It's morning, pre-dawn sometime, the time doesn’t matter. I'm a kind of strange bird. With the family asleep it's my time to get something done. I wrote a nearly 900-page book on family history before I left for work yeah it took me years. I’m always writing something before I was of age I wrote songs. Now I have different interests. I love books and I have a good collection- mostly on history, political history books written centuries ago are what I love. I love political theory trying to theorize how things would work if X or Y was initiated. Books on liberty scathing attacks written 200 years ago attacking then president whoever.
I have been fascinated with the Constitution and other founding works for most of my life. The study of the founding has consumed my life. I have argued constitutional theory at work, it gets me in trouble sometimes but I guess I'm overly dedicated. Now in retirement, my time is my own and I decided to write a book on the Constitution. I was frustrated over academics lying about what the Constitution says along with other documents.
That’s why I wrote Textualism. Out of frustration. I just got the second edition yesterday and sent out books that were pre-ordered. I formed a Facebook group “Friends of Textualism and Originalism” to discuss my views with my readers. It turned into an important discussion group. Especially when things of a constitutional issue arise. I started on YouTube later trying to educate people as well. I guess you could say I’m on a mission of sorts, speaking engagements, and Debating people. Last year I published my second book Our Founders in Their Words and Why They Matter. It surrounds and explains why the Constitution is the way it is through a historical lens. I did the Festival of Storytellers with Readers Magnet, my current publisher. We just finished that up about a week ago. Many people have misconceptions about what’s in our Constitution or why it is that way!
It's an election year and already you hear complaints about our electoral college, this morning I shot a video explaining it. About the elections of 1800 and 1824 why the 12th amendment was added, in both those years the election went into the House to be decided. After Jackson, “King Andrew” as they called him, was denied the presidency, the Democratic party formed. He became president in the very next term. So goes much of our history- some major injustice creates something much broader. Honestly, it doesn’t matter. The rules we play no matter how we do it, the defeat won't be happy. If you don’t believe me, look at football fans yelling about the referees.
At least this way every state gets a say. Electoral votes given are the combined numbers of their representation in Congress. Just add the senators with the state's house numbers. It's fair because we all play on the same field- well at least the parties do.
The 12th Amendment cleaned up and replaced the language in the Electoral College. Now at least the votes for President and Vice President are distinct. The lack of that is what drove it into the house in 1800. What I like is the electors chosen can't be elected officials, check Article Two paragraph 1 for clarification.
Our constitution is beautiful. The checks against power are powerful and all over the place. There are so many curbs to keep power-hungry people in check and it's all by design. Our founders didn’t see the importance of the parties that would come later. Washington, the father of our country, following his two terms, warned us in his farewell address.
Most haven’t read the Constitution and the Farewell Address but it should be required reading not just in public school but for every one of us as well.
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