{"id":2342174,"date":"2024-09-17T09:10:57","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T13:10:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/our-constitution-isnt-dangerous-but-our-ignorance-of-it-is\/"},"modified":"2024-09-17T09:12:47","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T13:12:47","slug":"our-constitution-isnt-dangerous-but-our-ignorance-of-it-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/our-constitution-isnt-dangerous-but-our-ignorance-of-it-is\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Constitution Isn&#8217;t Dangerous, But Our Ignorance Of It Is"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Four-constitution-isnt-dangerous-but-our-ignorance-of-it-is%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2342174&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Constitution\u2064 Day on September 17 \u200cis expected to pass with little recognition \u2062this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/confirmed-the-number-of-indefinitely-confined-wisconsin-voters-who-can-vote-without-ids-increased-from-60000-in-2016-to-over-200000-in-2020\/\" title=\"Confirmed: The Number of &#039;Indefinitely Confined&#039; Wisconsin Voters Who Can Vote without IDs Increased from 60,000 in 2016 to Over 200,000 in 2020\">year due<\/a>\u200c to a lack of public enthusiasm and the absence of associated events, such as holidays or sales.\u2062 However, the \u2064article from the New York\u200c Times titled\u200c &#8220;America\u2019s Constitution Is Sacred. \u2064Is It Also Dangerous?&#8221; poses a troubling question about the public&#8217;s understanding of the Constitution. The author argues that the\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/live-now-ntd-news-today-aug-29-storm-surge-flooding-most-dangerous-as-hurricane-idalia-nears-fema-learning-loss-persists-despite-190b-pandemic-aid\/\" title=\"Hurricane Idalia approaching: FEMA warns of storm surge and flooding. Learning loss remains despite 0B pandemic aid. Tune in to NTD News Today.\">real danger\u200c lies<\/a> in widespread ignorance of \u200cthe Constitution&#8217;s principles, leading to \u2063the election of officials who\u2063 do not \u200duphold them. <\/p>\n<p>The Constitution, though not sacred text, is seen \u2064as \u200dvital\u200c for preserving liberty, and failure to respect its framework\u200c undermines the covenant between \u200cthe government and\u2064 the governed. The piece emphasizes the necessity for citizens to recognize and defend their constitutional rights, particularly the First Amendment right to free speech. It critiques the progressive notion \u200dthat certain speech may be restricted based on offensiveness, suggesting this approach is\u2064 a slide toward authoritarianism. The discussion highlights the importance of a\u2062 well-informed public to\u2062 maintain the protections\u2062 afforded by the Constitution.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Constitution Day, which is on Sept. 17, will likely pass with little fanfare since no one will get a day off from work, there aren&rsquo;t any furniture sales, and the likelihood of creating a viral TikTok on the separation of powers and federalism is appallingly low. Before resigning ourselves to shaking our heads at &ldquo;these kids today,&rdquo; though, Americans should realize it isn&rsquo;t only the kids about whom we should be concerned.<\/p>\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/08\/31\/books\/review\/constitution-secession-democracy-crisis.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New York Times<\/a>&nbsp;recently published an article entitled, &ldquo;America&rsquo;s Constitution Is Sacred. Is It Also Dangerous?&rdquo; A simple &ldquo;no&rdquo; might suffice, but the fact that a major news outlet in this country would even ask the question is symptomatic of a national amnesia of the principled foundation of our republic. The only danger associated with the Constitution is the popular ignorance of its precepts and consequently the election of too many officials with no fealty to them. As the prophet Hosea lamented of the Israelites, &ldquo;My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the Constitution is not holy writ. But just as the fortunes of the Israelites waxed and waned in correlation with their drift from knowledge and obedience to ignorance and apostasy, Americans cannot reasonably expect to &ldquo;secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity&rdquo; without understanding and respecting the document that makes it all possible.<\/p>\n<p>If the Constitution is viewed as a covenant between the governing and the governed, how can the covenant be justly enforced if neither party understands or respects it? If &ldquo;we the people&rdquo; are unable to defend the Constitution, then the Constitution is unable to defend us.<\/p>\n<p>President Ronald Reagan, speaking of his political opponents, once joked, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not that they&rsquo;re ignorant; it&rsquo;s just that they know so much that isn&rsquo;t so.&rdquo; Perhaps the only threat to liberty comparable to not knowing what is in the Constitution is &ldquo;knowing&rdquo; things that&nbsp;<em>are not in<\/em>&nbsp;the Constitution.<\/p>\n<p>Today we often hear pundits and politicians, such as Democrats <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/08\/31\/books\/review\/constitution-secession-democracy-crisis.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kamala Harris<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/08\/walz-theres-no-guarantee-to-free-speech-if-democrats-dont-like-what-you-say\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tim Walz<\/a>, frame the First Amendment right of free speech as inapplicable to speech some might find offensive. Subverting one individual&rsquo;s right to speak to another&rsquo;s fragile emotional perceptions inevitably leads to calls for the government to silence the &ldquo;offending&rdquo; party. This so-called &ldquo;hate speech exception&rdquo; is constitutionally apocryphal.<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s also a dangerous step down a well-worn path to authoritarianism, cloaked in the veneer of democracy. History teaches that when those in power can decide whose speech is worthy of protection, speech that questions their power is the first deemed unworthy.<\/p>\n<p>Our founders, though far from perfect, were among the great minds of their generation. They were students of history, philosophy, and religion. Their keen awareness of the fallen nature of man stoked their distrust of centralized power and the tyranny of the majority, which pure democracy can hasten. They set out to craft a document that would limit the power of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/better-than-expected-u-s-economy-added-638000-jobs-in-october-unemployment-dropped-to-6-9\/\" title=\"Better Than Expected: U.S. Economy Added 638,000 Jobs in October, Unemployment Dropped to 6.9%\">federal government<\/a> to a few necessities that should remain constant throughout the nation and recognize in all other aspects of American life the primacy of the states.<\/p>\n<p>The Ninth and 10th Amendments serve as an exclamation point to their proclamation to the American people &mdash; and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-debate-meltdown-put-us-all-in-danger\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s Debate Meltdown Put Us All In Danger\">world &#038;mdash<\/a>; that in this republic, the federal structure is designed to protect the God-given rights of the people. Our written Constitution exists to ensure that the power to protect is not twisted into the power to abuse the rights of the people.<\/p>\n<p>The&nbsp;New York Times&nbsp;asked a question about the Constitution that the document itself answers. But there are much more pertinent questions. One worth pondering is whether the founders would view the behemoth of our current federal government &mdash; the unelected and unaccountable fourth branch that is our administrative state &mdash; and the degree to which practically no aspect of daily life in America goes untaxed or unregulated by one government official or another and wonder how we strayed so far from their vision.<\/p>\n<p>An even more important question is why more Americans do not wonder the same. For over 200 years, through wars abroad and at home, our nation and our Constitution have endured. The hope that both will continue to do so rests on our willingness to make every day Constitution Day.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Lathan Watts is the vice president of public affairs for Alliance Defending Freedom (@ADFLegal). He earned his juris doctor degree from the University of Mississippi.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Constitution Day, celebrated on September 17, is expected to go by quietly this year, as there are no public holidays, furniture sales, or significant social media buzz surrounding topics like the separation of powers and federalism. However, instead of merely criticizing &#8220;the youth today,&#8221; Americans should recognize that the concern extends beyond just young people. A recent article in The New York Times titled \u201cAmerica\u2019s Constitution Is Sacred. Is It Also Dangerous?\u201d raises a troubling question that reflects a broader national forgetfulness regarding the foundational principles of our republic. The real danger lies in widespread ignorance about the Constitution&#8217;s principles and the election of officials who lack commitment to them. As Hosea lamented about his people: \u201cMy people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While the Constitution is not infallible scripture, just as historical patterns show that societies falter when they stray from knowledge and adherence to their guiding principles, Americans cannot hope to &#8220;secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity&#8221; without understanding and valuing this essential document.<\/p>\n<p>If we consider the Constitution as an agreement between those who govern and those who are governed, how can it be enforced fairly if neither side comprehends or respects it? If &#8220;we the people&#8221; cannot defend our Constitution, then it cannot protect us.<\/p>\n<p>President Ronald Reagan once quipped about his political adversaries: \u201cIt\u2019s not that they\u2019re ignorant; it\u2019s just that they know so much that isn\u2019t so.\u201d Perhaps one of liberty&#8217;s greatest threats is not ignorance but rather misconceptions about what is actually contained within the Constitution.<\/p>\n<p>Today we frequently hear politicians like Kamala Harris and Tim Walz misrepresent First Amendment rights by suggesting free speech does not apply to expressions some may find offensive. This undermines individual rights in favor of protecting fragile emotional responses and can lead to government censorship against those deemed &#8220;offensive.&#8221; Such a so-called \u201chate speech exception\u201d has no basis in constitutional law.<\/p>\n<p>This trend poses a serious risk along a familiar path toward authoritarianism disguised as democracy. History shows us that when authorities determine which speech deserves protection, dissenting voices questioning their power are often silenced first.<\/p>\n<p>Although imperfect themselves, our Founding Fathers were among their era&#8217;s most brilliant thinkers\u2014well-versed in history, philosophy, and religion. Their understanding of humanity&#8217;s flawed nature fueled their skepticism towards centralized authority and majority tyranny fostered by pure democracy. They aimed to create a framework limiting federal power while emphasizing state sovereignty across various aspects of American life.<\/p>\n<p>The Ninth and Tenth Amendments underscore their message: this republic exists to safeguard God-given rights from being abused under governmental power claims meant for protection.<\/p>\n<p>The New York Times posed questions regarding constitutional safety already addressed within its text; however more pressing inquiries arise\u2014such as whether our founders would recognize today&#8217;s vast federal government\u2014the unaccountable administrative state\u2014and ponder how we&#8217;ve deviated from their original vision where nearly every facet of American life faces taxation or regulation by some official entity.<\/p>\n<p>An even more crucial question remains: why do fewer Americans reflect on these issues? For over two centuries\u2014through domestic strife and foreign conflicts\u2014our nation alongside its Constitution has persevered; ensuring both continue depends on our commitment to celebrate every day as if it were Constitution Day<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1067,"featured_media":2342177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Adoption-of-US-Constitution-1787.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[15453,36525,8062,5152,7785],"class_list":["post-2342174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-awareness","tag-civic-engagement","tag-constitution","tag-education","tag-ignorance"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Adoption-of-US-Constitution-1787.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1067"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2342174"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342174\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2342177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2342174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2342174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2342174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}