there are certain things that are simply not negotiable
there are certain things I will never accept
there are certain things you cannot do
they are written down
they should be inviolable
I will not accept your transgressing these
these words are sacred:
The privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it. . . .
No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed. . . .
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. . . .
No person shall . . . be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law . . .
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence. . . .
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. . . .
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. . . .
nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. . . .
Sacred words.
Words that should be inviolate.
There are other words, written later. They are contained in treaties which have been ratified, which make them also the supreme Law of the Land to which all judges, federal and state, high and low, shall be bound thereby
These words are not selective. The words are nor any person and are not limited to citizens.
There is no special class of persons exempt from the reach of these words and the laws that flow from them.
There can be no justification for violating these sacred words, these words which should be what bind us together, in common.
It should be to these words that we pledge our allegiance.
We are told The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution
And our chief executive, to take office, swears or affirms that he will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States
He cannot violate the words and be faithful to that oath.
And we cannot justify or rationalize abrogating the reach of these words - and the many more I did not repeat - because we claim some higher goal. When we place individual judgment or loyalty against the only thing that defines us and binds us together, we are lost. We might think otherwise, but then we are lost.
This is not negotiable. You cannot do other than the requirements of these words and be loyal to the oaths of office. You do not have our permission, which would be required, because We the People of the United States. . . do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
I am a fundamentalist.
This is fundamental, because it is essential. It is these words, and only these words, which define America, and thus define Americans.
We are not defined by religion, because no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
We are not defined by the color of our skin, because we include all shades
We are not defined by our marital status, because we are married and divorced and widowed and never married (and for some still not allowed to be married, which must change - no one should be denied the equal protection of the law)
We are not defined by our sexual orientation. We are heterosexual, bisexual, gay, asexual, celibate . . .
We range in age from newborns to centenarians
We are obscenely rich and we suffer in abject poverty
We have multiple degrees and we are, unfortunately, illiterate
We are all Americans. That is fundamental.
We are Americans because of these words, in this document, which defines us as a nation and a people.
This is not negotiable.
This is fundamental.
Which is why I say proudly:
I am a fundamentalist
Peace
