Those born in America have responsibility to be informed
By admin | 3rd July 2008
by Dolores Klein, Peoria, IL
The bitter reaction to the 5/4 decision by the Supreme Court concerning rights of anyone held by our country, to be made aware in our courts of the charges against them, has made the point unassailable now that who makes further appointments to the highest court is of urgent interest to all of us.
On March 12, a Washington D.C. businessman, David Rubenstein, permanently loaned a 710 year old copy of the Magna Carta to the National Archives and Records Administration. It’s the only copy in the United States. It’s on display in the West Rotunda, down the hall from the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.
The next best thing to going there is to buy, beg or borrow a copy of the Spring/Summer American Heritage magazine. The Founding Fathers derived their belief in the Law of the Land from that document. Though it dealt originally with feudal relationships limiting the extent to which the King could continue pushing claims of power too far, it foreshadows modern constitutional guarantees.
Reading this article and re-reading the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights is worth it, as we confront the ramifications of our current controversy. With the good luck of being born in this country comes the responsibility of being informed and thoughtful.