Dr. Forbush Thinks

Obviously I am not going to be able to write a civics book in my blog. Well, actually I could, but no one would read it. But, I thought that I would try to explain something that continues to bother me about how Americans are programmed.

Yes, Americans are programmed from birth to defend “Our Country” and “Our Government.” Americans are taught from an early age that there is no place on Earth like the Good Ol’ US of A. Obviously this is good for the survival of the Union. But, supporting something without understanding it leads to actions that don’t make any sense.

For example, in a recent discussion about Federal Judicial Appointments we were reminded that some people would accuse activist judges of not being accountable or elected. We were reminded that some people accuse those who disagree with the Constitution as attacking the Constitution. While thinking about this I came up with a few thoughts:

1) Is criticism of the Constitution “good” or “bad?” As an American we should realize that the Constitution is a living document that should be modified when needed. It can not be modified if you don’t question it from time to time. Questioning it will eventually make it stronger.
2) However, Criticism of the Constitution is held to be as evil as criticism of the government or the Bible by the conservatives. So, does that mean that conservatives are not “good” Americans because they don’t want to improve the living document of the Constitution? Of course not, but they feel justified in name calling by saying that progressives are attacking the Constitution. This has the emotional effect of angering those who love “Our Country” and “Our Constitution.” Logic says that they shouldn’t be angered, because the document needs to be continually re-examined. It is not the Bible, it is meant to change.
3) Finally, judges should be un-elected and unaccountable. That is the entire point. If judges serve for a lifetime they will not feel obligated to make rulings that favor someone because of campaign contributions or other perks. Judges should only feel the need to judge actions based on the law. They should not feel the need to be accountable to anyone in order to make fair judgements. However, this phrase has been used in a derogatory way to imply that justice must be controlled. This idea should frighten every American. Without this justices could feel obligated to support efforts like the McCarthy Committee on Un-American Activities. And, then free speech would certainly be a thing of the past.

Democracy is a responsibility that every American has. People don’t usually like to have responsibilities, but in this case our freedom is at stake. If we don’t examine the Constitution as our needs change we are doomed to suffer from the short sightedness of our forefathers. If we don’t continue to keep justices free from politics we will be doomed to have our freedom taken away from us. And if we fail to criticize our leaders they will run away with our liberty and freedom.