[Peace-discuss] Blago-Burris circus

[C. G. Estabrook]

To appreciate this point in historical perspective, see the fascinating book by
my friend and erstwhile colleague Peter Linebaugh, "The Magna Carta Manifesto:
Liberties and Commons for All" (U. Cal. Press, 2008).

(The epigraph includes the piece from Monty Python and the Holy Grail that Bill
Gorrell used to play on the Labor Hour: the poets usually get there first...)


unionyes wrote:
> Yes,
> 
> But at this point in time, even the limited " rights and protections " of the
> Constitution are being ignored and violated, to such a degree that even the
> 13th century Magna Carta ( rights of Habeous Corpus, etc. ) is begining to be
> undermined.
> 
> All hail the world corporate state.
> 
> David J.
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "C. G. Estabrook" <galliher at uiuc.edu> To:
> "E. Wayne Johnson" <ewj at pigs.ag> Cc: "Peace-discuss"
> <peace-discuss at anti-war.net>; "LAURIE SOLOMON" <LAURIE at ADVANCENET.NET> Sent:
> Thursday, January 08, 2009 12:39 AM Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Blago-Burris
> circus
> 
> 
>> Sadly the Declaration has no -- zero -- standing in US law.  And of course
>> it is a deeply conflicted document -- e.g., in its treatment of indigenes.
>> Its partially assimilated Enlightenment principles can be a guide towards a
>> just polity, but it is in no sense an organic law.
>> 
>> The 1787 Constitution, on the other hand, is a purposely retrograde 
>> document, designed to establish mechanisms to put down the drive to
>> democracy (e.g., Shays' Rebellion), especially economic democracy.  (And
>> the drafting of the document was treasonous, because the authors had sworn
>> allegiance to the Articles of Confederation.)  The leading author of the
>> Constitution, James Madison -- whose diary is the principal source for the
>> secret deliberations -- understood that well: he wrote that the goal was
>> “to protect the minority of the opulent from the majority.” --CGE