Strict Constructionalist Donnie

“Strict constructionists” interpret the Constitution according to the “original intent” of its writers. “James Madison in 1787 surely anticipated AR-15s when he wrote the second amendment. That whole “well-ordered militia” thing was a smokescreen.” “Since none of the signers of the Constitution were women, how could it guarantee women’s health with legal abortion?”

Donald J. Trump is a strict constructionist when it meets his needs. “As part of my plan to secure the border on Day 1, I will sign an executive order making a correct interpretation of the 14th amendment clear to federal agencies Children of illegal aliens born on U.S. soil will not receive automatic U.S. citizenship.” Note that there are no CAPS or !!!, so Donnie may not have actually written this.

The 14th Amendment guaranteed that “all persons born” in the United States “are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” Donnie claimed that this particular part of the Constitution was based on a “historical myth and a willful misinterpretation of the law by open-border advocates.”

Actually, the 14th amendment was added to the Constitution in 1868 to ensure that the slaves freed under the 13th amendment were recognized as citizens. Up until then, slaves were counted as 3/5 of a person for the purpose of allocating congressional seats, but had no rights under law. A former slave who was robbed, raped, or swindled had no right to go to the police or to the courts for redress. There were no “open border advocates” misinterpreting the law . We had just fought a bloody war to end slavery. It would be nice if former slaves got some rights as a result.

Other parts of Donnie’s “Day 1 Plan” to end illegal immigration include completing the border wall, expanding the Muslim Ban, and ending DACA. DACA allows undocumented aliens who entered the US as children to remain here. Some have served in the armed forces . Many have achieved the American Dream of prosperity. Few have any memory of their homeland. Surely, “strict constructionist” Donnie can figure out how the Founding Fathers meant to put the Border Wall, the Muslim Ban, and ending DACA in the Constitution, but they ran out of parchment to write on.

By Ed Dufton