Must be domestic tranquility
Last Sunday, A. and I were driving out to suburbia for a family function, talking about the future and grooving to the iPod’s uber-mix.
On came the Schoolhouse Rock version of the Preamble to the Constitution, and since we’re both old we both started singing along at the top of our lungs:
We the people [of the United States], in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
I was thinking about that this morning, trying to surmise how President Bush’s proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage fits into this charter. Justice? Blessings of liberty?
February 29th, 2004 at 10:25 pm
Simpsons have a reference for everything.
(Music starts playing)
Kid: Hey, who left all this garbage on the steps of Congress?
Amendment:
I’m not garbage.
(Amendment starts singing)
I’m an amendment-to-be, Yes an amendment-to-be,
And I’m hoping that they’ll ratify me.
There’s a lot of flag-burners, Who have got too much freedom.
I want to make it legal for policemen to beat’em.
Cause there’s limits to our liberties,
At least I hope and pray that there are,
Cause those liberal freaks go too far.
(Spoken)
Kid: But why can’t we just make a law against flag-burning?
Amendment: Because that law would be unconstitutional. But if we changed the Constitution…
Kid: Then we could make all sorts of crazy laws!
Amendment: Now you’re catching on!
(Scene flips back to Bart and Lisa)
Bart: What the hell is this?
Lisa: It’s one of those campy “70’s” throwbacks that appeals to Generation “X”ers.
Bart: We need another Vietnam to thin out their ranks a little.
(Spoken)
Boy: But what if they say you’re not good enough to be in the Constitution?
Amendment singing:
Then I’ll destroy all opposition to me.
And I’ll make Ted Kennedy pay.
If he fights back, I’ll say that he’s gay.
(Big Fat Guy in a brown suite comes running up and states)
Big Fat Guy:
Good news, Amendment!
They ratified ‘ya.
You’re in the U.S. Constitution!
Amendment: Oh, yeah! Door’s open, boys!
(At this point, other “right wing” bills and amendments run up the stairs of congress, shooting guns into the air and throwing bombs around).
March 2nd, 2004 at 10:45 am
“promote the general welfare” seems a good fit to me.