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| | Politics extends even to fast food. The president of Chick-fil-A spoke out in defense of traditional marriage, and soon that fast-food chain was focus of a political dispute. Many went there in support of its position, while others said they would no longer go there. One executive filmed an abusive tirade that he unleashed on a Chick-fil-A employee due to the politics, and then that executive was fired from job after his video "went viral" on the internet (was widely seen and talked about). | | Politics extends even to fast food. The president of Chick-fil-A spoke out in defense of traditional marriage, and soon that fast-food chain was focus of a political dispute. Many went there in support of its position, while others said they would no longer go there. One executive filmed an abusive tirade that he unleashed on a Chick-fil-A employee due to the politics, and then that executive was fired from job after his video "went viral" on the internet (was widely seen and talked about). |
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| − | The U.S. Constitution, and before it the Articles of Confederation, resolved only very basic issues. On a daily basis there are politically motivated attempts to interpret and apply the U.S. Constitution in different ways, or even ignore it entirely. As Benjamin Franklin said at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention, when questioned by the public as he left Independence Hall, the new U.S. Constitution establishes "a republic, '''''if you can keep it'''''."<ref>http://www.bartleby.com/73/1593.html</ref> The struggle for the values on which the United States was founded is ongoing and never complete.
| + | Even sports, which is supposed to be based entirely on skill, is influenced by politics. A Greek Olympic athlete was excluded from competing for her team because of a political joke she made on Twitter, despite how she had trained for years and qualified to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics. As another example, how much the outspoken Christian Tim Tebow plays in games for the New York Jets has become a massive political issue in the New York area. In Sunday's game between the Jets and Steelers, Tim Tebow was abruptly pulled out of the game despite doing better than the other quarterback. The Jets then lost 27-10 without Tebow being allowed to throw a single pass, to a team that Tebow had defeated 8 months earlier. The Jets coach was surprised at a "press conference" (an invitation to the media to ask questions and obtain answers) when the media, which has been generally hostile to Tebow because of his political views, demanded that the coach explain why he pulled Tebow out of the game so quickly. This illustrated how fickle the media can be - don't expect the media to be friendly. |
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| − | Too many people, unfortunately, do not understand how important politics is in dealing with government. They expect legislators and government officials to "do what's right," not understanding that politicians are going to "do what helps them get reelected," and not do anything that might cause him to be defeated. Presidents, for example, have a constitutional right to pardon unjustly convicted or unjustly published criminal defendants, but grant pardons infrequently because they can be hurtful politically. An exception is when the president is about to leave office as President Clinton was in January 2001, when he granted many dozens of pardons in his final few hours in office, some to political supporters.
| + | == Constitutional Convention == |
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| − | Politicians are particularly sensitive to political issues that may be used by the media to help or hurt their popularity. After there was publicity and attention from politically powerful Second Amendment groups (the Second Amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms - guns) about how a man ( Brian Aitken) was sentenced to seven years in jail merely for peacefully having a gun in the trunk of his car as he moved to New Jersey, NJ Governor Chris Christie commuted his sentence and ordered his release from jail. That issue because a political issue, and the political power of those on the side of the Second Amendment resulted in Christie's decision.
| + | Television did not exist in 1787, but the Framers at the Constitutional Convention knew then how powerful and harmful the media can be. They agreed to keep the deliberations and details about the U.S. Constitution secret until it was finally completed. When the Framers finished their work and left Independence Hall for the last time, someone noticed Benjamin Franklin leaving the building and asked him whether the Framers gave us a monarchy or a republic. Benjamin Franklin responded, "a republic, '''''if you can keep it'''''."<ref>http://www.bartleby.com/73/1593.html</ref> The struggle for the values on which the United States was founded is ongoing and never-ending. |
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| − | Some might think that politics does not influence many areas of life. But even professional sports, which is supposed to be based entirely on merit, is influenced by politics. A Greek Olympic athlete was excluded by her nation from competing for her team because of a political statement she made on Twitter, despite how she had trained for years and qualified to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics. As another example, outspoken Christian Tim Tebow, who defeated the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round last year, was traded to the New York Jets, which has a more liberal media market. In Sunday's game between the Jets and Steelers, Tim Tebow was abruptly pulled out of the game despite doing better than the other quarterback. The Jets then lost 27-10 without Tebow being allowed to throw a single pass, to a team that Tebow had defeated 8 months earlier. One wonders if his decision was based on anti-Tebow pressure by the media.
| + | To defend the Constitution effectively, it is important to recognize how powerful the media are and how political nearly everything is. No should expect legislators and elected government officials to "do what's right"; elected government officials are going to "do what helps them get reelected," and avoid doing anything that might cause him to be defeated. Presidents, for example, have a constitutional right to pardon unjustly convicted or unjustly published criminal defendants, but grant pardons infrequently because they can be hurtful politically. An exception is when the president is about to leave office, as President Clinton was in January 2001, when he granted many dozens of pardons in his final few hours in office ... to many of his political supporters! |
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| − | <explain the controversy from about a decade ago of playing Bo Jackson in a White Sox playoff game next>
| + | Governor Chris Christie commuted (ended) a 7-year prison sentence for Brian Aitken, who received that harsh punishment merely for possessing a gun in the trunk of his car has he moved here. After there was publicity and attention from politically powerful Second Amendment groups (the Second Amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms - guns) about this injustice, NJ Governor Chris Christie commuted his sentence and ordered his release from jail. But where there are not powerful political groups on the side of the unjustly punished, pardons and commutations of sentences are very rare, despite being authorized by the federal and state constitutions. |
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| − | Politics affects far more than government. Almost everything seen in the media is influenced by behind-the-scenes political considerations, and many endeavors (including even professional sports) depend on the media for success or failure. The moral is not to back down from your principles, but to be aware how politics does distort almost everything in the "public square," including even business.
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| | == Articles of Confederation == | | == Articles of Confederation == |