Are you tired of arguing? Have you lost friends and relatives over your opinions? Let me ask you: What’s the difference between a debate question and a policy question? Not knowing the answer separates the closest of friends these days in our country. We must understand the difference to lay the groundwork for a civil […]
Constitution Day, 2022
Thank you for returning to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship, where we’ve been thinking about Constitution Day (September 17). I hope Americans never lose sight of the fact that the Constitution remains the “Supreme Law of the Land.” In all the distractions, we still want to remember that We the People run the U. S. […]
The Raid and The Law
Thank you for returning to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. What a week! I am looking closely at the events concerning the former President of the United States. My intention is to seek out the facts and the constitutional lens from which this event must be viewed. A raid is a serious matter for any […]
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 […]
Lessons of the Unwanted
You’ve heard the argument: Now that Roe is repealed, who will take all those babies? (Translation: “those babies that should have been aborted”). Then they ask, “will you?” It’s not just the young that think this way. Raise your hand if you’ve heard this argument waged by a middle-aged or older adult. Yes. That’s what […]
Did SCOTUS Establish a Religion in Ruling?
Did the Supreme Court just establish a religion by issuing its opinion in the Kennedy v Bremerton School District case? Did the Supreme Court establish Christianity as a religion to exclude all others? What happened to the separation of Church and State? Maybe you see the need for a civics lesson with all the rumors […]
Wanted: Civics Education
Ignorance is not bliss. I am stunned at the lack of American civics knowledge on display. I mean, people in the know don’t know, and children are parroting the mistaken views of law and freedom. The Liberty Bell is ringing loud and clear (figuratively, of course). “Come all who will listen and learn the American […]
Supreme Court Decisions, Decisions
Thank you for returning to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. Today, we are looking at two of the latest Supreme Court decisions. I give you my thoughts in this newsletter about these First and Ninth Amendment cases. Let’s dive right in… The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade and returned the abortion decision to […]
People In Power Ought To Be Mistrusted
Who said this? “The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted.” You’re right if you said many have expressed this sentiment over the decades. This particular quote is from the “Father of the U.S. Constitution” and our fourth president, James Madison. When you first read it, maybe you thought it was […]
About Your Constitutional Life…
Faithful messengers in history’s pre-computer age were the social media, press, cell phone, email, air, and ground transport of their respective eras. These couriers transmitted the critical information needed to run a government, maintain relationships, build businesses, etc. Today, we depend on modern communications to maintain our constitutional lives. When I heard the phrase “constitutional […]
Communist Goals Part 4
Welcome back to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship and our newsletter. Today, our topic concerns liberty and what it takes to keep it. We are looking at the fourth in a series of Neo-Communist goals described in the book “The Naked Communist” by W. Cleon Skousen in 1958. “Do We Have the Right Stuff?” is […]
The Neo-Communist Goals for the USA- Part 3
Thank you for returning to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship and this newsletter. Today, we are looking at the third in a series of Neo-Communist goals described in the book “The Naked Communist” by W. Cleon Skousen in 1958. If you’ve been with us on this page for a while, you know Skousen is one […]
Which Law Applies?
So, which law is it? Is the First Amendment right to peaceful protest, or is United States law 18 U.S.C. § 1507 the law we employ for guidance on peaceful protests? I hear both quoted and both used in the recent and ongoing protests. A bit of background: I was in Washington, D.C., last weekend. […]
Power and Control
Power and control are magnets for human beings. Anyone who is “dialed in” to our world today can see the magnetic attraction at work in industry, education, media, and politics. Our Founders knew this, so they structured our government with horizontal separation of powers (legislative, executive, judicial) and vertical boundaries (local, state, and national government) […]
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 […]
