Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Pissing on the Constitution - Supreme Court Division

I've have gotten so used to the Bush-Cheney Administration using the Constitution as a public urinal I am not surprised that the Bush-Cheney Admin's puppydog Supreme Court would join the practice.

The First Amendment Doesn't Apply to Eighteen year-olds
In the "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" case, the Supreme Court ruled that the right of school administrators to treat their students like chattel extends beyond the boundries of the school. If a high-schooler makes a joke - anywhere, anytime - that the principal doesn't like, the school can punish him. Of course, if the sign has read "Fuck Hillary" I'm sure the Court would have considered it all good, clean fun.

The President is God's representative on Earth
The Constitution says that "Congress shall make no law regarding the establishment of religion." According to the Supreme Court, that phrase applies only to Congress. The President is exempt, so when Bush established his "faith-based" program the people have no right to argue. This ruling is far reaching. By logical extension, the rest of the First Amendment forbidding "abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble," also only applies to laws passed by Congress. The President, acting independently of Congress, can stifle all the speech he wants (even school principals have that right, see above), close newspapers at will, and break up meetings. As long as he keeps Congress out of things, this Surpreme Court has signaled it is ready to grant President Bush dictatorial powers.

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