Phil Beaver seeks to collaborate on the-objective-truth, which can only be discovered. The comment box below invites readers to write.
"Civic" refers to citizens who collaborate for individual happiness with civic integrity more than for the city, state, nation, or society.
Consider writing a personal paraphrase of the preamble, which offers fellow citizens mutual equality: For discussion, I convert the preamble’s predicate phrases to nouns and paraphrase it for my proposal as follows: “Willing citizens collaborate, communicate, and connect to provide 5 public institutions—integrity, justice, peace, strength, and prosperity—so as to encourage responsible human liberty to living people.” I want to collaborate with the other citizens on this paraphrase and theirs yet would preserve the original, 1787, text, unless it is amended by the people.
It seems no one has challenged whether or not the preamble is a legal statement. The fact that it changed this independent country from a confederation of states to a union of states deliberately managed by disciplined fellow citizens convinces me the preamble is legal. Equity in opportunity and outcome is shared by the people who collaborate for human justice.
Every citizen has equal opportunity to either trust-in and collaborate-on the goals stated in the preamble or be dissident to the agreement. I think 2/3 of citizens try somewhat to use the preamble but many do not articulate commitment to the goals. However, it seems less than 2/3 understand that “posterity” implies grandchildren. “Freedom of religion,” which fellow citizens have no means to discipline, oppresses freedom to develop integrity.
Selected theme from this week
Writers for the press seem to do all they can to replace the U.S. republic with social democracy. But the U.S. Preamble proposes responsible human liberty through establishment and maintenance of 5 public connections for freedom-from tyranny. Only the entity We the People of the United States can effect the U.S. Preamble’s proposition, so writers for the press as well as government officials would do well to voluntarily join We the People of the United States. U.S. citizens can each accept human liberty by connecting for public freedom.
Neither the press nor government can guarantee that fellow citizens will always have the opportunity to consider, communicate, collaborate, and connect to establish and maintain the U.S. Preamble's proposition. Some fellow citizens want the chaos of social democracy and operate Alinsky-Marxist organizations to defeat the U.S. republic. Others would wait an eternity for the mystery of whatever-God-is to make America great.
Few citizens realize that "our Posterity" includes children, grandchildren and subsequent descendants. If they did, they would not load them with $23 trillion federal debt.
Columns
Claiming journalism (Stephanie Grace) (https://www.nola.com/opinions/stephanie_grace/article_22f1aace-0fae-11ea-b50f-1b96ab1023d3.html)
In reliability to the-literal-truth, writers for the press seem at the bottom with members of Congress; https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2019/01/11/americas-most-least-trusted-professions-infographic/#7b9b371c7e94. But Grace rates herself between clergy and building contractors. So much for self-evaluation.
I voted for Eddie Rispone then got the news that he had not the administrative skill to choose an election team. Gosh! When I thought to run for Mayor-President Roy Fletcher kindly set me straight in one conversation. My friend Hugh had advised the day before, "That's cost $250! First, find a political consultant to advise you." I can’t say I’m glad Edwards won, but I'm not sorry Rispone lost.
President Trump repeatedly proves that while in the swamp, it is difficult to find party integrity. The GOP proved it has not the civic fidelity to help Trump relate to We the People of Louisiana. Once again, the LA GOP forfeit the governorship. Trump skillfully makes humor of infidelity to the-literal-truth, thereby, protecting We the People of the United States from liars.
Grace would do well to hire a grammar checker (not me). After some effort I perhaps interpreted Grace’s thought “[Vitter] repeatedly won despite having alienated natural allies and [having] violated his professed family values proved it.”
But I’d also edit Grace’s recall to “Allies repeatedly supported Vitter despite publicized infidelity to professed family values . . . until he was caught negotiating with a madam when he should have been voting on military veteran’s benefits.” Failed duty to We the People of the United States ended Vitter’s electability, whereas family values did not seem to matter.
Finally, I perceive neither humility nor dignity in the construct “. . . too confident . . . as I was in predicting [the election result].”
Pleading to preserve the swamp (Michael Gerson) (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-spurs-a-wild-west-of-continuously-worsening-political-rhetoric/2019/11/18/59185e5a-0a3a-11ea-97ac-a7ccc8dd1ebc_story.html)
Michael Gerson seems steeped in defense of controversial colonial-English tradition. I’d like to persuade him and other controversial traditionalists to consider the U.S. Preamble.
In my view, the U.S. preamble is a proposition for 5 public disciplines to encourage responsible human liberty. A citizen may order his or her public life by the 5 disciplines so as to privately pursue individual happiness with civic integrity. I express my interpretation almost daily, seeking improvements from fellow citizens.
I both publicly and privately order my actions so as to accept the-literal-truth. I do not know the-literal-truth and must rely on the-objective-truth---the ineluctable evidence which may be better comprehended with new instruments of perception. Under these principles, I speculate neither for nor against the mystery of whatever-God-is. Without objection to anyone’s God, I promote reform from English tradition to the U.S. Preamble’s proposition. So far, I do not think the Trump/Pence administration has considered the opportunity to establish the USA 231 years after it was proposed in the U.S. Preamble.
Consider Gerson concerns I noticed.
First, in “the president’s long habit of half-witted ad hominems” Gerson overlooks President Trump’s promise to drain the swamp, hard as the task would be. See Trump’s inaugural address. Trump’s fellow citizens may imagine what it is like to know what his administration plans for liars of the swamp. When a liar approaches Trump, how does he protect the information that is vital to us, his fellow citizens? Note that the liars are also fellow citizens, but some are dissident to the U.S. Preamble’s proposition. Perhaps the liar holds the honest opinion that all citizens should attest to the mystery of whatever-God-is. Perhaps Trump intends to distract the liar, accepting any humility of error yet protecting the people’s vital information. It seems the Schiff-impeachment-proposal exposes foreign-service agents in traditional “abuse of power.” The unintended consequence may be financial ruin and professional change for some agents.
Second, “Fox . . . has come up against a variety of honorable, respected professionals, trying to testify honestly about the abuse of power,” seems a misguided indictment of Fox’s Christian community. Some Christians seem so convicted in their spiritual faith that they mistakenly tolerate infidelity to the U.S. Preamble. They erroneously label it “secular” when it is neutral to religion as well as race, gender, and ethnicity. It seems most Christians deny what seems ineluctable: whatever-God-is leaves it to humankind to establish human justice. As a consequence, some Christians imposed “In God We Trust” as a national motto---a motto that represses the march to civic integrity. An unintended consequence of repressing the U.S. Preamble’s proposition is the gradual development of swamp professionals who oppose the rule of the U.S. Constitution, for example, in its assignment of responsibilities to the administrative branch. Gerson seems blind to the swamp, holding honor above integrity, fairness above justice, Gerson-truth above the-literal-truth, and civil respect above civic appreciation. Gerson-values supplant neither the 5 public disciplines of the U.S. Preamble nor Gerson’s duty to responsible human liberty.
Third, Gerson claims “a crisis of missing limiting principles,” without recognizing that the swamp is the crisis. The limiting principles are stated as statutory law according to the U.S. Constitution, which ultimately must conform to the U.S. Preamble. Gerson suggests controversies such as Roe v. Wade override the U.S. Constitution’s rule of law and the U.S. Preamble’s pursuit of statutory justice. Again, Christianity errs by claiming human life begins as a conception when it begins as a viable ovum. Gerson unconstitutionally claims democracy defines the values in this republic.
Fourth, Gerson defends erroneous colonial-English tradition “Self-government requires ethical hierarchy.” The U.S. Preamble replaced self-government with 5 public disciplines so as to encourage responsible human liberty. The U.S. Preamble legally ended the Confederation of States and empowered We the People of the United States, the entity that is comprised of fellow citizens who trust-in and commit-to the U.S. Preamble’s proposition. Thereby, ethics may conform to the-literal-truth. The combination of the U.S. Preamble under the-literal-truth may ultimately determine humankind’s civic civilization. Among We the People of the United States there is no hierarchy---only human equity under developing statutory justice. The elected or appointed official or writer for the press who does not strive to be a member of We the People of the United States is among the swamp. The press’s job is to journal Constitutional progress toward meeting the U.S. Preamble’s proposition. “American freedom” is defined in the U.S. Preamble: freedom-from 5 public oppressions so as to secure each citizen’s opportunity to practice the liberty-to responsibly pursue individual happiness rather than the dictates of someone else.
Lastly, Gerson does not improve on Trump’s erroneous slogan “great again.” I think there’s better likelihood that Trump will reform to “Make America Great” before either Gerson or Fox News does. What’s missing is reform from opposing views of colonial-English Americanism to an achievable better future under the U.S. Preamble’s proposition. The civic citizens of this nation, We the People of the United States, trusts-in and commits-to the ultimate justice of the people.
Members of the swamp who are honestly misled may become civic citizens rapidly by considering, communicating, collaborating, and connecting so as to promote the entity We the People of the United States as defined in the U.S. Preamble. If they know better purpose, they may propose amendment of the U.S. Preamble. Nine former English colonies, free and independent global states in 1784, established the USA as a global nation as of June 21, 1787. The First Congress erroneously re-established as much colonial-English tradition as they could get away with. Congress has behaved to preserve tradition ever since. President Trump is trying to reform from colonial-English tradition to the U.S. Preamble’s proposition. Some members of the swamp honestly work under tradition and may discover integrity in time to help the administration establish the USA after Congressional and press repression since 1788.
Quora
https://www.quora.com/Is-an-absolute-opposition-to-censorship-legitimate-and-reasonable?
No.
Consider treason,
for example.
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-irony-of-freedom?
The irony of freedom is expressed in my view of the U.S. Preamble’s proposition: We the People of the United States maintain freedom-from 5 public oppressions in order to secure responsible human liberty-to the continuum of living citizens.
The internal liberty-to develop integrity hinges on freedom-from 5 civic tyrannies.
To Marlene Craig:
Ms. Craig, thank you for the upvote.
Also, thank you for bringing me back to the message this morning.
I realize with new light that my person never lost trust-in and commitment-to the opportunity to develop integrity, despite being born to wonderful Southern Baptist parents. They were wonderful providers with conflicting mysteries of whatever-God-is.
I fell in love with a Louisiana-French Catholic woman, now 1 month from our 50th wedding anniversary. Her serene confidence helped me discover my commitment to the-literal-truth, even though I do not know it in most cases. Whatever her comprehension of God is, it is precious to me for her. I would not dare try spring from appreciation to try to learn it. Each time I ask if she is satisfied with my faith, she says she is but would not change to it. I think she and I practice the U.S. Preamble.
The U.S. Preamble does not suggest that religion is tyranny. It excludes religion from the 5 civic tyrannies that can prevent responsible human liberty. Thus, it proposes that civic citizens trust-in and commit-to the proposition whether they are religious or not.
Separation of church and state (SCS) is a civic opportunity, and in the USA, only when the majority considers and accepts religion as a private practice that ought not lessen the citizens civic, civil, and legal conduct will the intended USA be established.
This explanation expresses appreciation of every person’s view about the mystery of God, including mine: I don’t know and it’s OK that I don’t know.
Now I’m going to turn on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. Happy Day to all.
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-a-far-left-political-position-is-necessary-to-counter-an-existential-threat-to-humanity?
Perhaps the far left promotes human regression and woe.
Humanoids have been developing for perhaps 3 million years. The species we know as “humans” has developed as humanoid awareness led to language, grammar, and the pursuit of integrity.
The evidence is that the individual human’s freedom-from oppression empowers individual liberty-to discover ineluctable, perceived evidence then develop beneficial use of that understanding. Often, the creative individual invents new instruments by which he or she may better understand the evidence. This process, discovery of the-objective-truth, ultimately approaches the-literal-truth.
Far-left politics lessens if not eliminates freedom-from oppression and thereby prevents the liberty to discover the-literal-truth. Far-left politics has the potential to regress humanity to a prior evolutionary status.
For example, the proponents of human control of the earth’s atmosphere would embark on remedies that would worsen responsible human integrity: No viable human controls can master the earth’s atmosphere. Even population reduction would not constrain natural cycles in earth temperatures.
The principle works on the far right, too. Abortion restrictors debate the beginning of human life so as to limit the cost of enforcement. Protecting the embryo from the moment of conception makes control seem possible if impractical and unjust, but extending the protection to the ovum would involve challenges on par with controlling the earth’s atmosphere. The right does not open that discussion.
The U.S. Preamble proposes 5 public freedoms from oppression so that the individual citizen may practice responsible human liberty. So far, I do not know of a political party that promotes the U.S. Preamble’s proposition. I work to encourage citizens to develop their own interpretation of the U.S. Preamble with which to order their civic lives with private pursuits of religious beliefs.
To Judi Samjohn Bennett:
Thank you, Ms. Bennett for sharing my
message.
I hope personal interpretation of the U.S.
Preamble and individual practice becomes typical of fellow citizens and a focus
of cheerful discussion at family gatherings.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
To Robert Parker:
I agree and think consideration of the U.S. Preamble and practicing a personal interpretation would position most citizens to pursue personal happiness with civic integrity. In other words, practice responsible human liberty. This goes for elected and appointed government officials, each of whom can choose to be of We the People of the United States as defined in the U.S. Preamble as each of them perceives it.
I would add to your list for the 2019 U.S. Supreme Court’s makeup: I can have Judeo-Christianity, and you cannot trust-in and commit-to whatever-God-is.
https://www.quora.com/unanswered/Is-there-a-distinct-difference-between-freedom-and-licentiousness?
Merriam-Webster online has for “licentious” the adjective “lacking legal or moral restraints” and “marked by disregard for strict rules of correctness.” Both usages seem like taking liberty.
Consider the case when legal restraints or political correctness errs: the civic dissident resists oppression by lobbying for reform. He or she is fighting for freedom.
Greek ideas may be interpreted to distinguish between freedom and liberty. First, humans may develop equity under statutory justice (Pericles); in other words, maintain freedom from public oppression and enjoy responsible human liberty. Second, the equitable citizen neither initiates nor tolerates harm to or from any person or institution (Agathon); in other words, equitable citizens have the freedom to enjoy liberty. Finally, the life of integrity is worth losing to improve statutory law (Socrates).
These Greek ideas are implied in the U.S. Preamble as I comprehend it: We the People of the United States consider, communicate, collaborate, and connect to develop and maintain 5 public freedoms---integrity, justice, peace, strength, and prosperity---in order to secure responsible human liberty to living citizens.
The American dream according to the U.S. Preamble may be a civic majority with the responsible liberty to maintain the 5 public freedoms from oppression. In other words, the civic citizens develop responsible individual standards rather than conforming to institutional impositions. Dissidents risk statutory law enforcement.
Perhaps licentiousness is internal repression that risks external freedom.
https://www.quora.com/Does-equal-opportunity-lead-to-equal-outcomes?
Every adult has the opportunity to celebrate un-hiding of the sun each morning, but few appreciate the rotation of the earth on its axis. Consequently, many children erroneously believe the sun’ll come out tomorrow.
https://www.quora.com/What-are-we-afraid-of-in-an-attempt-to-preserve-freedom-of-speech?
First, if people were locked into telling the-literal-truth, much of the time people would have to agree, “We don’t know.” Some people have not the humility to admit to themselves they don’t know what they don’t know. Civilizations are slow to admit their ethics is flawed —does not conform to the-literal-truth.
Second, without deceitful people’s opportunity to lie, people who practice integrity face more difficulty in defending the-literal-truth. To state this another way, without the opportunity to lie, the deceiver would be forced into less discoverable deceit.
Finally, holding people responsible for lying seems expensive. Consider, for example, freedom of the press. The press should be held responsible for journaling humankind’s progress toward statutory justice. However, statutory justice is perfection, which can only be approached. Therefore, judging the press’s breach of responsibility can be a daunting, leading-edge task.
https://www.quora.com/Why-did-you-begin-to-dismantle-every-societal-concept?
I don’t agree with your premise. My thoughts spring from what I learned in the last moment and before. I use common words in uncommon ways to strive to help establish an achievable better future. I invite improvement of my language by publishing a glossary for improvement by fellow citizens in one of three blogs.
Today, in my 4th quarter century, I learned from a man in his late 2nd decade “hermeneutics is the art of understanding and of making oneself understood.”
I hold told him that I am working on an essay to encourage a 9-year old preserve his freedom-from oppression unto his mid-thirties without writing about negative possibilities. He said that the negative serves to define the positive. I said that society provides enough negatives for any individual to observe and with the right coaching and examples he or she will choose responsible human liberty.
The phrase “responsible human liberty” comes from my interpretation of the U.S. Preamble, which just now is: We the People of the United States communicate, collaborate, and connect to establish and practice 5 public disciplines---integrity, justice, peace, strength, and prosperity---in order to encourage responsible human liberty to the continuum of living citizens. Neither my interpretation nor the original U.S. Preamble specifies standards of the 5 disciplines so that the living citizens may continually approach the-objective-truth.
The U.S. Preamble offers an achievable better future in that the human individual has freedom from oppression according to the 5 public disciplines and his or her perception of responsible human happiness. For example, no religion is imposed on him or her.
Even the mystery of whatever-God-is need not be addressed by the individual human being. This standard is not novel in my writing, but does offer recovery from colonial-English tradition of church-state partnership. Widespread membership in We the People of the United States as defined in the U.S. Preamble allows the individual civic citizenship as well as private hopes for everlasting life or whatever the individual perceives best for his or her afterdeath.
I hope the U.S. Preamble will replace the pledge of allegiance to the flag as a fellow-citizen’s trust-in and commitment to responsible human liberty as defined therein.
Please let me know if I responded to your concerns.
Law professors
https://www.lawliberty.org/2019/11/25/reuniting-faith-and-reason/
I propose a future culture of civic integrity.
Judeo-Christianity seems a theological oxymoron but a political identity that is popular among some scholars and politicians. The body of people who commit to a Greek idea---human equity under statutory justice---may not support religious beliefs as civic standards. For example, salvation of a soul for a favorable afterdeath may seem undesirable to people who pursue the-literal-truth. Also, I doubt favorable afterdeath is a Jewish doctrine: the Jewish soul may simply return to whatever-God-is.
There is an alternative, better future for the religious, the non-religious, and the secular fellow-citizens under the U.S. Preamble’s proposition. I encourage readers to do the work to develop their personal interpretation so as to order their civic conduct while maintaining their private religious pursuits. (The U.S. Preamble does not include religion among 5 public disciplines, leaving it as a private pursuit.) The proposal is separation of individual hopes-for-soul from civic integrity for life. Thereby, civic citizens may encourage dissidents to join We the People of the United States, a voluntary entity.
Today, my interpretation of the U.S. Preamble’s proposition is: We the People of the United States communicate, collaborate, and connect to establish and maintain 5 public disciplines---integrity, justice, peace, strength, and prosperity---in order to accept responsible human liberty to the continuum of living citizens. The standards of success are unspecified so that We the People of the United States may continually exemplify the leading edge of responsible human liberty.
The U.S. Preamble is unique in the world, in that it proposes human equity under statutory justice---a perfection only the people may approach. It proposes individual human happiness with civic integrity.
Second post
Addressing toleration: Three ideas from the Greeks stand out regarding Rachel Lu’s argument. According to my comprehension, 1) Socrates died to avoid rebuking the rule of law even in injustice; 2) Pericles suggested that humans may develop equity under statutory justice or the perfection of law; and 3) Agathon suggested that appreciative human beings neither initiate nor tolerate harm to or from any person or whatever-God-is.
It seems three Greek ideas as I perceive them put “serious pressure on our American tradition of religious toleration.”
Agathon attributes to human beings the ability to not tolerate harm to whatever-God-is. The humble human has the individual power, the individual energy, and the individual authority (HIPEA) to develop integrity perhaps in the image of whatever-God-is.
Socrates was falsely accused of teaching a false God to the youth of Athens. The jury had made up their minds before Socrates presented his defense. In reality, they resented Socrates talent for focusing on the-literal-truth rather than human constructs. He had the nerve to ask on what basis God is good. Perhaps Agathon implied that appreciation and humility tolerated the other gods and thus was whatever-God-is.
Pericles pointed out that HIPEA is sufficient to develop statutory justice if fellow citizens agree to the work. I don’t think he went so far as to claim that God gave humankind that responsibility, but it seems both Agathon and Socrates of my comprehension so insinuate.
These Greek principles impact my interpretation of the U.S. Preamble. It proposes a voluntary civic contract by which living fellow citizens may aid the march to statutory human justice: public freedom-from oppression so that the people may pursue individual happiness with civic integrity. Among civic citizens, a fellow citizen’s religious beliefs are private. That is, religion does not supplant the believer’s opportunity to develop integrity.
Phil Beaver does not “know.” He trusts in and is committed to the-objective-truth which can only be discovered. Conventional wisdom has truth founded on reason, but it obviously does not work.
Phil is agent for A Civic People of the United States, a Louisiana, education non-profit corporation. See online at promotethepreamble.blogspot.com, and consider essays from the latest and going back as far as you like.
