The Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, do not give us rights, they restrain government from taking away our inalienable rights, that are older than government.  Almost all Americans have fogotten this one concept of our unique democracy.  I too had forgotten this basic understanding of my own government, until yesterday, when I read Thom Hartmann's excellent article at CommonDreams.org.  Please, if you have not read this article, or simply do not believe this is true, click this link now. I celebrated our country's 227th birthday by researching this concept.  It is true.  This current administration, executive, congressional, and judicial, all seem to have forgotten this basic concept, and embody what Jefferson, Madison, and the other founders feared most, tyranny, one-party rule, the breakdown of the seperation of church and state, and government over the people, rather than goverment of the people. I almost never agreed with anything Ronald Reagan said, but he was correct when he said. . . "Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction." I think that in its 227 years, America has never been closer to losing its freedom from within.

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