Specific issues, within the constitutional crisis that we face, should be discussed only after we understand a foundational problem some want to ignore. Like rusty and broken pipes, deep in the ground, unless fixed the system only will worsen & sicken those who drink the water. 1/6

We look at the past & try to understand our present. Each July 4, we celebrate the signing (the actual date of which was July 2, 1776 [FN1]) of a document. As kids we are taught that things that make us the “land of the free” include that Declaration of Independence, as well as 2/6

the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. A relatively recent, and favored by the far right, way to interpret the Constitution would confine us to those early days. Yet many of the people who embrace this “thing” called originalism do not want to hear mention of slavery. 3/6

Slavery is not mentioned in the Constitution, yet we feel its effects today. Slaves, in many States, were not allowed to be taught to read or write or perform simple math. When the Civil War ended, the millions were freed, yet few were educated, and the facilities they had 4/6

were things that had to fight for. With the Roberts Court, those things are being taken away. It’s like segregated water fountains. The plumbing for white worked and was clean. The water fountains for former slaves spewed toxins. 5/6

Footnotes:
FN1. In a letter dated July 3, 1776, to his wife Abigail, John Adams wrote: “The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America.” 6/6