QOD

Filed in National by on July 11, 2008

Which of the Amendments is the most important to you?

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  1. anon says:
    July 11, 2008 at 8:32 am

    Which of your children do you love best?

  2. Disbelief says:
    July 11, 2008 at 9:02 am

    Bill of Rights (first ten amendments).
    All time favorite? Probably the 5th (due process and equal rights).
    Scariest Amendment? 18th (took away liquor), but put it back with the 21st, so I guess this is my second favorite.

  3. Truth Teller says:
    July 11, 2008 at 9:32 am

    The First ten

    However the 4th if I had to just pick one

  4. Dominique says:
    July 11, 2008 at 9:40 am

    I like the entire Bill of Rights, but how can a bunch of bloggers not choose the 1st Amendment?? We take advantage of it every time we post something – especially in terms of attacking our leaders. Think about the countries around the world that don’t allow their citizens that basic right.

  5. mike w. says:
    July 11, 2008 at 9:45 am

    The Bill of Rights. All 10 are important.

    I suppose if I HAD to choose I’d go with the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th. Reallly though, the 1st and 2nd are the backbone, which is why they are the 1st two.

    I’m also a big fan of the 9th and 10th, even though the latter has been rendered virtually meaningless by the Commerce Clause and years of jurisprudence.

  6. Disbelief says:
    July 11, 2008 at 9:56 am

    Agree with mike that the Commerce Clause has been the greatest help to the Feds for shifting power their way. But I’m a bit mixed; if the Federal government didn’t have this broad power, we would be more subject to idiot Governors and legislatures.

    Title for Book Reading Group; The Federalist Papers. I honestly don’t think you can understand what went into the the Articles and first ten amendments without reading them.

  7. Steve Newton says:
    July 11, 2008 at 10:10 am

    Bill of Rights plus the 14th Amendment. (I know it’s not real popular with most other Libertarians, but I like the due process guarantee.)

    The order of the amendments in the Bill of Rights is not, by the way, the way in which they were valued by the Framers. James Madison originally intended to insert them into the Constitution rather than append them. So he wrote them in groups designed to be placed in the separate articles. That’s why all the “Congress shall make no law” amendments are first, because they’d go into Article 1. The limitations on Executive power are next because they’d go into Article 2. Amendments 9 and 10 were intended as separate articles at the end of the Constitution.

    In one of the earlier drafts, the 1st Amendment was written as five or six separate amendments, and then somebody basically said, “Instead of repeating ourselves, guys, can’t we just make a list?”

  8. mike w. says:
    July 11, 2008 at 10:12 am

    I agree disbelief. If the Dissenting justices in Heller had actually READ the Federalist papers and the Miller decision it would have been 9-0 instead of 5-4. The liberal justices had their minds made up before they ever read any of the briefs or historical documents. Instead of upholding the Constitution they constitutionalized their personal preferences/prejudices.

  9. Von Cracker says:
    July 11, 2008 at 11:05 am

    That’s easy – definitely the 21st! 🙂

    Seriously though, for me it’s the 14th.

  10. G Rex says:
    July 11, 2008 at 12:37 pm

    10th, just to be contrary. You know, the one that states that the Federal government has no business meddling with education, health care, etc. because it’s not their job.

  11. mike w. says:
    July 11, 2008 at 12:40 pm

    G. Rex – I assume you’re not an Obama supporter then?

  12. G Rex says:
    July 11, 2008 at 1:12 pm

    Nope.

  13. Brian Shields says:
    July 11, 2008 at 3:36 pm

    The amendments that no longer apply because we’re spineless sheep.

  14. Joanne Christian says:
    July 11, 2008 at 3:45 pm

    Whichever one is being trampled, reinterpreted or denied!!!!

  15. Delaware's Toughest Blogger says:
    July 11, 2008 at 3:47 pm

    JC

    it be easier to names the ones that aren’t

  16. mike w. says:
    July 11, 2008 at 4:40 pm

    Joanne – Good Answer! The 2nd and 4th tend to get trampled the most unfortunately. Even worse, liberals often throw the 2nd under the bus and Conservatives do the same with the 4th.

  17. Dana says:
    July 11, 2008 at 8:38 pm

    Well, I know which one I’d repeal first: the Sixteenth!

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