You can order from the Heritage Foundation (I got mine free because I donated). They sell 50 copies for $25. Don't know if they give bigger discounts for larger orders.
Or maybe have an adopt-a-congressman project among your readers and divide the job accordingly. I'd pitch in, but I have my doubts about whether the congresscritters are even literate.
I don't know. The copy I have was two bucks at Hastings, I think. And it has more than the Constitution. Other crowd favorites, such as the Patrick Henry's famous speech and the Declaration of Indepence are also included!
You're absolutely correct. Though I wonder how many other people have tried this, and how many copies sit unread on shelves in the Capital Building.
And just a reminder, there are more documents from the days of America's founding, that maybe don't lay out the law like the Constitution does, but touch on the spirit of what the Constitution protects. One of my favorites:
"They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength but irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power.
...
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"
Exhortation and appeals to conscience don't work on that kind of person. As to what works, do you recall that scene in The Sand Pebbles when Steve McQueen's character meets the "student activist" with axe in hand?
I'll volunteer to send to the Virginia Delegation. Do you want them sent to just those who voted for this, or go ahead and include the whole group? I'd suggest sending to the whole group myself.
I'm willing to bet half of the profs would side with the DemCong. Obama is a constitutional law prof. So is Biden. It wouldn't surprise me if a lot more of DemCong has adjunct professorships at home.
It's occurred to me that we overlook the dramatic power of public ceremony and ritual.
Perhaps we'd be a lot better off if public servants were required to perform some ritual abasement, such as a symbolic surrender, every time they encounter their boss, the People. I was thinking for casual encounters, the public official would merely be required to offer his hands for cuffing, but for more formal occassions, the official would be required to shout "I surrender!" before proning himself out.
Similarly, perhaps being required to have some amount of text (proportional to the power of their office) of the Declaration and/or Constitution tatooed to their body each time they're elected would serve as a painful and permanent reminder of their oaths.
Completion of the document would serve as a de-facto term limit, a person would be ineligible for election if there's no more charter left to inscribe.
If you do this, be sure to use the toughest, grittiest paper you can find. Over half of your send list already uses the Constitution as toilet paper; why not give them splinters to show for their actions.
"....and we shall know them by their wincing when they sit".
Look at our resident whackamole. He -without shame - misstates entirely what the President's duties and responsibilities are in the process of attempting to lecture us.
The Constitution is quite literally meaningless to almost everyone there. So sending it to the current office holders and other officials (especially the USSC) isn't really worthwhile.
I think it would be better to try and start with the challengers for those seats - hell, let's start a rating system, and see how well the challengers do on questions of a Constitutional Nature.
We can print our own copies. There are PDF versions out there. I might be able to import the text into Adobe InDesign onto a parchment-like background and them save them back as a PDF or something. (I need the practice anyway.) There are also some high-res images of the actual documents available from the National Archives. They look cool, but are hard to read.
The Constitution is quite literally meaningless to almost everyone there.
I wouldn't go that far. I'd say it's quite meaningful to them, in a "know your enemy" kind of way. As I have shown elsewhere, liberals consider equal justice and the rule of law as obstacles to overcome, not as principles to uphold.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) said the “good and welfare clause” gives Congress the authority to require individuals to buy health insurance as mandated in the health care bill. However, there is no “good and welfare clause” in the U.S. Constitution.
He was probably referring to Article 1, Section 8 which actually says "provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States".
Of course, James Madison knew a thing or two about what their intent actually was:
"If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare, and are the sole and supreme judges of the general welfare, they may take the care of religion into their own hands; they may appoint teachers in every State, county and parish and pay them out of their public treasury; they may take into their own hands the education of children, establishing in like manner schools throughout the Union; they may assume the provision of the poor; they may undertake the regulation of all roads other than post-roads; in short, every thing, from the highest object of state legislation down to the most minute object of police, would be thrown under the power of Congress… Were the power of Congress to be established in the latitude contended for, it would subvert the very foundations, and transmute the very nature of the limited Government established by the people of America."
It's interesting how many of what he considered to be extreme and obvious violations have been established for decades.
Then there's the "Crazy Uncle Billy" of the Constitution; The 10th Amendment:
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
As far as I know, this is still the "supreme Law of the Land". (Article VI)
Is it just me, or does violating the "supreme Law of the Land" constitute a "high Crime"? (Article II, Section 4)
Fuck sending them the Constitution - most of them wouldn't recognize it to begin with. I think a plain copy of the Declaration of Independence is more in order, with a few choice bits highlighted.
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
It might be an interesting test of the recipients.
A year or two ago, some British bloggers organised the sending of a copy of 1984 to every one of our Members of Parliament. We in Britland seem to be well on that road, and it was appropriate.
There were very few positive responses. Most of the bastards didn't respond at all. Now we know that the majority were too busy fiddling their expenses to care, or handing our sovereignty to the European Commission.
I assume that I need not explain to the learned brethren and sistren here what 1984 is.
Whores. Heh. I wouldn't insult prostitutes by comparing them with politicians. The legality and morality of their job aside, they offer services in exchange for a set fee. How many politicians do their job exactly as they said they would?
The Congresswhores do the job they are paid to do -- they will vote for a bill as soon as the coin is in their palms. Well, they used to wait until the payout, Stupak did for a vague promise. I'm sure Obama still respects him.
I bought mine from Heritage Foundation and keep a 100 or so of them ready to hand out whenever I feel the need. A certain sheriff in NC has the last one I sent out ... not sure she read it though, her reply to me was a canned response. I'd bet Heritage Foundation would work with you on price seeings as where the copies are going.
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All avatars and any images or other media embedded in comments were hosted on the JS-Kit website and have been lost;
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JS-Kit/Echo comments for article at http://smallestminority.blogspot.com/2010/03/where-can-i-get-535-copies-of.html (29 comments)
You can order from the Heritage Foundation (I got mine free because I donated). They sell 50 copies for $25. Don't know if they give bigger discounts for larger orders.
Or maybe have an adopt-a-congressman project among your readers and divide the job accordingly. I'd pitch in, but I have my doubts about whether the congresscritters are even literate.
I don't know. The copy I have was two bucks at Hastings, I think. And it has more than the Constitution. Other crowd favorites, such as the Patrick Henry's famous speech and the Declaration of Indepence are also included!
You're absolutely correct. Though I wonder how many other people have tried this, and how many copies sit unread on shelves in the Capital Building.
And just a reminder, there are more documents from the days of America's founding, that maybe don't lay out the law like the Constitution does, but touch on the spirit of what the Constitution protects. One of my favorites:
"They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength but irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power.
...
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"
--Patrick Henry
Exhortation and appeals to conscience don't work on that kind of person. As to what works, do you recall that scene in The Sand Pebbles when Steve McQueen's character meets the "student activist" with axe in hand?
It's not an appeal to conscience. It's an appeal to self-interest. "Shape up, or we're going to fucking fire you, bub."
I'll volunteer to send to the Virginia Delegation. Do you want them sent to just those who voted for this, or go ahead and include the whole group? I'd suggest sending to the whole group myself.
All of 'em.
To Congress: FYI - you swore to protect and uphold it...
http://www.nccs.net/us_constitution.html $30 per 100
"DISCUSS IT WITH CONSTITUTIONAL LAW PROFESSORS."
I'm willing to bet half of the profs would side with the DemCong. Obama is a constitutional law prof. So is Biden. It wouldn't surprise me if a lot more of DemCong has adjunct professorships at home.
It's occurred to me that we overlook the dramatic power of public ceremony and ritual.
Perhaps we'd be a lot better off if public servants were required to perform some ritual abasement, such as a symbolic surrender, every time they encounter their boss, the People. I was thinking for casual encounters, the public official would merely be required to offer his hands for cuffing, but for more formal occassions, the official would be required to shout "I surrender!" before proning himself out.
Similarly, perhaps being required to have some amount of text (proportional to the power of their office) of the Declaration and/or Constitution tatooed to their body each time they're elected would serve as a painful and permanent reminder of their oaths.
Completion of the document would serve as a de-facto term limit, a person would be ineligible for election if there's no more charter left to inscribe.
/evilSmirk
I can think of a few we should brand instead.
If you do this, be sure to use the toughest, grittiest paper you can find. Over half of your send list already uses the Constitution as toilet paper; why not give them splinters to show for their actions.
"....and we shall know them by their wincing when they sit".
I would definitely paypal you three bucks to cover the copies and shipping to cover my state (New Mexico).
Lotta sound and fury, signifying little.
Sadly.
Look at our resident whackamole. He -without shame - misstates entirely what the President's duties and responsibilities are in the process of attempting to lecture us.
The Constitution is quite literally meaningless to almost everyone there. So sending it to the current office holders and other officials (especially the USSC) isn't really worthwhile.
I think it would be better to try and start with the challengers for those seats - hell, let's start a rating system, and see how well the challengers do on questions of a Constitutional Nature.
We can print our own copies. There are PDF versions out there. I might be able to import the text into Adobe InDesign onto a parchment-like background and them save them back as a PDF or something. (I need the practice anyway.) There are also some high-res images of the actual documents available from the National Archives. They look cool, but are hard to read.
The Constitution is quite literally meaningless to almost everyone there.
I wouldn't go that far. I'd say it's quite meaningful to them, in a "know your enemy" kind of way. As I have shown elsewhere, liberals consider equal justice and the rule of law as obstacles to overcome, not as principles to uphold.
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/63182
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) said the “good and welfare clause” gives Congress the authority to require individuals to buy health insurance as mandated in the health care bill. However, there is no “good and welfare clause” in the U.S. Constitution.
http://www.claremont.org/publications/crb/id.1684/article_detail.asp
He was probably referring to Article 1, Section 8 which actually says "provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States".
Of course, James Madison knew a thing or two about what their intent actually was:
"If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare, and are the sole and supreme judges of the general welfare, they may take the care of religion into their own hands; they may appoint teachers in every State, county and parish and pay them out of their public treasury; they may take into their own hands the education of children, establishing in like manner schools throughout the Union; they may assume the provision of the poor; they may undertake the regulation of all roads other than post-roads; in short, every thing, from the highest object of state legislation down to the most minute object of police, would be thrown under the power of Congress… Were the power of Congress to be established in the latitude contended for, it would subvert the very foundations, and transmute the very nature of the limited Government established by the people of America."
It's interesting how many of what he considered to be extreme and obvious violations have been established for decades.
Then there's the "Crazy Uncle Billy" of the Constitution; The 10th Amendment:
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
As far as I know, this is still the "supreme Law of the Land". (Article VI)
Is it just me, or does violating the "supreme Law of the Land" constitute a "high Crime"? (Article II, Section 4)
I thought your link was going to take me to a head shop for rolling papers.
You mean those aren't?
But it could be a paper shop for rolling heads...metaphorically, anyway.
(Honest. Metaphorically.)
Fuck sending them the Constitution - most of them wouldn't recognize it to begin with. I think a plain copy of the Declaration of Independence is more in order, with a few choice bits highlighted.
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
And let them fear.
It might be an interesting test of the recipients.
A year or two ago, some British bloggers organised the sending of a copy of 1984 to every one of our Members of Parliament. We in Britland seem to be well on that road, and it was appropriate.
There were very few positive responses. Most of the bastards didn't respond at all. Now we know that the majority were too busy fiddling their expenses to care, or handing our sovereignty to the European Commission.
I assume that I need not explain to the learned brethren and sistren here what 1984 is.
Congress has gone past being whores to being really cheap whores.
You insult really cheap whores, sir!
Whores. Heh. I wouldn't insult prostitutes by comparing them with politicians. The legality and morality of their job aside, they offer services in exchange for a set fee. How many politicians do their job exactly as they said they would?
My apologies to really cheap whores.
The Congresswhores do the job they are paid to do -- they will vote for a bill as soon as the coin is in their palms. Well, they used to wait until the payout, Stupak did for a vague promise. I'm sure Obama still respects him.
I bought mine from Heritage Foundation and keep a 100 or so of them ready to hand out whenever I feel the need. A certain sheriff in NC has the last one I sent out ... not sure she read it though, her reply to me was a canned response. I'd bet Heritage Foundation would work with you on price seeings as where the copies are going.
Note: All avatars and any images or other media embedded in comments were hosted on the JS-Kit website and have been lost; references to haloscan comments have been partially automatically remapped, but accuracy is not guaranteed and corrections are solicited.
If you notice any problems with this page or wish to have your home page link updated, please contact John Hardin <jhardin@impsec.org>