Them the People

Very thoughtful article, especially "We have the Bill of Rights to protect freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the free exercise of religion, etc., not because we expect that majorities will reliably support and protect these rights but because we expect that majorities will be hostile to them." We EXPECT majorities to be hostile to rights. Consider that many of the problems we have, developed because minorities exercised their rights in bad ways. YET, they were allowed to do so because they are Constitutionally allowed to do so. Conservatives accepted this as a necessary evil because the rights they used to do it were MORE important than the individual issues at hand. At the same time, dems bent or broke Constitution requirements, i.e. being required to pass laws, in dealing, for example, with immigration. Now, the dems want to eliminate the Electoral College, the methods of selection of Senators, and the balance of the Court system because they are not getting their way as Republicans follow Constitutional strictures and re establish good order. Dems use Constitutional rights to undermine society and then ignore Constitutional structures to get what they want. It CANNOT be allowed to be both ways. THAT well defines dem vs. Republican. Dems seek a pure majority democracy with little protection of minority rights. Republicans seek to protect the Constitutional Republic and the rights of ALL citizens. Dems seek rule by the elite and ignore flyover country. Republicans are trying to represent all the citizens, protecting their rights by observing the Constitution's designation of representation to protect those rights. The differences between a democracy and a Constitutional Republic are subtle but critical. Our public education system has dulled the ability to think critically and understand the importance of the differences and WHY rule by whim or a pure majority is such a terrible idea.

Well written Kevin. If you want a good example of the majority trampling on the rights of the minority you only need to look at the house impeachment process. If that is what you want for yourself then vote for a democrat.

Kevin D. Williamson is a creep. Attacking another creep doesn't make him less so. That he may intermittently say something sensible doesn't excuse stuff like this: https://www.nationalreview.com/2016/03/donald-trump-stupid-psychopath-ignorance-policy-complex-problems/ In 2016, Ben Shapiro said voting for Trump was tantamount to racism. Kevin D. Williamson called me a stupid psychopath. That ended them with me. Williamson's hatefully vile articles and books about people who supported President Trump are what's wrong with what's left of National Review.

Chris is just trying to sink Bernie. Chris still knows, or cares nothing about socialism. Chris does care about the Democrat establishment continuing to control the Democrat Party.

I was an adult in the 70s and 80s and reasonably politically aware. How is it that if the condition of U.K. at that time was covered at all by the American press it was with a pillow until it stopped moving. Without the internet the press could cast a cloak of invisibility over anything that didn’t fit the leftist narrative , damn them, the bastids.

Thank you so much, #3. Clearly, Mr. Williamson is very much a creep. He can write all those nice things about why socialism is bad, and then turn around and fail to see how Trump is the only person right now standing for the US Constitution, and can stupidly, ignorantly, in defiance of the clear facts, call Trump a psychopath and worse. I will note that Mr. Williamson is not to be bothered with in the future.