Howdy from Washington, D.C. Cathy, Juliette and I visited the Supreme Court today and Senator Scott Brown at the Capitol. I wanted to talk with him about laying a wreath at President John Adams grave since Senator Brown is from Boston and John Adams is from Quincy, just outside of Boston. As it so happened he already had that on his books! Yea! Be sure to watch our behind the scene video tonight! It is fun. Juliette worked really hard on it.

Be sure to show it to your kids as it may give them ideas for our contest!

Tonight’s Federalist Paper No. 37 by James Madison was just brilliant. I am going to simply transcribe some of my favorite statements because they are so thought provoking and wise and well, what more do I need to add, except that every member in Congress today should be required to read them.

“It is a misfortune, inseparable from human affairs, that public measures are rarely investigated with that spirit of moderation, which is essential to a just estimate of their real tendency to advance, to obstruct, the public good.”

“Nor, will they barely make allowances for the errors which may be chargeable on the fallibility to which the convention, as a body of men, we liable; but will keep in mind, that they themselves also are but men, and ought not to assume an infallibility in rejudging the fallible opinions of others.”

“The genius of republican liberty, seems to demand on one side, not only that all power should be derived from the people; but that those intrusted with it should be kept in dependence on the people, by a short duration of their appointments; and that, even during this short period, the trust should be placed not in a few, but in a number of hands.”

“But no language is so copious as to supply words and phrases for every complex idea, or so correct as not to include many, equivocally denoting different ideas.”

“.. delineating the boundary between the federal and state jurisdictions…”

“The real wonder is, that so many difficulties should have been surmounted; and surmounted with an unanimity almost as unprecedented, as it must have been unexpected. It is impossible for any man of candor to reflect on this circumstance, without partaking of the astonishment. It is impossible for the man of pious reflection, not to perceive in it a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution.”

“.. we are necessarily led to two important conclusions. The first is, that the convention must have enjoyed in a very singular degree, an exemption from the pestilential influence of party animosities; the disease most incident to deliberative bodies, and most apt to contaminate their proceedings. The second conclusion is that all the deputations composing the convention, were either satisfactorily accommodated by the final act; or were induced to accede to it, by a deep conviction of the necessity of sacrificing private opinions and partial interests to the public good and by a despair of seeing this necessity diminished by delays or new experiments.”

THIS IS THE WISDOM WE NEED IN THE LEGISLATIVE AND EXECUTIVE BODIES TODAY. (AND NOTICE HE WAS NOT AFRAID TO MENTION “THE ALMIGHTY.”)

God bless,

Janine Turner

June 17, 2010

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