<p><strong>To the editor:</strong></p><p>In today’s setting, a large group of voters have expressed a desire for more conservative judges, whom they call Constitutionalists.</p><p>What is a Constitutionalist? A Constitutionalist desires adherence to the original words, limited government and individual rights.</p><p>Peoples’ understanding of the Constitution has always intrigued me. Except for the Christian Bible, no document was ever created that is both grossly misquoted and cherry-picked at the same time. My correspondence today is not meant to have an opinion, it is just to express some realities of our Constitution and our rights as American citizens, then placing them in context with our local community.</p><p>Myth: Our rights as American citizens come from many sources and institutions.</p><p>Reality: Our rights as American citizens were given exclusively to us by our forefathers, brilliant human men, who debated, crafted and implemented these rights through the Constitution.</p><p>Myth: Supporters of the Constitution’s Establishment Clause are atheists, socialists or people who want our country to be a secular nation.</p><p>Reality: These people support the individual’s right to choose a religion, they are Constitutionalists who are against attempts by many to favor one religion over another. Our forefathers, when crafting the Constitution, granted its citizens the right to individually choose or not choose a religion. What many people overlook is that freedom of religion has a second requirement. It is called the “establishment clause.” As these two requirements are not to be taken alone, it means we as individuals can choose, but the government and government officials cannot “establish” or give preference to one religion over another.</p><p>Myth: The Constitution contains a clause that states, “when we get to the 1950s, the likes, dislikes, customs, and traditions of the majority demographic supersede this Constitution and its amendments, from that point forward.”</p><p>Reality: The Constitution makes no such claim. If that claim were true, I believe it would be called apartheid.</p><p>Reality: For those of you who are debating whether capitalistic sponsors, athletes, coaches and team owners should protest at sporting events, please remember that their actions are covered by the Constitution’s First Amendment concerning freedom of speech. Compulsory patriotism is not covered in the Constitution.</p><p>So how should this translate to our local community? Recently, the Johnson County Board of Commissioners and county sheriff publicly pledged their support for the Second Amendment. Their actions were lauded by a Daily Journal reader: “These worthies … have pledged to stand by their sacred oath to ‘uphold and defend the Constitution against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.’"</p><p>Therein lies the problem, elected officials’ scared oaths to “uphold and defend” means the entire Constitution, not just the ones your demographic likes. What assurances do we have that these leaders will uphold all sections of the Constitution?</p><p>Or is the myth that conservatives want Constitutionalists who adhere to the original words, limited government and individual rights.</p><p>Is the reality they desire judges, which they call Constitutionalists, who enforce the likes, dislikes, customs and traditions of the majority demographic of the 1950s?</p><p><p><strong>Jay Goad</strong></p><p><p><strong>Franklin</strong></p>
