Constitutional Originalism’s Conceited Intent

It is an audacious pursuit to divine an assertive original context from a text written by men who themselves did not agree. Such is the conceit of constitutional originalism and it’s disciples. Even a modest history lesson divulges the disagreements among the founders — whether a Bill of Rights should exist, or even if there ought to be a constitution at all.

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Don’t Force ‘Sanctuary Cities’ To Do Fed’s Job

Conservative commentators characterize sanctuary cities as legal apostates, but the principles in practice in sanctuary cities share little with that description. It’s the latest example of the Right’s inability to parse the weeds of reality, seeking to find comforting answers attuned to black and white and good vs. evil.

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Undocumented Immigration Discretion In A Nation Of Laws

It is against the law to cross the border illegally. That is what Republicans say, as if to educate the rest of us. Oh, and thanks for the redundancy! They tell us we are a “nation of laws,” and those laws must be enforced. It’s as if they are saying, “I would be more compassionate, but the law has my hands tied.” They are not against immigration, they tell us, but people need to immigrate the right way, because it is deeply unfair that some people skip to the front of the line.

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Is Government Inherently Corrupt?

Conservatives believe government is inherently corrupt. They believe government cannot be trusted to do anything really important except for national security, oh yeah, and regulate women’s bodies. Oh, and also stifle access to the voting booth. And I guess on those two issues, conservatives actually are right, government is corrupt. Well, more specifically, certain people in government do corrupt things, like play master of the uterus.

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NRA, ALEC, Want You To Stand Your Ground, Wild West Style

The National Rifle Association (NRA) and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) — I just love these names — want you to stand your ground like it’s still the 19th century Wild West — unless your are black of course. I don’t see the NRA saying if Trayvon Martin had a gun he could have defended himself. What was that saying again — “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun.” Was Trayvon Martin the “bad guy” because he didn’t have a gun?

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