Thursday, October 7, 2010

What the pols have lost sight of

Justice Louis Brandeis wrote, "The makers of our Constitution undertook to secure conditions favorable to the pursuit of happiness. They recognized the significance of man's spiritual nature, of his feelings, and of his intellect. ... They sought to protect Americans in their beliefs, their thoughts, their emotions and their sensations. They conferred, as against the government, the right to be let alone – the most comprehensive of rights, and the right most valued by civilized men. To protect that right, every unjustifiable intrusion by the government upon the privacy of the individual, whatever the means employed, must be deemed a violation of the Fourth Amendment." Left and right both seem impelled to meddle with people's personal affairs in one way or another. Not leaving people alone sins against the original intent of the writers of the Constitution. Imposing governmental will on people's religious practices, thought, speech, or personal preferences is evil.

2 comments:

Edith Ann said...

I believe I have to agree with you.

chats said...

Yea, verily. If memory serves, and it hasn't well of late, a history prof once pointed out that the Declaration of Independence spoke of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." When codified in the Constitution, howsomever, it became "life, liberty, and property." Just sayin'...