I find it curious that you long for the traditions and civility of the past while deriding the precepts and tenets of our Founders as being non-germane to the present....
My intent is not to deride the precepts and tenets of our founders, not at all.. I am simply pointing out that the document is not to be so plainly read..
There are eight thousand words in the US Constitution however they only begin to map out the basic ground rules that actually govern our land..
Quick examples, the idea that racial segregation is inherently unequal does not explicitly appear in the terse text.. The First Amendment prevents "Congress" from abridging various freedoms, but the Amendment does not expressly protect theses freedoms from abridgment by the president or state governments... None of the Constitution's early amendments explicitly limits state governments. Although everyone today refers to these early amendments as " the Bill of Rights"... Now think about this, the phrase " Bill of Rights" is absent from the terse text.
Kind Sir, I have been reading and pondering the Constitution since folks actually wore a suit and a fedora at baseball games and somehow I always am amazed at its beauty and its complexities.. I have learned to read beyond, and around and over the original text. The founders I feel would have wanted us to do so.. Liberty of thinking is not referenced in those eight thousand words however thinking about those words is what keeps the Constitution alive today..
Your civil discourse is welcomed Sir and I mean no disrespect when and if I disagree with your way of thinking.. Sharing ones thoughts whether we agree or disagree educates us all.
Now Im putting on my suit and fedora and heading out to the ball park, is two bucks enough for a beer and hot dog. LOL
Regards
CCJ