Well I just happened upon a FB comment I just couldn't ignore (well I *did* ignore it, saving it for ridicule here rather than engaging the brain-dead poster directly). The issue: "Will President Clinton be able to repeal the 2nd Amendment?" (a subject of such idiocy in and of itself it deserves it's own topic!). The comment: "You forgot about the UN dear friend....the President can give UN forces the power to remove by force all weapons from US citizens.....look it up." Who *ARE* these people? And can we just stick them all in Alaska or something and let them fester up there in the cold? JEEEEEZ!
It always amazes me when people who claim to revere the Constitution have absolutely no idea how the Constitution actually works. One power the Constitution pointedly does not grant to the Executive in any way is the power to amend the Constitution. You'd have to have 2/3 of both houses of Congress vote to abolish the 2nd amendment (which would never happen). THEN you'd have to get 3/4 of the states to do the same thing (which would also never happen). There's no indication that Clinton wants anything other than some fairly minor restrictions on gun sales that even a majority of NRA members favor. But even if "abolishing the 2nd amendment" were her fondest wish and #1 priority... she couldn't do a damn thing about it other than voice support for it. The President has no actual role in the whole process. I explained this to a "Hillary wants to abolish the 2nd amendment" nut in the Spring. His response was "I just know what I know. I'm not some big Constitutional scholar." I said "Neither am I. But I passed freaking high school civics."
Nope, both. Technically, there's a second way, the calling of a Constitutional Convention (called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures). This has never happened, though. All our amendments were passed by the more familiar mechanism. Constitutional Amendments - How is the Constitution amended?
2/3rds of Congress can pass a resolution to alter the Constitution. But, any change to the constitution must be ratified by, I think, 35 of the 50 states. I'll tell you this not only has been the dirtiest, sickest, most idiotic election that I have ever seen in my 50 years of voting, it is also a very scary indication of just exactly how many stupid, uninformed and worse, people that have no desire to be informed because their minds have all ready been made up, display I have ever witnessed. If I were Hillary, I would not even want to be President anymore because this is the crap she is going to have to deal with for the next 4 years, at least. I have never been as embarrassed or saddened about my country in my entire life. If Orange Boy gets elected, I for the first time ever, am thinking that I don't even want to live here anymore. I spent 4 years in the service, doing my duty, and whatever was asked of me, to defend my country. However, this is no longer the country I was defending. This is turning more like the countries that we were trying to defend ourselves from. A country that wants to be a religious state, a country that doesn't allow its people a voice unless it is the same as theirs. A country that will beat people up, Gestapo style if they disagree. A country that advocates shooting people that disagree. Basically a lawless country. I hope that the guard is called out to protect the population from the bully vigilantes that are already talking about being there, armed in an effort to intimidate them at the polls. (this has already been stated by a Trump supporter) What have we become and how long is it going to take to get straightened out again or is it even possible?
See, that was always the thing about the Nazis. Everybody wanted to pretend that they were an aberration and that Hitler was some sort of supernatural demon. He wasn't. The Germans were us, and Hitler was Donald Trump with a somewhat more favorable set of circumstances. ANY of these right-wing nutcases could be Hitler if given the exactly-right conditions. Hopefully this election will wake some people up to this. Godwin can kiss my butt.
"I'll tell you this not only has been the dirtiest, sickest, most idiotic election that I have ever seen..." is so very true. My mom (who I share a house with) and I are not talking tonight over a blow up over this election.
That is sad and I see this sort of thing happening a lot. My son-in-law's brother has been posting the most vile things and then Kevin posts reasonable things and they probably won't speak again for a long time. Even his 15yo nephew (my grandson) has gotten on to tell him off with facts. I am lucky that my family and close friends think along the same lines as Rod and I. Ditto
