Today, I read the Constitution of the United States of America. It's a bit of a slog, what with archaic syntax and odd capitalizations. I haven't read the Amendments yet, but am definitely going to tomorrow. This document is fascinating. What brilliant minds it was that came up with this vision of how to put together a government, and a country, from scratch.
They made their mistakes, of course. Not limiting the tenure of Supreme Court judges, for one. And they couldn't have foreseen how large and unwieldy this country would become, nor modern technology and the ease of international travel and communication and trade. But they made one provision which, all by itself, shows uncanny foresight. They provided for the Constitution to be amended.
I'm quite certain that Donald Trump has never read the Constitution. Just imagine, a President who has no idea on what principles his country was founded. I remember him at one point in his term saying over and over, in interview after interview, "I have an Article Two that says I can do anything I want." For one thing, of course, it doesn't say that at all. But if it did, that would mean that every President, including Obama and Clinton, could also do anything they wanted to. You didn't think about that, did you, Donnie? I never heard anyone correct him or call him on his false interpretation of this article. What an ass.
But anyway - I find the Constitution inspiring and grand, I believe it's going to be worth rereading now and then, just to be reminded of what intelligent, committed, visionary people can create when they come together in shared purpose. I have no desire to become a Constitutional scholar, but it does seem to me that it's important to know what it says and what it means, if for no other reason than so as not to take for granted the rights and privileges it bestows.
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