C. McMasters Ph.D.

Southerner, American, Lover of Liberty, PhD of political science, professor, blogger.

Federalist 51: Ambition Must Be Made to Counteract Ambition

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I’ve written an article on this topic once already, but in the middle of increasing concern about a potential Biden/Harris presidency, I want to remind you of the ingenious way Madison structured the government to prevent tyranny. That’s not to say that if Biden/Harris take office, liberty won’t be in grave danger or even egregiously violated, but that America is built in such a way that no matter how much people in government may want to change that government, they will be met with resistance from every facet of government and society. Click to read more.

Federalist 10: Liberty Is to Faction What Air Is to Fire

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I’m still digesting, and frankly, reeling a bit from, some of the things I’m seeing today: the execution of a Trump supporter (more on that in the next article) to guillotines in front of the White House and Jeff Bezos’s house, to mobs attacking couples and individuals as they left the Republican National Convention. All of these are mere displays of what Madison feared and wanted to avoid. He knew the volatility of human nature, the irrationality of factions, and the dangers of mob rule. I’ve always known what he said was true (based on history), but have never been more confident in his reasonings as I am today.

You will find much of what he says, the issues he was facing in his day, very familiar to what we are facing today. Gear up, there’s a lot of Madison language here. Read it all… it’s worth it.

The Constitution for Dummies: Article VI Clause 3

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“The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office …

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The Amendments Series: Amending the Constitution

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I’ve just spent the past thirteen weeks writing about and exploring the significance of the Bill of Rights. I’ve learned much and I hope you have as well. I figured now would be a good time to take a moment and consider how the U.S. Constitution allows for any new amendments to the Constitution. So, let’s take a moment to look at what Article V of the Constitution says. Click to read further.

The Amendments Series: No Cruel or Unusual Punishment

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The Eighth Amendment is one of those amendments that really spoils all those police shows we love to watch where the hero officer finally gets the bad guy and the bad guy just will not tell the hero officer where the kidnapped little girl is. And so, you always know, when the officer closes the door to that holding cell, or asks his partner to step out, he’s going to be inflicting some kind of cruel or unusual punishment on the perpetrator to illicit the ever so needed information. And who are we usually rooting for in this scenario?

Well, of course, the hero officer! Perhaps it’s time we step back for a moment and digest just how unhappy we would be if we were the perpetrator getting our rights violated. We need to remember and appreciate the Eighth Amendment. Click to read more.

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