If Campos/Levinson gets his way, watch out
I’d gotten used to ignoring Paul Campos’ columns in the Rocky Mountain News in favor of real-world common sense until a colleague told me to read his recent column about overthrowing the Constitution (“An outdated Constitution,” Nov. 6).
Doing so reinforced the wisdom of my decision, as the column showed a childlike ignorance of facts and the very subject on which he was writing.
First he implicitly complains about all the money legislators from “sparsely populated states” steal for pet projects. Well, Bub, let me remind you (and Sandy Levinson, the avatar of your column) of one example of the same thing going on back east on Boston’s Big Dig, a project that is falling apart before its billions of dollars in cost are even paid for ... by taxpayers — even some of us from “sparsely populated states”!
Next Levinson/Campos complains about the Constitution not availing citizens the opportunity to get rid of an incompetent president. I’d ask Levinson/Campos to hark back to the impeachment of Bill Clinton. The Constitution worked fine for that.
Both Campos and Levinson really need to keep close to their hearts the idea that if the Constitution were overthrown, it is most probable that tenured ivory-towered liberals like them would be found out and lose their jobs; or worse, taken out and shot. That’s what they do to dissidents in a lot of other countries that don’t have a founding document like our Constitution.
Stephen Holben, Denver
Of course Bush has just crapped all over the Constitution.
Posted by Obvious on November 12, 2007 10:45 AMI quickly dismiss many of loon Campos' articles too, since his arguments are blatantly contrived to support his precarious positions. Case in point, overthrowing the constitution for "popular vote" elections.
It seems that DU would have people in responsible positions such as his, teaching "common sense" instead of propagating the elitist rantings of a few disgruntled types.
Thankfully, Campos (a legend in his own mind) and his well-groomed "ivory tower" ideas fly contrary to the sensibilities of most folks.
Oblivious please give us your creative idea on the parts of the constitution you are refering to.
we the thinking people just love to read about your world of make believe.
Of course IRS statistics prove that the "Blue States" of the northeast and pacific coast subsidize the "red states" of the south and interior. Blue states receive less than they pay in, Red states more.
As for the Big Dig, that wasa needed public works project. The bridge to no where in all RED alaska was a pet project.
Next time you red staters start spouting off about self reliance, try paying for your own roads.
Posted by GEO on November 12, 2007 12:13 PM"Overthrow"? Does that mean that we have "overthrown" the constitution some twenty-seven times?
About "sparsely populated states" stealing money. Has anyone heard of the bridge to nowhere, to "connect the town of Ketchikan (population 8,900) with its airport on the Island of Gravina (population 50) at a cost to federal taxpayers of $3.5 million"? Alaska is the forty-seventh largest state in population..
One huge problem has to do with seniority in Congress. If Senator had not been in the Senate for almost forty years, there would have been no bridge to nowhere problem. Stevens is sometimes called the king of earmarks. You won't find any title of that sort attached to a senator who has been there only a few terms.
It's fine to argue that impeachment is the only method we need. However, there are a number of people who think we need a way that takes into consideration incompetence that doesn't qualify as "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors". They are equally entitled to argue their position.
Save the Constitution
Elect Dr. Ron Paul President in 2008
Argue all you want about impeachment, and change the qualifications all you want as well, but either way the burden of proof still applies.
If Pelosi and Reed had any hint of irrefutable proof, they would have brought the charge already.
Posted by on November 12, 2007 01:55 PMThere's not enough time to impeach them. Besides they would argue that is why the mess in Iraq is a mess. Never going to admit their mistakes but blame the fiasco on the Democrats somehow. Fine by me as long as we can end the war without a reason or an end.
Posted by Obvious on November 12, 2007 03:07 PMIt is not about Bush. It is about the constitution. It hopefully will last somewhat longer than Bush.
Posted by Truth on November 12, 2007 04:27 PMThanks for the anal wart perspective, Holben.
Posted by on November 12, 2007 07:09 PMSo many sages and one will correct me if I am wrong; to wit: To the best of my knowledge Andrew Johnson was impeached and escaped conviction by one vote (sort of like women were declared human by one vote in the Catholic vote in the Dark Ages Era). Bill Clinton was impeached but not convicted; therefore, it appears that no President has ever been convicted and evicted from his public housing. I'll side with Windon: Campos is a good read.
Deicide: “If some good evidence for life after death were announced, I'd be eager to examine it; but it would have to be real scientific data, not mere anecdote. As with the face on Mars and alien abductions, better the hard truth, I say, than the comforting fantasy. And in the final tolling it often turns out that the facts are more comforting than the fantasy.” -- Carl Sagan