“Nowhere else in the Constitution does a "right" attributed to "the people" refer to anything other than an individual right. What is more, in all six other provisions of the Constitution that mention "the people," the term unambiguously refers to all members of the political community, not an unspecified subset... The Second Amendment extends, prima facie, to all instruments that constitute bearable arms... The very text of the Second Amendment implicitly recognizes the pre-existence of the right and declares only that it "shall not be infringed."” PeopleDoeLawPoliticalPoliticsIndividualTermCommunityExistenceArmsMembersSixConstitutionInstrumentsAmendmentsProvisionSecond AmendmentBearable Author:Antonin Scalia
“The men who wrote the First Amendment religion clause did not view paid legislative chaplains and opening prayers as a violation of that amendment... the practice of opening sessions with prayer has continued without interruption ever since that early session of Congress. It can hardly be thought that in the same week the members of the first Congress voted to appoint and pay a chaplain for each House and also voted to approve the draft of the First Amendment... (that) they intended to forbid what they had just declared acceptable.” MenFirstsHousePrayerViewsPayPracticeWeekHe ManMembersPaidCongressOpeningAcceptableAmendmentsSessionViolationFirst AmendmentInterruptionsClausesChaplains Author:Warren E. Burger
“Donald Trump creates scapegoats in Muslims and Mexican immigrants. He calls for the use of torture. He calls for killing the innocent children and family members of terrorists. He cheers assaults on protesters. He applauds the prospect of twisting the Constitution to limit First Amendment freedom of the press. This is the very brand of anger that has led other nations into the abyss.” FirstsChildrenUseNationsTrumpLimitsMembersConstitutionPressesKillingTerroristInnocentBrandsTortureImmigrantsCheerAmendmentsAssaultAbyssMexicanFirst AmendmentFamily MembersFreedom Of The PressScapegoatInnocent Children Author:Mitt Romney
“Because I support the Second Amendment doesn't mean that I want people who shouldn't have guns to be able to threaten you, kill you or members of your family.” PeopleWantMeanAbleSupportMembersGunOur FamilyAmendmentsSecond Amendment Author:Hillary Clinton
“The classic example I've used - I'm sure you've heard me say it before - was Mark Begich in Alaska who was here for a full six years and never had a roll call vote on an amendment on the floor of the Senate, which Dan Sullivan tells me he used on virtually a daily basis. So the notion that protecting all of your members from votes is a good idea politically, I think, has been pretty much disproved by the recent [Barack Obama] election.” ThinkingYearsHas BeensIdeasUsedHeardExampleMembersSixVoteBasesMarkElectionNotionBarackClassicGood IdeasSenateAmendmentsAlaska Author:Mitch McConnell
“Amendments occupy a great deal of most legislators' time, particularly those lawmakers in the minority. Members of Congress do author major bills, but more commonly they make minor adjustments to the bigger bill.” DealsMembersMajorsBiggerBillsCongressMinoritiesAmendmentsMinorsAdjustmentLegislatorsLawmakers Book:Smells Like Dead Elephants: Dispatches from a Rotting Empire Source: Smells Like Dead Elephants: Dispatches from a Rotting Empire