The 28th Amendment

The 28th Amendment

The evidence is entirely apparent.  At this point, there can be no doubt that “many people” believe that there is a constitutional right to stupidity.  The bad news for these folks is that there is not.  It is Fake News.  You have the right to the government not to impinge on your religious beliefs, and you have the right to the government not to restrict your expression of your thoughts, but there is no constitutional clause or amendment that full-out protects stupidity.  Thanks be to whatever entity (or not) to which you pray (or not).

Because, dear reader, we have to face the cold, hard reality that “many people” are stupid.  To wit:

The unfortunate woman passenger in North Carolina that got out of the car at the flashing, bar-down train crossing to lift it up and allow the driver to go through, only to have the train take her completely out as she walked back to the car.  Charles Darwin’s theory at work?  Stupidity in Action

Anthony Weiner just got sentenced for his third offense for “sexting.”  Yup, the Weinerman once again sent pictures of his package to an underage girl. Forget the fact that this is a 53-year-old man who thinks a 15-year old girl actually wants to see such a picture. Such a belief is really beyond my comprehension.  I am a male with an ego, but egads, Anthony, really?  How far from reality do you have to be to believe that would be sexy?  And, of course, this doesn’t even begin to address the fact that this is a guy who lost his Congressional seat, spouse, reputation, and all honor with his first couple of offenses. Stupidity in Action

Roy Moore, the former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, whose many controversies include failure to remove a memorial to the Ten Commandments from the Court’s grounds after being required to by both State and Federal Courts.  Moore lost his office after failing to abide by the Supreme Court of the United States ruling on same-sex marriage. His peers removed him from the Court. “The Alabama Court of the Judiciary on Sept. 30, 2016, suspended Moore for the remainder of his term as chief justice after finding him guilty of six charges of violation of the canons of judicial ethics. The charges were brought and prosecuted by the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission.” (Source: Roy Moore in Action.) By the way, this was the SECOND time Moore lost his job as  Chief Justice due to his inability to follow the law of the land.   So, you think, OK, I don’t agree with Roy Moore, but where’s the stupidity?  Here it is:  Roy Moore is now running for the Senate.  And he is comfortably leading the Republican Primary. The Republicans in Alabama apparently think disobeying the laws of the land are superior qualifications for Senate.  After all, isn’t this the State that gave us Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III?  Stupidity in Action

And, finally, we have our current President.  The same President who claimed that the Charlottesville pro-nazi, white supremacist protesters contained “some very fine people” is the guy who tweeted that peaceful NFL players kneeling during the national anthem to protest the treatment of black and other minorities by police and other government agencies were sons of bitches who needed to be fired.  The actual quote is “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out, he’s fired. He’s fired.’ ”  He addressed the crowd as “people like your selves” and the NFL players as “those people.”  This from the highest office in our land whose oath is to uphold the constitution of the United States.  Oops, that nasty First Amendment.  That nasty Declaration of Independence where “all people are created equal.”

Oh, yes, and by the way, this from guy whose supporters fail to take off their hats during his rallies when the National Anthem plays and who wave the flag of the Confederacy – a country that made war against the United States and lost and they call it upholding their heritage.  What heritage?  Treason?  Oh, yeah, that one.

Our President also demonstrated both his science denier skills and his lack of knowledge of NFL rules when he added that “Today, if you hit too hard,15 yards, throw him out of the game. They had that last week. I watched for a couple of minutes. Two guys just really beautiful tackle, boom, 15 yards. The referee gets on television, his wife is sitting at home, she’s so proud of him — they’re ruining the game. Right? They’re ruining the game. Hey look, that’s what they want to do. They want to hit, but it is hurting the game.”  Our President said this the day after we found out that Aaron Hernandez, a suicide after being convicted of murder, suffered severe brain damage (CTE) due to his football career.  Not to mention that a recent study showed 90% of those football players where they have autopsy results were found to have CTE. Science Denying Stupidity in Action  And, by the way, the penalties are not for hitting too hard, but for hitting helmet-to-helmet or hitting a defenseless receiver or quarterback.

Unfortunately, there are many, many more examples.  It is our job to fight this entropy of intelligence.  Stand Up.  Speak Out.  Be unafraid to use these powerful words in public:  “That’s just fucking stupid.”  Ok, maybe most of you should just say “That’s just stupid, ” and your thought bubble can include my colorful descriptor.

My suggestion is a 28th Amendment to the Constitution that is the freedom from stupidity.  We should not have to be governed by stupid people, nor have our time, energy, and treasure wasted by stupid people with stupid ideas.  While the right to vote is universal, the right to serve should have a basic intelligence requirement.  Now if they would only let me write the test.