Would not a return to the Articles of Confederation be preferable for all those Americans who cherish freedom (granted this is a ever shrinking minority group).

In theory the US Constitution is the preeminent symbol of effective government, one that recognizes the needs of the majority, while securing the rights of even the smallest groups. In theory the Constitution limits the reach and scope of the national government, guaranteeing our basic individual freedoms, including above all self determination. The 10th Amendment to the Constitution, for example, should, in theory, enshrine the sovereign rights of the various states which make up this republic.

This premise, however, is sound insofar as future generations remain dedicated to the principle and letter of the Constitution, in reality in over 230 years of history we have seen this is far from the truth. No sooner was the ink dry on the much heralded Constitution had Congress passed laws restricting free speech and during the 20th century a continuous erosion of state sovereignty occurred, first during the so-called Progressive era, continuing during the New Deal, the Great Society and right up to present day abominations like the No Child Left Behind Act.

Today the Constitution is little more than a guideline, to be conveniently ignored whenever possible. Today our courts have deemed it a proper function of the state to seize property in order to raise money and regularly site foreign law (rather than the Constitution) in rendering decisions. When we have arrived at such a state, we must recognize that the Constitution is no longer in force. Sadly the very document that gave birth to our republic contains the seeds of its destruction. Our Constitution, which includes such flexible language like the "elastic clause' has allowed our federal government to continually erode the rights of both the states and its citizens, while paying only lip service to the concept of federalism.

Under the now defunct Articles of Confederation, the powers of the federal government were greatly limited, and the sovereign powers of the individual states were greatly enhanced. If we are defenders of liberty we must recognize the power hungry have made a mockery of our constitution and so long as the current system remains in place, we can expect nothing less than the unchecked expansion of the federal government.