CONSTITUTIONAL CONVERSATIONS
Mary Jane
by
M.E. Boyd, Esq., “Miss Constitution”
#twill #tcot #constitution #twitter #sbalich
There are times with young children when they simply have a type of fit. A. A. Milne describes it best in a 1924 poem called Rice Pudding.
What is the matter with Mary Jane?
She’s crying with all her might and main,
And she won’t eat her dinner – rice pudding again
What is the matter with Mary Jane?
What is the matter with Mary Jane?
I’ve promised her dolls and a daisy-chain,
And a book about animals – all in vain
What is the matter with Mary Jane?
Some members of the House of Representatives are having what Miss Constitution calls a “Mary Jane moment.” They don’t want rice pudding or a daisy-chain they want to impeach a President of the United States. Nothing else will do. What can the parents, We the People do?
Fortunately, we have a manual that gives us the answer – the United States Constitution. All we need do is manage our behavior and the fit will end. Countering the fit with sarcasm, lecturing, equal fits, belittlement, or some type of strong-arm tactics will be pointless. Specifically:
- Whether or not the Due Process provisions regarding this inquiry are fair, the minority should follow the rules voted on by the whole House for this process. The fairness issue will be decided by the Senate, the Supreme Court, or the American people or all three. In the meantime, be meticulously prepared in your questioning; do not whine, complain, or yield back your time in frustration; and do not waste time getting articles into the Congressional Record – a pointless exercise.
- “Free Speech” is not rude speech. You will recall from earlier columns that Constitutionally protected speech may not be obscene and has time, place, and manner restrictions. In an Impeachment Inquiry proper decorum regarding speech is essential to maintaining civil order and setting a good example for the public. Quick, understandable, clear, incisive questions are a gift to those of us trying to understand. Note to minority counsel – you are not in a courtroom!
- The Rule of Law includes Unwritten Law, or the Law of courtesy and comity. Tweets or other communications that violate this bundle of law only empowers those having a “Mary Jane moment.” With all due respect, Miss Constitution recommends you KNOCK IT OFF!
So, the United States Constitution helps guide us out of this terrible parenting challenge and the calm it helps create allows We the People to see some of the real issues this inquiry illuminates. We have ceded legislative, executive, and judicial functions to unelected persons. These persons have grown so accustomed to substituting their judgment for the judgment of elected policy makers that whenever duly elected policy makers change their patterns a Mary Jane moment may ensue. Sometimes they throw a fit even when they agree with the policy. The witnesses in the Impeachment Inquiry so far have been unelected persons passing rumor and gossip on like a California wildfire and none of it has any relevance to the proceedings. Listening to elected representatives trying to smooth, cater, praise, and comfort these persons is sad to behold. Our system is not an Administrative State run by civil servants. It is a Constitutional Republic run by the Sovereign who entrusts decision making to persons they have elected. We must begin to teach the system designed in 1787 that has worked so well for us or succumb to The Tyranny of Mary Jane.
What is the matter with Mary Jane?
She’s perfectly well and she hasn’t a pain;
But, look at her now she’s beginning again!
What is the matter with Mary Jane?
What is the matter with Mary Jane?
I’ve promised her sweets and a ride in the train,
And I’ve begged her to stop for a bit and explain
What is the matter with Mary Jane?
What is the matter with Mary Jane?
She’s perfectly well and she hasn’t a pain,
And it’s lovely rice pudding for dinner again!
What is the matter with Mary Jane?
Copyright©2019 M. E. Boyd, Esq., “Miss Constitution”
MissConstitution.com
