America was hijacked by conservative power. They refuse to evolve and are holding down the country while most of it and its constituents have moved on, changed, evolved to reflect a global shift. Stronger the pull, the more Trump’s America resist change.
When I became an American citizen, I was asked if I’d do anything for the Constitution. Startled by such a question, I answered that no of course I wouldn’t kill anyone or do anything against my morals “for the Constitution”. I was asked to revise (change) my answer to yes.
Fundamentally, I believe this is the problem. To hold on to a piece of writing (open to interpretation) almost 3 centuries old.
Despite the numerous amendments made to it, it remains at its immutable foundation, articles that we keep on, as knots, trying to untie, creating more knots.
The Constitution has come in the way of too many issues by now, from gun control to the electoral college, to our ability to respond to this pandemic today.
How many times people have heard and said, but we can’t do this, its unconstitutional. Obviously the Constitution operates as a safeguard and it is absolutely indispensable to keep the nation in check. But when the safeguard becomes a barrier, or even a danger, we can reasonably question it.
It is clear now that America went its own way in the response to the pandemic, compared to the rest of the world. The problem being that so far, our response (or lack of) has been utter chaos, maddening, infuriating (projected into the protests that started here) we are the only country in the world who has not been able to unite, the most basic survival instinct of human nature to fight the spread of a virus, over our response.
Blame it on our states separation, the obvious inability to respond at a federal level, but Europe as a whole was able so far to unite.
A lot of Americans took it to the streets to express their anger, unconsciously associating the disease to systemic Racism. The slogan “I can’t breath” (Eric Garner’s last words) used all while our society grappling with the notion of wearing masks for the first time to protect ourselves against the virus, is an eerie coincidence. We could label it synchronicity. If we were to psycho-analyse America and read into their collective unconscious, this would be the perfect signifier of the underlying confusion caused by this pandemic. A dilemma, disconnect in their mind, a sort of split personality of 2 clashing ideals they embrace separately but are entropically becoming incompatible. A choice must be made, which one, is still unclear in the American psyche. On one hand they are all wearing masks and accepting it as they protest, subconsciously fighting the “other America” who’s slogan toots their constitutional right to freedom to not wear a mask. All this while shouting “I can’t breath” for obviously other reasons. Or not. The signifier once again is the same but the underlying messages are on the opposite spectrum. Yet all reigned in by the same dictates of the Constitution.
Through Georges Floyd’s protests, an ocean of anger flooded the gates of America, not just about Racism and police brutality, but an overall feeling of we’ve had enough. We are ready to change, like it or not, we are going to change the course of this country’s history. While the other half is holding dearly to its conservative power. Including the Constitution. This is the fundamental dynamic of conservatism and once we understand that, that it is not the will of the people, a reflection per say of the people’s state of mind, rather a pull to keep the power where it is and not have it shift away- once these people who are supporting the conservative power to their detriment understand that, then only this country can start to move on.
The Constitution is enslaving all of America into submission to its power in place. And we need this power to shift away from the hands of the conservative power if we want change. it’s not just semantics, it is fundamental in order to finally be able to give a voice to the people of America vs. states through elections. With the people’s vote, and other constitutional amendments that could finally be made to reflect the people’s will in this country, rather than state power. It is clear through this pandemic that this system isn’t working for us, and we’ve got 5 months to amend this in order to save our democracy.
So why not draft a new Constitution and unify this country in favor of the people?
With so many changes on their way, maybe laying down the foundations as a start, would facilitate all the rest to fall into place. And make sure the people’s vote – all the people – is accounted for comes November. To start with.
Thereafter, from gun laws to universal health care to free education, we can have the people, all the people of this country, weight in to make a choice. Not just the power in place. But black, brown, white, low income and middle class. And the upper class, 1%, power in place too (but in numbers, they are the minority).
Georges Washington, a founding father, was a slave owner. Slavery is inscribed at the root of this country, in the draft of the Constitution. In other words, the mindset of those who drafted the Constitution at the time were doing so with the notion that a slave / owner relationship was inherent to society and therefore would prevail. This argument applies to other countries whose models were built around the US Constitution as well.
Despite Washington and other founding fathers turning against slavery to support abolition by the end of their lives, it was too late. The foundation of the Constitution as written remains, a testimony of them making the choice to integrate slavery, rather than abolish it.
Not to tear down his legality to this country and the world. It’s not the point. But this country, and the world, have changed since. He had seen it changed in his lifetime already.
Besides, like a Bible or Quran, the Constitution is often brandished to short circuit solutions that we all can envision for our country in today’s world. Just like Christians may use the Bible to bolster pro life agenda, the (mis)interpretation of the Constitution leads to abuses. Could be better exemples, like the Coran and Jihad.
The idea of the American Constitution has been hijacked the same way Marx’s communism ideal has been by Lenin, Stalin and Mao. To serve their personal power interests.
The framework of the Constitution drafted in theory for the people, like the communism manifesto drafted by Marx, aren’t in any way relevant or empowering the people of America, nor did it the people of Russia or China.
In a way the foundations for capitalism and for communism have so far, never reached a governmental structure that worked in favor of the people.
The writings being open to interpretation, were used instead to serve politician’s access and griping of power.
From intellectual elite under Lenin to corporate interests in Trumps America (and predecessors).
The communist failures have always been framed as boogeymen, from the western – mostly capitalistic point of view, and vice versa.
In reality, the foundation of these 2 frameworks were too vague to be able to assert today that either of them has ever functioned as far as governments go.
It took 4 months back in 1787 to draft the first Constitution. We have 5 months, lets do it. Rebuild the foundation of the Constitution for the people today in the 21st century, in mind.
* Update 07/10/20 : this article explains everything, laying out why the age old arguments for maintaining the electoral college are no longer valid. Thank you Jesse Wegman for shedding the light for all Americans recounting a discourse (probably learned in school) that they forgot to fact check.
Lets not forget Amendment 2, a deeply rooted conviction causing too much grief in this country, needs to be addressed now while we are at it.
