adhere to the Constitution because that is what makes America an exception to the rest of the world. Yet, while they are raving about that point, they are also trying to change the Constitution so that it will meet what they consider the exceptions.
There are some who are advocating ridding us of the 17th Amendment, the amendment that allows the people to elect senators. They argue that our state legislatures should be allowed to elect our senatorial representatives. People who advocate such an idea should read American history more carefully to realize how wrong that idea was and is. Still they argue that we should adhere to the Constitution except...
A community center that includes a mosque 2-1/2 blocks from the site of the World Trade Center site is also being condemned by those who want to return to the Constitution. They are quite willing to deny the First Amendment to the Islamic faith but yet want to keep it for Christianity. Part of what makes America exceptional is the fact that we do not interfere with religion. They argue that it would be sacrilege to have a mosque near a “sacred site.”
First of all, I do not view the site as “sacred” and I suspect that many people do not. For those who do however, have they considered the fact that Jerusalem is able to tolerate religious sites for all three of the West’s great religions? How far away from the Wailing Wall is the Kaaba? How far away from the Trade Center site is far enough? Is it that we believe in religious freedom except…?
These are the same people who also argue that property rights are inviolate? Do they want government telling them that they cannot build on their own property? Are they willing to deny a building on the basis of religious belief? Would it be acceptable to put a cross on the site on which the Muslims wish to build? It seems like some folks believe in the right of property except….
The latest political maneuver is to change the Constitution’s definition of citizenship. At least three leaders in the Republican Party have now stated that the definition of citizenship in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution needs to be changed. The Minority Leader in the Senate has asked for a hearing on the issue. The 14th Amendment is, in my opinion, one of the most important amendments to the Constitution. If we can change that amendment, we can deny people all of the other rights we cherish. The repercussions of their argument are so overwhelming that the move must be considered political.
