Some government class at Ole Miss. #4 is a winner. Started rambling on the last question

1. What is the purpose of government?
2. The Constitution is divided into 3 sections. Explain the purpose of each section.
3. Why did Virginia feel that it was necessary to propose amendments to the Constitution?
4. How do the first 2 amendments differ from the remaining text?
5. Review Article V of the Constitution and explain the 2 ways in which the Constitution may be amended.
6. What is the difference between freedom of religion and toleration of religion?
7. Which Constitutional amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms? Reread the language of the amendment. Whose right is protected? Are there limits on the right?
8. Founding Father Benjamin Franklin stated that, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." In light of Sept. 11th and all the "War on Terror," is the government asking Americans to give up essential liberties in the interest of safety? Do you agree with Franklin's statement? As commentators today have asked, in surrendering certain liberties in the name of national security, do the terrorists "win"?

1. to protect and provide for the governed

2. The Preamble is basically the mission statement direct from the pens of the founding fathers, preceding the Constitution and explaining its purpose.  The Articles are the main body of the document and represent the original form as written in 1787.  They outline the duties and functions of Congress, the President, and the Courts.  The Amendments are the newest section of the Constitution, making up the second half of the work.  Though it may seem that to “amend” a constitution seems hypocritical, the Amendments contain some of the most important rights, regulations, and liberties that we as Americans enjoy today, i.e., freedom of speech, religion, and press, the right to keep and bear arms, the abolishment of slavery.

3. Virginia, as a “large” state, was skeptical of the Constitution from the outset, as it seemed to place nearly unlimited power in the hands of the large, centralized government.  By proposing the Bill of Rights, Virginia protected its own interests as a large state.

4. I have no idea.

5. Amendments to the Constitution may be made when two-thirds of both the House and Senate propose them, or when two-thirds (33) of the states call for a convention to propose new amendments.

6. Freedom of religion represents the ideal, where any religion may be observer without any fear of reprisal from the state or the people.  The term toleration of religion seems to be more prejudicial and biased, implying that other religions are okay as long as they do not impinge upon the status quo.

7. Second Amendment. The people of the states. The 2^nd Amendment was put into place to support the states’ right of self-defense.

8. In response to this I ask another question: What “essential” liberties have been sacrificed?  An extra 45 minutes at the airport?  Liberties have not been placed under attack.  Now if we were debating the morals of the War On Terror and asking if international respect for the United States is something to be desired, I would go another route.  America launching itself into an international conflict to be seen as the “big guy down the street” is not a new concept.  The entire Cold War was a pissing contest between two borderline retarded children to see who can whiz closest to the electric fence without actually touching it.  What is so different now?  Should America be in Iraq?  Should my friends come home from a country that doesn’t want them there with metal in their bodies?  Should I get activated and sent to play in the sand just to further a political agenda?  Or should we allow a wayward, leaderless people to continue down their path of self-destruction, which could have disastrous consequences for the rest of the planet?  Yes I agree with Ben Franklin.  But no, we are not giving up those liberties which make us the country we are today and have always been.