gwhite wrote:
> "Philip W. Moore, Jr." wrote:
> >
> > Um. You are talking about the Civil War, GWhite. Have you
forgotten the
> > peace time alien and sedition acts?
>
> Lawyer Dumbass,
>
> The A&S acts were enacted by Congress, not the edicts of a dictator
(Lincoln).
> (Ostensibly it was due to threat of war with France. yeah, right.)
They had a
> time limitation too -- one was repealed and the remainder expired.
Moreover,
> the A&S acts occurred much closer in time to the founding; so I can't
see how
> such an occurance close (in time) to the founding reinforces your
comments about
> "our beautiful Constitution, [which] prevents the government and
persons acting
> under color of the law from treating you adversely for exercising
your free
> speech rights." I happen to agree -- I just don't see how bringing
up the A&S
> acts would support your statement regarding the power of the
Constitution to
> prevent such a thing.
>
> Since Lincoln unconstitutionally destroyed the ability to seceed with
his brutal
> war (secession is _exactly_ what the *free and independent states*
did regarding
> England) the federal government now decides the limits to its own
powers. With
> the threat of secession destroyed, the single most potent check to
central power
> is gone. The very real threat of secession still existed at the time
of the A&S
> acts.
>
> "If there be any among us who would wish to dissolve this Union or to
change its
> republican form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the
safety with
> which error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to
combat it."
> -- Jefferson, 1801
>
> "The indissoluble link of union between the people of the several
states of this
> confederated nation is, after all, not in the right but in the heart.
If the day
> should ever come (may Heaven avert it!) when the affections of the
people of
> these States shall be alienated from each other; when the fraternal
spirit shall
> give way to cold indifference, or collision of interests shall fester
into
> hatred, the bands of political associations will not long hold
together parties
> no longer attracted by the magnetism of conciliated interests and
kindly
> sympathies; to part in friendship from each other, than to be held
together by
> constraint. Then will be the time for reverting to the precedents
which occurred
> at the formation and adoption of the Constitution, to form again a
more perfect
> Union by dissolving that which could no longer bind, and to leave the
separated
> parts to be reunited by the law of political gravitation to the
center." -- John
> Q. Adams, 1839
>
> "The Union was formed by the voluntary agreement of the States; and
in uniting
> together they have not forfeited their nationality, nor have they
been reduced
> to the condition of one and the same people. If one of the states
chooses to
> withdraw from the compact, it would be difficult to disprove its
right of doing
> so, and the Federal Government would have no means of maintaining its
claims
> directly either by force or right." -- Alexis de Tocqueville
>
> Enjoy your speech while it lasts lawyer dumbass.
Greg I support everything but the last line, though I agree that free
speech is about done here.
Bill C