King of Zembla: The More Perfect Union

We have the occasional good fortune to receive an e-missive from Zemblan patriot D.R.B., who suffers the daily disillusionment of working in our nation's capital but remains a student of history nonetheless. Today he reminds us that we as Americans must choose our moral visions wisely, because not all Founding Fathers were created equal:

John Roberts says the courts should defer to legislative bodies--ie, majority rule--on matters involving basic civil rights; Arnold Schwarzenegger says either the courts or the people should decide such matters--so politicians are safe from political fallout.

In truth, both are wrong. The gap between reality and vision in the Constitution was apparent to the Founding Fathers, who debated many issues of individual rights and freedom, including slavery, during the drafting of the Declaration of Independence (“all men are created equal”) and the Constitution.