Funny, how this works...

Last night Katey, our soon-to-be-17-year-old, came to me and asked that I help her with her homework. She is studying the Constitution and the means by which it came to be, and she had done very well in her note-taking and had more than 90% of her answers correct.

The few questions she needed help with prompted me to show her where, in my modest home library, she could find reference material that would help her now and in the future. In doing so, I took a few minutes to re-read the first five Articles of the Constitution and the bulk of the Bill of Rights. We discussed how laws came to be, and what the enumerated powers of the separate branches of government are, and while she "knew" those powers... until we had our short discussion, I don't know think that she "understood" what knowing them means in her life today.

For example, we discussed the manner in which the Constitution can be "changed"... amended is the technical term... and her notes described the means by which 2/3 of both Houses can call for an amendment. I mentioned that the States also have the means to change the Constitution through a 2/3 majority application process, but she said nothing had been said of that. So, looking a bit deeper into the home library, we found that, up to 1989 (the date of that particular reference) more than 700 amendment applications had been made by ALL 50 STATES, but no Article V convention had been held.

Now, I could rant on about the failings of the public school systems in this regard, but that isn't my point. My point is that this is a clear and specific example of how the actual government of this country has failed (from 1791 to the present day) to adhere to the Constitutional principals outlined in our primary Instrument of Government (i.e. the Constitution).

It is exactly the kind of "getting back to the source" investigation that Ryan describes that causes me to enjoy listening to Mike Church on my Satellite Radio. He is a New Orleans talk show host that has the firmest and most basic understanding of our nation's history (political or otherwise) that I am aware of, and while I can't say that I don't get frustrated with his posturing and hyperbole... he certainly makes you think long and hard about the course our nation has taken since September 12, 1787.