A friendly Reminder

Two hundred and thirty-six years ago on September 17, 1787, the Constitution for the United States was signed and sent to the states for ratification. When asked what type of government they had given us, Benjamin Franklin famously said, “A republic, if you can keep it.” We’ve created the Patriots Program at the Constitution Study to help people keep the republic we were entrusted with some 236 years ago. Yesterday, September 17, 2023, was the 236th anniversary of the signin

Who has the final decision about the education of your children, you, or the state? Can state entities deprive parents of their right to opt their children out of objectionable curriculum. When government schools act in loco parentis , are they acting as tyrants? Who is in charge of your children? That has been a perennial question that has grown in importance over the last few years. When I was a child, it was understood that, with rare exceptions, parents were in charge of

Author: Paul Garner Can we talk about consent for a few minutes?  A few years ago during the trial of Henry Weinstein the #MeToo move grew up as more women came forward claiming that they too were assaulted by Weinstein. Again during the hearings for confirmation of Justice Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, the #MeToo movement grew in sympathy with the woman Kavanaugh was accused as assaulting back in college. It came about that these accusations were false but it inspired more

People have rights, but do computers? When you create something, you have the exclusive right over it for a period of time. These are called copyrights and patents. Does a computer program have the right to copyright its creations? With the release of ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) applications, there has been a lot of speculation and downright assertions about our future. With over 30 years of experience in Information Technology (IT), I have more than a pass

What powers does the Constitution delegate to the legislative branch of government? Most of the powers delegated to Congress are found in Article I, Section 8, but not all of them. How can we complain about our representatives in Congress not staying within the limits of the Constitution if we keep electing them to do so? I encourage people to ask questions. I believe there are only two “stupid” questions in the world: The one you don’t ask and the one you ask three times. Qu

What powers are vested in the federal courts? Why did Alexander Hamilton refer to the judiciary as the least able to harm our rights? What does the Constitution say about the supremacy of Supreme Court opinions? In this third installment of the three-part series on the branches of government, we look at the role of the third and weakest branch. At least that’s what our Founding Fathers thought. What is the role of the federal judiciary? What is the extent of their powers, how

When is America’s judicial system like the child’s game of “telephone”? You’ve probably heard about the case Groff v. Dejoy, Postmaster General, but I doubt you’ve heard anything about just how bad the underlying jurisprudence is. When is a religious liberty win not as good as we’ve been told? When it’s based on a house of cards. Our judicial system today works like a bad case of the game “telephone”. You probably remember that game from grammar school. The teacher would whis

What does Colorado have against freedom of speech? First Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop, now Lorie Smith of 303 Creative, LLC. Both have had cases against Colorado for violating their freedom of expression. Will the latest Supreme Court opinion finally teach Colorado a lesson? Freedom of speech has been under attack in this country, and Colorado has been a big part of it. First, Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop has spent ten years trying to defend his right to not

Racism has taken many forms over the years. Slavery, Jim Crow, Black Codes, eugenics, and yes affirmative action. In the case Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. V. President and Fellows of Harvard College, SCOTUS was asked whether race conscious admission was a violation of the Constitution. How can America become a colorblind society if we continue these racist policies like affirmative action. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines racism as: racism noun a belief that race i

The colonies would only put up with the evils coming out of London for so long. How long with the states suffer the evils coming out of Washington, D.C.? As Abraham Lincoln said, We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts. Are the evils we see every day still sufferable? Or will We the People finally get our states to stand up for our rights? For the last two years I have been showing you how much our current government in Washington, D.C. is actin

All of the executive power of the United States is vested in one person, the President of the United States. Contrary to popular opinion, most of the powers of the United States are not vested in the President, but in Congress. Ever wonder why we have such a unique way of electing the President? This is the second in a three-part series on the branches of the federal government. The first article covered the Legislative branch, but this time we’ll look at the role of the exe

Of the three branches of the federal government, most of the powers are delegated to the legislative. As the representative branch of government, Congress is also where the representatives of both the people and the states are supposed to enact their will. With Congress exercising most of the powers delegated to the United States, it’s important that we hold our representatives accountable to their oaths to support the Constitution. When I started studying the Constitution, I

Does the PRO Act do what it claims, protect the right to organize, or is it another attempt to socialize labor? Once again, Congress is ignoring the Constitution and claiming the power to not only regulate employment, but to tell people whether or not they can work for themselves. Based on California’s AB5, the PRO Act would further destroy small businesses and independent workers. In the House, it’s called it the “ Protecting the Right to Organize Act ”. What it should be ca

A Convention of States has become a perennial topic for many in the constitution community. How do we amend the Constitution, and what role would a convention have? Would a Convention of States fix the issues so many of us see in America today? I’ve written before about the Convention of States movement, but this is a topic I’m frequently asked about. I know plenty of people both for and against such a convention, and I’ve written about their concerns as well. However, I’ve

What we’ve learned, or in some cases had confirmed, by the Durham Report should concern all of us. According to the report, when the FBI initiated the investigation into Donald Trump and his Presidential campaign, they had no probable cause that the campaign had been in contact with Russian government officials. Furthermore, the FBI ignored evidence of the innocence of those accused. After almost seven years of costly and disruptive investigations we should be asking the ques

Memorial Day is about honoring the memories of those who died in the service of this nation. Of all the statues, memorials, and holidays, the greatest place to honor those who have fallen is in the hearts of the American people. Do We the People honor the memories of those who gave the last full measure of devotion to preserve the Constitution, liberty, and justice for all of us. MEMO’RIAL , noun That which preserves the memory of something; any thing that serves to keep in m

Author: Paul Garner   How can children grow up to love liberty if all they witness is authoritarianism and provision?   “ Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”― Ronald Rea

What is “Corrupt Intent” and why does it matter? Will the Court of Appeals opinion in United States v. Fischer have an impact on other January 6th cases? Could the future of those defendants really turn on what “Corrupt Intent” means? A recent decision by the D.C. Court of Appeals may have an interesting impact on the prosecutions of those charged with the Capitol breech on January 6, 2021. The case of United States v. Fischer consolidates three decisions in lower courts reg

Thomas Paine said in The American Crisis, “What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly.” The current debt crisis did not suddenly appear. It comes from decades of fiscal mismanagement and malfeasance. Most of the constitutional crisis that the news has been reporting is nothing but hype. When I turned 16, I wanted a car, just like pretty much every other American teenage boy. When I asked my father for financial help getting my first car, he told me that if I didn’t get t

When I was a little kid, I asked my dad to teach me the rules of poker so I could join in the family card games he would play with my big sisters after the supper dishes were cleared away.   So, Dad taught me what beats what – like one pair is beat by two pair which is beat by three of a kind, etc. He explained that, even though we were just playing for fun, it was important for me to know and understand the rules.   So, imagine my surprise when my big sister Mary reached for