3 Branches of Government & Landmark Supreme Court Cases

Jessica Tou recently made a comment here adding helpfully to my post on the Bill of Rights. As a followup, here are some resources:

To learn more about the 3 branches of our government as laid out in our constitution:

http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/federal.shtml

To learn more about Landmark Supreme Court Cases that have since shaped the interpretation of our constitution:

http://www.billofrightsinstitute.org/Teach/freeResources/LandmarkSupremeCourtCases/

Factcheck.org on the Economic Crisis

Here's an article that helps fill out the picture a bit on the Economic Crisis, proving again that oversimplification seems to be the ultimate enemy of truth during election this season:

"Who Caused The Economic Crisis?"

Debate Transcripts & The Saddleback Civil Forum

The Commission on Presidential Debates provides transcripts of current and past Presidential Debates.

Also, you can read a complete transcript of the Saddleback Civil Forum here.

A Reasonable Republican Point of View

As you may know, I am leaning heavily towards voting for Obama. However, I created this site not to convince readers to mindlessly follow my lead, but to instead engage minds, both Democratic and Republican, in a thoughtful process and dialogue. Accordingly, before I express my opinions about the two candidates, I would like to share two articles sent to me by a well-respected, thoughtful Republican friend of mine. Both articles are written by David Brooks, a conservative writing for the New York Times:

1. "Why Experience Matters": An article exploring the back story behind McCain's pick of Sarah Palin as well as providing some helpful historical context on both parties. While this article does question Palin's experience, the same argument can be made against Obama, who is running for the top of the democratic ticket. Reminder: The VP Debate is on tonight at 6pm (PST).
   
2. "Thinking About McCain": An article providing a logically strong, balanced, and reasonable argument for supporting McCain.
   

My Republican friend (who wishes to remain unnamed) has also personally written some very reasonable emails to me regarding his support for McCain. I am currently working on compiling them into categories for posting on this site.

The Bill of Rights

In a previous post, I directed readers to the official site of the US Constitution. While I think it would be great for people to read the whole constitution, much of the original constitution is very dry in that it describes in detail the structure of the US government and focuses less explicitly on American ideals. However, The Bill of Rights (the 1st 10 amendments to our Constitution) talks much more explicitly about our values as a country. I also found the historical reason behind the creation of The Bill of Rights interesting and reflective of our founding fathers' motivations:

(from the site):

"During the debates on the adoption of the Constitution, its opponents repeatedly charged that the Constitution as drafted would open the way to tyranny by the central government. Fresh in their minds was the memory of the British violation of civil rights before and during the Revolution. They demanded a 'bill of rights' that would spell out the immunities of individual citizens. Several state conventions in their formal ratification of the Constitution asked for such amendments; others ratified the Constitution with the understanding that the amendments would be offered.

On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States therefore proposed to the state legislatures 12 amendments to the Constitution that met arguments most frequently advanced against it. The first two proposed amendments, which concerned the number of constituents for each Representative and the compensation of Congressmen, were not ratified. Articles 3 to 12, however, ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures, constitute the first 10 amendments of the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights."

I encourage you to consider The Bill of Rights during this election as you decide which candidate is more likely to lead us in the right direction.

Factcheck.org Exposes "The Lowlights" of Both Campaigns

As the entirety of Factcheck.org can be a bit overwhelming, this article provides a helpful summary of "red flags" to watch out for from both campaigns:

"The Whoppers of 2008"

The Constitution of the United States

Our constitution contains the ideals upon which our country was founded. If US patriotism was a religion, this document would be its holy book, and yet I must admit that I never gave our constitution a thoughtful read until only a few months ago. Sadly, I am sure I am not alone in my neglect of our country's most important document, which is why I am posting the link to the official site of our Constitution here:

The Constitution of the United States

As someone who is newly engaged in the voting process, I found it helpful to first read this document and interpret for myself what the ideals of our forefathers were as they founded this country. In the midst of all the negative ads and media distractions, it's easy to lose perspective on what is truly important. For me, our constitution serves as a grounding point, and accordingly, much of my vote will depend on which candidate, which party, and which stances on issues most closely align to what I think is an accurate representation of our constitutional ideals.

(Added 10/20/08)

Here's an article sent to me from a friend regarding this topic:

Wall Street Journal - Opinion: How to Read the Constitution