“That’s a nice looking piece of paper. What is it?”
“We call it the United States Constitution.”
“Really? Is it important?”
“Very much so, we base our laws on it and we fall back on it whenever a question comes up about the legality of a law that is passed in Congress. We members of Congress swear to uphold it when we take office. We do so because it is required by the very same Constitution:
“The Constitution specifies in Article VI, clause 3:
“The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”
“Wow. So what was the oath you took when you became a member of Congress?”
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”
“I’ll give you $8,300 for it.”
“Deal!”
Filed under: Politics
I’m dirt poor, destitute, and I still can’t fathom even being tempted by that paltry sum. Could it be that this amount is all that can be proven right now? Between this and the horrifying performances at the Guantanamo Interrogation Rules hearing today, I’m thinking we’re sinking lower than the rock bottom I already assumed we’d reached.
No words cover it.
Very nicely written. It captures the crass nature of the deal. It’s more than money, of course. Lobbying and a culture of fear, a habit of presuming a terrorist threat are mixed in there too. Thanks for keeping up the effort.
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