All Americans must protect Constitution
To the Editor:
A significant event in history is being replayed in our time. The Magna Carta was a landmark English document establishing that the power of the English monarchy was not absolute.
In 1215, King John (1167-1216) was forced to sign the document, known as "the Great Charter," by his barons, who were (like our U.S. Congress SHOULD be today) angered by the king's encroachment on their rights. The Magna Carta, which included such basic rights as trial by jury and due process of law, protected the people from an authoritarian government and helped set the stage for the concept of limited government that would be created in the New Land.
The Magna Carta stipulated that the king, like the people he ruled, was subject to the laws of the land. The Magna Carta made a provision for a Great Council (envision the United States Congress) to be composed of nobles and clergy who would approve the actions of the king in relation to his subjects and ensure the tenets set forth in the charter were upheld. It is credited with laying the foundation for a parliamentary government in England and is still considered by many to be the cornerstone of constitutional government.
Fast-forward approximately 450 years, the ideas of another Englishman (philosopher John Locke 1632-1704) formed the foundation for America's democratic system of government by suggesting that “a democracy exists to give voice to the people and to protect their inalienable rights.”
The word democracy comes from the ancient Greek word demokratia. Demo means "the people" and kratia means "to rule." A democracy, then, is a form of government in which people rule. The power lies in the hands of the people, who may either govern directly or govern indirectly by electing representatives.
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Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and carried John Locke's beliefs forward from the previous century, stating that "all individuals are endowed with certain inalienable, or fundamental, inalterable rights." Our Founding Fathers placed great value on the individual which dictates that the primary function of government is to enable the individual person to achieve his or her highest potential, making the interests of the individual more important than those of a state (or a king).
As we witness the rise and fall of the rule of law, we must consider Chief Justice John Marshall's 1803 Marbury v. Madison ruling: “It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is.”
That doesn’t factor in statements by President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and “special government employee” multibillionaire Elon Musk. All three have indicated willingness to defy court rulings.
Courts alone will not be sufficient. Courts are like an antibiotic on a cut, helping healing and staving off infection, but they cannot keep a grievously wounded patient alive. For this, a vigorous political strategy is necessary. It is in all Americans' hands collectively to make sure the constitutional structure is not only enforced, but also preserved.
David L. Snell
Franklin
