Blissful Ignorance

I have been rather disappointed the last two days by the goings of over at The Cocklebur forum. I see the same tired old arguments and accusations. I now remember full-well why I have never been very interested in online forums, they generally reflect a very select viewpoint and the laws of group dynamics indeed apply.

A couple of points that seem to come up occasionally is the notion that because CE is opposed to the principles (or should I say the results) of the 14th Amendment that the group is somehow racist.

This is of course a logical fallacy but there is no sense in pointing out logic to people that are inclined to jump to conclusions.

The issue with the 14th Amendment is that it takes something from the States and gives it to the Federal government, namely The People. Of course in reality both the State and Federal Governments belong to The People but anyone well grounded in political theory knows that.

We live in a nation of laws, presumably, and in order to justly live in a nation of laws one would expect the government to obey the rules set for it by its creators. One can rightly argue that the 14th Amendment came into being outside of those rules - but that is not the central point.

This amendment fundamentally changes the nature of the Federal/State compact. That is the problem that CE and many paleoconservatives have with this amendment.

Nobody that I know argues, or even believes, that people should be denied certain rights according to nothing more than skin color. In fact real paleoconservatives actually believe that line in the Declaration stating that all men are created equal. Arguing against the 14th Amendment is not an argument for racism - in fact every person is guaranteed certain inalienable rights, all equally, without this amendment.

Without citizens the States cannot properly check and balance the Federal government as was intended in the framing of the Constitution. Without this check and balance the Federal government is left to check itself via its own three branches (seems like a conflict of interest at times to me).

There is nothing racist about that point of view.