YIKES!

November already. Christmas is just around the corner and the new year as well. But first we must get by the national elections on Tuesday, November 5th. Many of us have already voted by mail-in ballot or early voting accommodations. Not only do we avoid the crowds of election day, but we can put our minds on other matters that demand few distractions.

At the same time, we prepare for Thanksgiving Day and the inevitable discussions about planning the Holidays for December. It is a part of American life we all know so well. This year, however, will be reflected by the recent election results. From Washington DC to local municipal elections, who we place in public office has an effect on our lives in large and small fashion. This year is more pronounced. Will we continue our usual American democracy, or will it be subject to changes that will alter our lives? This is no simple question. It is central to who and what we are as Americans. If change is needed in your mind, so be it. I prefer a vital democracy that engages most of us in actively deciding who and what we are. I do not want someone else to make those decisions for me. The US Constitution is a complex document slaved over by our founding fathers for months. It was not easily drafted. It was changed constantly and argued in detail right down to the periods and commas. Grammar was parsed to be certain meanings were unambiguous. Still there is room for courts to argue and amend the meanings in the Constitution.

Maintaining that document in name and purpose, is part of the oath every elected official makes upon installation to office. It is a clear and well documented oath taking. This is done to cement the reality that the Constitution is the law of the land and must be followed.

If we were to change the Constitution, we would do so with a Constitutional Convention. That is a messy and prolonged process. But it is so precisely because changing the law of the land at the constitutional level is so very important. An elected official cannot amend the Constitution. He/she must follow the law of the land or pay the consequences of not doing so. That usually calls for impeachment.

This season we have candidates campaigning on changing the Constitution merely by who is elected to office. This is not a legal process and will be embroiled in endless court proceedings. Meanwhile, the public will be subject to confusion and conflicting legal demands by elected officials.

Let’s hope that Thanksgiving dinner will be a cause for celebrating the continue life and meaning of the US Constitution. This will happen only if you and a strong majority of voters makes it so on Election Day.

November 1, 2024

 

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