"The American constitutions were to liberty,
what a grammar is to language:
they define its parts of speech and
practically construct them into syntax."
by:
Thomas Paine
(1737-1809) US Founding father, pamphleteer, author
Source:
The Rights of Man, 1791
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This one statement alone would declare our current national legal language to be babble.
 -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    Another winner.
     -- Dick, Fort Worth     
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    Government has slaughtered the Constitution like a teenager slaughters the English language. "HOT" means high temperatures OR very attractive. "Shall not be infringed" means any weapon OR unless a law says otherwise.
     -- Joe, Rochester, MI     
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    If Americans paid more attention to the actual structure of the founding documents, they would understand that they are essentially the declarations of the people themselves, not the government to the people. Of course, no one can speak for another, and therefore it is integral that each American declare the words of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as their own -- if not, then they have resigned themselves as mere subjects of the 'crown' who must obey the ruling class rather than defend the very rights they absolutely must declare as their own. When 'We the People' truly understand the 'grammar' of the Constitution, they will always remember that they are the masters and the government their servants -- not the other way around.
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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    The present constitution effectiveness is quite exaggerated by Mr Paine. I draw you back to Hollywood with a mythical, but effective character who described the present conventional character as "primitive and paranoid." Is this what we have the liberty to possess and practice? The constitutions of the United States of America need great more developed attention and reparation.
     -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown     
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