Have you heard rumblings about the 25th Amendment this past week? I sure have, and from different sources, too. In order to be “in the know,” let’s do a quick review of this section of the Constitution. You may find one or more of the sections to be of great interest. The Twenty-fifth Amendment concerns […]
Could Americans Be Forced to House Migrants?
Let’s take a lesson from the Third Amendment and our history. The Constitution forbids the government from forcing us to house soldiers without our consent. Here is the text of the Third Amendment: “No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of […]
News, Facts, Opinion
Are opinion journalists allowed to have an opinion when reporting the news? This is a sticking point in American discourse this week. Let’s explore this question. If born before 1975, you may remember news as just the news. In other words, just the facts without editorial comment. The consumer was expected to draw their conclusion […]
Jury Duty- Who, Me?
I just read a community post from a woman who found her jury duty summons unsettling because she would have to miss work. With the price of eggs as they are, I understand her concerns. A bevy of responses offered this woman advice on potential excuses to “get out of jury duty.” Others used the […]
The Fifth Amendment and Private Property
What if the government wants to buy your property for its own use? The pictures below depict a home surrounded by beautiful woods— AND a frontage road, an interstate highway, sports field(s), and a multi-story hotel (I took the pictures from the hotel’s 5th-floor window). What is this home doing in the middle of a […]
Keep Your Eye on the Fourth Amendment
Are you confused? Hearing or reading all kinds of things that a regular everyday American may find hard to follow? Join the club. I’m not a lawyer, but this is what I have so far. My concern remains to seek out the facts and the constitutional lens from which the event concerning the former President […]
Get To Know Amendments XI- XVII
Informal poll: Raise your hand if you know anything about amendments 11-27. Right. Not many, not many. I teach this material, and I still have to review it each time I present it! These days, it pays to know our rights and the changes made to our original Constitution. Let’s break it down: The Eleventh Amendment […]
Speak Up!
Welcome back to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. Speak Up! That’s our focus this week. I hope you find these articles instructive and encouraging as you exercise your First Amendment rights. Someone asked me if we are allowed to criticize any public official at the highest levels. Imagine not knowing your rights or the extent […]
About that Article V Convention…
Article V deals with the amendment process. Either two-thirds of both houses of Congress can propose an amendment OR two-thirds of the state legislators (34 states) can call a Convention of States. Such an Article V convention would have an agenda limited to a specific agenda for a specific purpose to amend a specific provision […]
Federalism Explained
A question I get asked a lot is why different states have different rules. Like, why does Florida do things one way and California operate differently? Why is CC licensing easier in Utah than in Illinois? Why aren’t the vote-ing systems precisely the same in all 50 states? It’s called “federalism.” I’ll explain it this […]
When Lawlessness Has Free Rein
“The Constitution is not a living organism. It’s a legal document, and it says what it says and doesn’t say what it doesn’t say.”- Justice Antonin Scalia Recently, I was the guest speaker in a high school government class. I taught the Bill of Rights from the late Justice Scalia’s perspective. So, in talking about […]
The Absolute Amendments
Welcome back to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship! I hope that your week is off to a great start, both personally and professionally. This week, we paid attention to what is being said to us and about us as a country. The first article, “The Absolute Amendments,” explores the mistaken idea that our amendments are […]
Your Words Have Power
Have words gotten you into trouble lately? It happens. As a family member, neighbor, and as a citizen, my “applecart” has been turned over a few times recently. Let’s take a brief look at the power of words. Words are born in our thoughts. Raw, even wrong words usually stem from thoughts that have been […]
Personal Thoughts from Candace
Tempers and emotions are high. I have received notes indicating people think I am in a position to control what is happening in our country. I am not in that position. We can only control the two feet we each stand on. The goal here is to help us to think, not take on the […]
A Road Map for What’s Next
“These are the times that try men’s souls…”- Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense. As Americans, we can relate to Thomas Paine’s pain, if you will. We wonder, what will happen in the next days and weeks to our country? What will be the outcome? Since this is a civics education page, I will summarize […]
