Archives for October 2013

The Sword of Liberty: Constitutional Education and Adventure

Book Review: The Sword of Liberty by Loren J. Enns1 Thomas Jefferson expressed the sense of the Founders of the American Republic: “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it…” 2 The Constitution’s Article V reflects this principle, providing […]

Direct vs. Circumstantial Evidence: Observation vs. Inference

There are two types of evidence at a trial: direct and circumstantial. One, if believed, directly proves a fact; the other allows a fact to be inferred. In court a trial is held to determine specific facts and the legal implications of those facts. In a criminal trial, the question is if the defendant broke […]

The Third Amendment to the US Constitution

“Every word of the Constitution decides a question between power and liberty,” James Madison  The Constitution’s Third Amendment has never been the controlling law in any case decided by the US Supreme Court, and has been of critical importance in only one appellate case[1] in the nation’s history.  It is often ignored and in some […]

The Government May Be “Shut Down” But The Constitution Is Hard At Work

Despite a century long[1] effort to eviscerate and ignore the Constitution, the government “shut down” demonstrates the document’s stubborn staying power.  As the news media works to “analyze” who will get the blame, no one mentions that the goal of the Constitution was to limit government by dividing power.   Though those in office will not […]