Journal pudge's Journal: What Conservatives Believe 18
Rush Limbaugh said to CPAC the other day, "We [conservatives] believe that the preamble of the Constitution contains an inarguable truth, that we are all endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, among them life. Liberty, freedom. And the pursuit of happiness."
As a conservative, no, I believe no such thing whatsoever.
Cross-posted on <pudge/*>.
More detail, please (Score:2)
I think it's sufficiently vague that even BHO supports it.
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He disagrees with the assertion that it is in the preamble to the constitution.
Quite simply, it's not there. Look it up.
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Yeah, I think smitty_one_each knows it's not in the Constitution. He just wasn't sure if that was the nature of my disagreement.
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Fair enough. I've read your journal long enough to know how carefully you parse words, so I immediately focused on his choice of words:
"We believe that the preamble of the Constitution contains..."
I'm embarrassed to admit that I had to look it up to verify my assumption.
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Just sing Schoolhouse Rock! o/~ We the people, in order to form a more perfect union ... o/~
No one born after 1970 has any excuse for not knowing the complete Preamble by heart, just by knowing this song. ;-)
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I surmise he'd argue that he was summarizing the Constitution, at which point it gets down to thumbwrestling over whether you think the summary is any good.
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I surmise he'd argue that he was summarizing the Constitution, at which point it gets down to thumbwrestling over whether you think the summary is any good.
If he would say that, I'd say he is being less than honest, since it's pretty clear he just made an error.
But if he did, I'd also note that clearly, many conservatives don't believe the Preamble to the Constitution says that. It says little about rights, and absolutely nothing about their source. It does speak to the importance of a strong federal government in order to secure liberty, but not whether that liberty is inalienable or where it comes from or whether it's arguable.
So, I reiterate my lack of be
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But they're after freedom from fear, not freedom of action.
Which is exactly why attempts at emotional manipulation are the most obvious litmus test of a crappy leader.
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Oh, I think the liberals do.
Believe that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness? No, I don't think they do. I think they believe that all of those rights -- perhaps excepting life, depending on the liberal in question -- can be taken from us if it is for the "greater good."
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No, liberals are fine with denying people the Right to Life. 40 million plus (and counting) dead babies attest to that fact.
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Moral relativism is a fine blend of theology and narcissism.
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I'm quite conservative and I enjoy listening to Limbaugh. I find him incredibly entertaining whether or not I agree with him.
The aggravating thing with this is that now there are going to be 100 stories on sites like Digg proclaiming him and the entire conservative movement frauds simple because of the misstatement.
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I am just saying as your other replier did, that I do not believe it is in the Constitution.
That's because it's not in the Constitution (Score:1)
One of many hazards of getting your "facts" from Rush "Oxy" Limbaugh.
The line he recited appears in the Declaration of Independence, which carries no legal force whatsoever today.
But while we're on the subject, I'd really, really like to know what conservatives stand for nowadays.
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The line he recited appears in the Declaration of Independence
Obviously.
which carries no legal force whatsoever today.
Incorrect. Read the Ninth Amendment lately?
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Incorrect. Read the Ninth Amendment lately?
Fail.
All the Ninth Amendment says is that the listing of rights in the previous amendments is not exhaustive. It does not give the Declaration of Independence any legal force today.
Plus, you didn't answer my previous question: What do conservatives stand for nowadays? I'd really, really like to know.
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Incorrect. Read the Ninth Amendment lately?
Fail.
That's a shame. You should read it more often.
All the Ninth Amendment says is that the listing of rights in the previous amendments is not exhaustive.
No, of course not. It says additional things, most importantly in this context, that there exist rights that are retained by the people. Surely thes rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are "retained by the people" if any are, because of their enumeration in the nation's founding document.
It does not give the Declaration of Independence any legal force today.
In that it logically requires us to recognize the rights enumerated in the nation's founding documents as being retained by the people as per recognition by