Commentary

347 – Grudge Match Between Sexual Orientation and Religious Freedom

I hear this all the time, how does homosexual marriage impact your marriage. This platitude has a small grain of truth, but it only works if you ignore the rest of reality. It’s not that recognizing other marriages changes your own, but how allowance morphs into coercion and then extortion.

For almost a dozen years there’s been a feud between the State of New York’s Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) and New Hope Family Services (New Hope). New Hope was granted a perpetual corporate authorization as an adoption agency by OCFS. However, between January 2011 and November 2013, OCFS created policies and rules that would require that New Hope place children with couple that would violate their religious beliefs. The suit New Hope filed in December of 2018 has been through ups and downs. With the latest court orders, it appears New Hope is currently enjoying the protection of their religious liberty. Will it be challenged again?

346 – The Cost of Constitutional Illiteracy

Here at the Constitution Study, we spend a lot of time discussing the legal and societal cost of ignoring the Constitution. Have you considered the financial costs though? Sure, we all complain about the size of government, usually around tax season. But of the trillions of dollars spent every year, how much of it is spent on unconstitutional government agencies and programs? Let’s take some time and look at the 2023 budget for the government of the United States, see how much is being spent on these agencies that do not legally exist, and consider the costs of our lack of constitutional literacy.

344 – Father of The Bill of Rights

While writing my last two articles about the Virginia Bill of Rights, I became more and more impressed by the person who had written them. I decided to do some research on this little know but extremely important Founding Father, and what I found did not diminish my opinion of him. So today, let’s take a closer look at George Mason, the man known as the Father of the Bill of Rights.

343 – The Virginia Declaration of Rights (2)

Last week we looked at the first eight sections of the Virginia Declaration of Rights. This predecessor to the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights not only gives us some ideas about what Thomas Jefferson was thinking when he wrote the Declaration, but why George Mason refused to sign the Constitution when the other framers did. Let’s finish the job by going through the last eight sections.

Veterans Day

Millions of Americans have sacrificed, bleed, and died to defend the Constitution and your right to be free. Take some time this Veterans Day to thank a veteran. Better yet, promise them you will earn the sacrifices they and their families have made so you and your family can live free. Want to share your…

342 – The Virginia Declaration of Rights (1)

Prior to the Declaration of Independence being adopted, Virginia adopted their Declaration of Rights.

A Declaration of Rights
Is made by the representatives of the good people of Virginia, assembled in full and free convention which rights do pertain to them and their posterity, as the basis and foundation of government.

George Mason wrote this declaration, but its impact goes far beyond the Commonwealth of Virginia. We can see the influence of this document on Thomas Jefferson in the opening paragraphs of the Declaration. Let’s take some time and look at this predecessor of our Declaration of Independence.

338 – What is Judicial Review?

If you spend any significant time discussing court opinions, you’ve encountered the concept of “Judicial Review”. What is judicial review, where does it come from, and is it used today the way it was originally defined? These are the questions every American should have a basic understanding of if they wish to live free. So that is what we are going to look at in this article.

335 – Why Don’t We Celebrate Constitution Day?

Most Americans celebrate the Signing of the Declaration of Independence, but very few celebrate the signing of the Constitution of the United States? Why is that? Sure, we celebrate Independence Day with cookouts and fireworks, but there’s nothing preventing us from celebrating Constitution Day the same way? Could it be that this union of states, like an old married couple, has become complacent and bored? Come with me while I examine this phenomenon in preparation for my own celebration of Constitution Day.