TYSK - Departments - Constitutional Issues

	Take the Constitution Test 25 questions you should be able to answer about our founding document
	Constitution Quiz Take this 5 question quiz prepared by Hillsdale College and find out how much you know about the U.S. Constitution
	A Republic v. A Democracy Understanding why the United States of America is not and never was a democracy (10-minute video)
	Heritage Guide to the Constitution The Heritage Guide to the Constitution is intended to provide a brief and accurate explanation of each clause of the Constitution as envisioned by the Framers and as applied in contemporary law. Select any Article or Section from the left side and the Original Text appears in the main, center, area. Hover your cursor over text in the main body. Areas with an associated Essay will highlight and, upon a left-click, that Essay will appear. Essays are also listed on the right for direct selection. Teacher's Companion Lessons are also available in PDF format.
	The Meaning of The Constitution And the Concept of Federalism Edwin Meese III The Constitution of the United States has endured for over two centuries. It remains the object of reverence for nearly all Americans and an object of admiration by peoples around the world. William Gladstone was right in 1878 when he described the U.S. Constitution as "the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man."
	BASIC CONCEPTS OF “GOVERNMENT” Publius Huldah Think NOT that you must have a law degree to understand the Constitution of the United States; or that the lawyers, law professors and black robed judges are the ones who understand it best.They are the ones who perverted it. To restore constitutional government, We the People must learn the basic concepts of “government”; and we must learn the Constitution, elect representatives who will honor their oaths to support it (Art VI, clause 3), and remove from office those who don’t.
	Government Charity as explained by Colonel David Crockette
	What the Constitution Really Says About Race and Slavery David Azerrad The argument that the Constitution is racist suffers from one fatal flaw: the concept of race does not exist in the Constitution. Nowhere in the Constitution – or in the Declaration of Independence, for that matter – are human beings classified according to race, skin color, or ethnicity (nor, one should add, sex, religion, or any other of the left’s favored groupings).
	Comparing Constitutions United States of America vs European Union

	Be sure to also look in the TYSK Library
22dec21	The January 6 Insurrection Hoax Roger Kimball – Imprimis An “insurrection,” as the dictionary will tell you, is a violent uprising against a government or other established authority. Unlike the violent riots that swept the country in the summer of 2020 -- the January 6 protest at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. lasted a few hours, caused minimal damage, and the only person directly killed was an unarmed female Trump supporter who was shot by a Capitol Police officer.
24jun 21	Critical Race Theory May Violate Civil Rights Act, the Constitution Dr. Carol Swain Critical Race Theory training, which pressures people not to say certain things, take a certain stance, or forces them into some segregated settings, may infringe on people’s constitutional rights and even violate civil rights laws, said Dr. Carol Swain, a former professor of political science and law at Princeton and Vanderbilt universities.
18jun21	Liberals Ignore the Roots of ‘Our Democracy’ Don’t let them erase the knowledge of where our “liberties, privileges, franchises, and immunities” come from. Robert Stacy McCain Our liberty as Americans did not begin with the Declaration to which John Hancock and others affixed their signatures in July 1776. Rather, our rights can be traced to England as far back as the reign of King John, whom the barons compelled to sign the Magna Carta at Runnymede in 1215.
28jun19	The Danger of the Attacks on the Electoral College Trent England Once upon a time, the Electoral College was not controversial. During the debates over ratifying the Constitution, Anti-Federalist opponents of ratification barely mentioned it. But by the mid-twentieth century, opponents of the Electoral College nearly convinced Congress to propose an amendment to scrap it. And today, more than a dozen states have joined in an attempt to hijack the Electoral College as a way to force a national popular vote for president. What changed along the way? And does it matter?
31dec15	Property Rights and Religious Liberty Larry P. Arnn Many Christians, while they cherish religious liberty, seem to believe that property rights, and the commerce that arises from the establishment of property rights, are somehow un-Christian. At the same time, a lot of free marketers seem to think that all we need are property rights and the rest will take care of itself. Neither of these views is correct, and I will explain why with reference to both James Madison and Winston Churchill.
20mar15	A Little-Noted Masterpiece of Constitutional Scholarship by Justice Thomas Mark J. Fitzgibbons Justice Thomas has provided us a masterpiece of constitutional thinking, explaining why “administrative law” – the practice of delegating to bureaucrats the making and enforcement of rules with the force of law – is so profoundly unconstitutional. You could spend years reading history books, the Federalist Papers, and case law, but you won’t find a better explanation of the essence of our Constitution. If you understand what’s in these few pages, you understand why we have the Constitution, why it is structured the way it is, and why it is essential to the American experiment.
7dec14	Is It Time for an Anti-Federalist Party? Bruce Walker No wise and serious American, whatever his notional ideology, trusts the federal government. This fact is often lost in the dust and wind from that gaggle of pundits whose relevance depends upon every issue of life being controlled by an all-powerful central government. In American politics and government, the problem, of course, is Washington, and most Americans find Washington as arrogant and stupid as American colonists found London in 1776.
19oct14	Constitutional Convention? Caveat Emptor – The Law of Unintended Consequences Mark Alexander 20th-century sociologist Robert Merton noted three primary factors contributing to unanticipated consequences: First, incomplete analysis because it is impossible to anticipate all variables; second, errors in analysis of what is known about the problem; third, immediate interests overriding long-term interests.
7jul13	Religion and Public Life in America R.R. Reno Religious liberty is being redefined in America, or at least many would like it to be. Our secular establishment wants to reduce the autonomy of religious institutions and limit the influence of faith in the public square. The reason is not hard to grasp. In America, “religion” largely means Christianity, and today our secular culture views orthodox Christian churches as troublesome, retrograde, and reactionary forces.
14apr13	The Second Amendment as an Expression of First Principles Edward J. Erler The shooters in Arizona, Colorado, and Newtown were mentally ill persons who, by all accounts, should have been incarcerated. Even the Los Angeles Times admits that "there is a connection between mental illness and mass murder." But the same progressives who advocate gun control also oppose the involuntary incarceration of mentally ill people who, in the case of these mass shootings, posed obvious dangers to society before they committed their horrendous acts of violence.
7apr13	Christian Origins of Essential American Doctrines Kelly O'Connell In midst of the modern, mindless battle to drive religion completely from American life, a small and inconvenient fact has been ignored: Virtually every important, original American idea is a product of Christianity. Further, had these doctrines never been developed, the US would arguably not been nearly as productive, free or happy. These ideas involve property, liberty, and the rule of law.
2dec12	How to Think About Religious Freedom Matthew J. Franck There is a growing awareness among Americans that religious freedom in our country has come under sustained pressures. In the public square where freedom of religion meets public policy, it becomes clearer all the time that there is a high price to be paid for being true to one’s conscience.
23dec11	The Unity and Beauty of the Declaration and the Constitution An Interview with Larry P. Arnn, President, Hillsdale College Peter Robinson: Larry, I am quoting from you: “You can read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution in a few minutes. They are simple. They are beautiful. They can be understood and retained.” Place the documents in their historical context. Why did they matter?
5dec11	The President’s Enumerated Powers, Rulemaking by Executive Agencies & Executive Orders Publius Huldah No one in Congress seems to know that it is our Constitution which sets the “agenda” for the federal government. The agenda the Constitution sets restricts the federal government to war, international relations & commerce; and domestically, the establishment of an uniform commercial system: a monetary system based on gold & silver, weights & measures, patents & copyrights, a bankruptcy code, and mail delivery (Art. I, Sec. 8, cls.1-16).
2oct09	Revolution Herbert E. Meyer During the last 30 years we Americans have been so politically divided that some of us have called this left-right, liberal-conservative split a "culture war" or even a "second Civil War." These descriptions are no longer accurate. The precise, technical word for what is happening in the United States today is revolution.
8mar09	The America Republic -vs- Socialist America J. D. Longstreet The difference between Conservative Government and a Socialist Government (that of the American Left) when shaken down to its raw essentials will make, or break, the United States of America.
29nov08	Study: Americans Ignorant of Basic Civics, Government; Elected Officials Fair Even Worse! (pdf) Are most people, including college graduates, civically illiterate? Do elected officials know even less than most citizens about civic topics such as history, government, and economics? The answer is yes on both counts according to a new study by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI). Take the Test Yourself (html)
30aug08	Birthright Citizenship and Dual Citizenship: Harbingers of Administrative Tyranny Edward J. Erler Birthright citizenship – the policy whereby the children of illegal aliens born within the geographical limits of the United States are entitled to American citizenship – is a great magnet for illegal immigration.
17aug08	Voters Should Pass a Minimal Civics Test Doug Patton I have never been an advocate of the popular notion that "everyone should vote." Some people look at me as if I am somehow un-American when I say that I am not in favor of encouraging people to vote who would otherwise never darken the door of a polling place.
2mar08	God and the State in America TYSK Only a willful disregard for the clear meaning of the 1st Amendment would lead one to believe that God and religion were to be excised from any and all matters related to the state. Should you doubt this – or wish to have further proof – consider the Preambles to all of the 50 United States’ constitutions.
23sep07	Originalism: A Primer David Schraub Originalism rose to prominence in the Reagan era because, as Edwin Meese put it in an uncharacteristic moment of candor, it promised to remake the Court in a way that would halt the slide toward "the radical egalitarianism and expansive civil libertarianism of the Warren Court."
13jun05	The Future of Self-Government Kim Weissman Nine justices on the Supreme Court writing a new Constitution as they see fit, and then mandating that the entire nation obey, is a decidedly undemocratic process which results in meanings that were never adopted or ratified by the people, but which are imposed upon them without their consent.
5apr05	Judicial Supremacy and The Constitution Kim Weissman Justice must be about more than just process – to be respected, a system of justice not only has to do justice, but has to be seen and believed by the people to be doing justice.
6dec04	Judicial Despotism Kim Weissman “To consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions; a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy.” – Thomas Jefferson (1820)
6nov04	The Election Monitoring Circus Leaves Town Peyton Knight Our electoral system is a certified thing of beauty. It places accountability at the local level, thereby empowering citizens to effectively police themselves and solve any unique problems that only they can diagnose.
26jul04	How Treaties Trump the Constitution Henry Lamb Nothing in the U.S. Constitution authorizes the federal government to regulate private property. Nothing in the U.S. Constitution authorizes the federal government to manage wildlife or prescribe land use regulations within the various states.
3mar04	Almighty Judges Kim Weissman Are the decisions of federal judges The Final Answers to any issue? Would we accept an Executive who could dictate policy that is final, incontrovertible, and could not be challenged? That would make the president into a king, would it not?
28jan04	No Constitution Remains Kim Weissman Viewed in the cold light of the reality that our Constitution is no longer a barrier to what our government does, why is anyone surprised that our elections have degenerated into a contest to see which politician can promise to give us more?
13jan04	Why Not Term Limits? George M. Haddad It is conventional wisdom that incumbents are in a better position to prepare and amass massive mailing lists, develop political machines, make invaluable political contacts and continue with year 'round fund raising. In term limit states this has changed dramatically.
13apr03	The Declaration of Independence, 2003 In a Convention of Sovereign States, July 4, 2003 The unanimous Declaration of the fifty united States of America
23mar03	The Declaration, the Constitution, and the Brilliance of the Founders Lawrence W. Reed So many functions within both major parties are devoid of principles that sometimes you have to wonder if the membership believes in anything besides beating the other side at election time.
20nov02	National Death by the Pharisees Paul E. Scates The similarity between the impact of the Pharisees on established Judaism and the impact our own political Pharisees on American Founding principles is striking, and informative.
21jul02	Are we to Live Under the ICC or the Bill of Rights? Kim Weissman The philosophy of the ICC (and the U.N.) is that governments are superior to the people, granting or withholding rights as they see fit. This is the European model, but it is not America's.
9feb02	Are We Too Stupid to Understand? The Liberty Committee Apparently members of the US Senate believe that we are and cannot grasp the challenges to the US Constitution presented by the "reforms" proposed under the guise of campaign finance reform.
17nov01	G-d And Liberty; Liberals And Lies The awareness of G-d as the source of our liberty, in turn, hampers the efforts of liberals/socialists who need to change the founding documents, in interpretation and even in fact, in order to implement their big government agenda.
31jul01	An Open Letter to Statists Everywhere "If you’re among those many people who spend most of their time and energies advocating a litany of proposals for expanded government action, and little or no time recommending offsetting reductions in state power, then this letter has indeed found its mark."
18jun01	Our Flaw? We're Just Not Liberals Suddenly, the Federalist Society is the talk of the town. But what exactly is this society? Is it some secret fraternity? Does it — heaven forbid — have "an agenda"?
20mar01	The Price Of Indolence Are we citizens of our States, protected by the Constitution and Bill of Rights, or have we unknowingly forfeited our original relationship with government, for a federal citizenship with dubious benefits and dangerous concessions of our liberty?
13mar01	Are We Citizens Of Our States? The government recognizes two distinct classes of citizens: a state Citizen and a federal citizen. State Citizens created the states who created the federal government who created federal citizens.
9feb01	How Many Bills of Rights do we Need? Everyone from medical patients to airline passengers is demanding their own bill of rights. This trend runs contrary to the ideas behind the genuine article.
4feb01	Wall Of Separation The radical left's worst nightmare — a religious, moral, and well-armed population. How could they ever impose their socialist ideology under those conditions?
25jan01	Constitutional Ignorance During last week's confirmation hearings, Sen. Kennedy laid into President Bush's attorney general nominee John Ashcroft about his strong support for the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment. Kennedy demanded that Ashcroft apologize to the American people.	Print and save this one!
26dec00	Genesis of the Civil War Interesting, isn't it, that today, those who favor banning Confederate symbols and continue to demonize an entire people's history also tend to be partisans of the federal government in all its present political struggles?
12dec00	Envy, Egalitarianism, and Empire Though the Founding Fathers were committed to the establishment of a Republic of self-governing, sovereign States, they feared that the "dissolution toward empire, which had occurred in Rome, was historically inevitable."
19nov00	How To Subvert Freedom Unearthed Secret Memo for radical activists who are dedicated to subverting a democratic nation's freedom.
6nov00	A review of States Rights and the Union Famed historian Forrest McDonald concludes that the states were sovereign during the revolution and remained so under the Articles of Confederation and even under the Constitution of 1787.
3sep00	Constitutional Protections Ignored Increasingly, we have been ignoring the limits imposed by our Constitution, usually in the name of some "greater good" or "general welfare". We do so at our great peril.
27aug00	Liberal Intolerance Nothing so enrages "diverse" leftists and "tolerant" democrats as someone refusing to bow down to their ideology.
11jul00	Hands Off Government Once it becomes clear that government schools indoctrinate captive students in the tenets and dogma of humanism to the exclusion of all other religions, it also becomes clear that the government itself is in the business of establishing a state-run, religious monopoly.
29apr00	New Life for the "One Drop" Rule It is breath-taking to find old ideas about "blood" now resuscitated in a respectable law review, and by an African-American scholar. Now the fear, apparently, is that some whites will try to "pass" as black.
25mar00	Post-Constitution America: Night of the "Living" Dead Statists, collectivists and the left need to take heed: when their power and influence are lost and a truly evil form of government arises, there will be no document around in any meaningful form to run to as a last resort.
12mar00	Rejected FDR at the Gates of Hell This New Deal-era ditty pictured FDR persuading the devil of his worthiness to enter Hell. (1930s)
28jan00	Looking for a constitutional culprit in the cancerous growth of federal power? Look no further than the Commerce Clause If growing food for your own consumption has a "substantial effect" on interstate commerce and is therefore subject to congressional regulation, it’s hard to see what area of life is beyond federal authority.
31jan00	Who Judges The Judges? We are becoming the only people in history to voluntarily throw away our liberty and embrace servitude.
19dec99	The Federal Kingdom It is remarkable how willing, even eager, some people in this country are to abandon representative government, and to adopt dictatorial solutions to (usually non-existent) problems.
10dec99	America Must Restore the Foundations of Freedom Should the people still have the authority to run the country through their elected legislators?
7nov99	Tyranny By Usurpation We, the People, have failed miserably to protect our Constitutional heritage
29sep99	Congress Passes Americans With No Abilities Act Sweeping new legislation that provides benefits and protection for more than 135 million talentless Americans.
25sep99 & 1oct99	The Federalists Revisited Part I ~~O~~ Part II Today's central government -- particularly the judiciary branch and the executive branch under Bill Clinton -- bears little resemblance to those branches as envisioned by our Founders and the principal authors of our U.S. Constitution.	This is Print & Save material
	Putting God Back in the Public Square The 'Ten Commandment' Judge, Roy S. Moore, on his seven-year battle to preserve religious freedom of expression in the courtroom and in the public arena.
	Amerika, Amerika by Claire Wolfe
	Why a Constitution? Our Constitution is under incredible assault today, and many people question why we need such a document at all.
	Bill of No Rights

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