That Pesky 14th

The big news in the last week has been that Colorado has kicked Trump off the ballot for 2024 and using the 14th amendment as a justification.

In case you are not sure about the 14th let me show you there is more to it than the ‘insurrection” clause….

Passed by the Senate on June 8, 1866, and ratified two years later, on July 9, 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship to all persons “born or naturalized in the United States,” including formerly enslaved people, and provided all citizens with “equal protection under the laws,” extending the provisions of the Bill of Rights to the states. The amendment authorized the government to punish states that abridged citizens’ right to vote by proportionally reducing their representation in Congress. It banned those who “engaged in insurrection” against the United States from holding any civil, military, or elected office without the approval of two-thirds of the House and Senate. The amendment prohibited former Confederate states from repaying war debts and compensating former slave owners for the emancipation of their enslaved people. Finally, it granted Congress the power to enforce this amendment, a provision that led to the passage of other landmark legislation in the 20th century, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Congress required former Confederate states to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment as a condition of regaining federal representation.

….but since that is what the Colorado Supreme Court used to ban Trump then let’s look at that portion known as Section 3…..

Section 3 of the Civil War-era 14th Amendment says: “No person shall … hold any office, civil or military, under the United States … who, having previously taken an oath … as an officer of the United States … to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”

Even if someone is found to be ineligible to serve, the amendment says Congress can overturn that decision with a two-thirds majority.

The provision was mainly used between its ratification in the aftermath of the Civil War and the 1872 enactment of the Amnesty Act, according to a Congressional Research Service report.

If history interest you then this might be to your liking….

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-14-amendment-section-3-explained-colorado-ballot-ruling-rcna130581

This Colorado ruling is exactly what Trump ….wants and needs…..he can now claim the moral high ground and weaponize the ruling in his favor…..

“Suddenly we seem to have moved from “can Trump win?” to “can Trump stand?” – and a troubled world watches as the United States, arsenal of democracy and shining city on a hill, turns in on itself once again.

The decision by the Colorado Supreme Court that Trump is ineligible under the American constitution to hold office again, and therefore should be removed from the state’s presidential primary ballot, is a brave and a momentous one. It’s on the legally debatable grounds that Trump is an insurrectionist under terms of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.

Passed after the civil war and obviously aimed at any ambitious secessionists, it states: “No person shall be a senator or representative in Congress, or elector of president and vice-president or hold any office, civil or military … who… shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion.” It concludes: “But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/donald-trump-colorado-banned-presidency-judges-b2467200.html

Personally I like the ruling but in the same mind 16 other states want to try this same move….I think that might bite the country in the ass and give Trump more clout than he already has among the mentally slow.

Then there is the SCOTUS….how will they rule on this if they hear it?

Since it is the Constitution I can see why they would not hear this case.

Since the Constitution does not specify on the legal status of the person I think they would rule in Trump’s favor.

How about you guys…..any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The 51st State?

Today is the big day!  So many elections for governors, AGs, etc………but the part that interest me most is what is happening in Colorado…….

For years we have heard that Puerto Rico could possible, one day become the US 51st state…..but that is not what is happening today……it seems that the people of Colorado can vote today on whether the northern section of the state can secede and become the 51st state, Northern Colorado…the voters will choose!

From a report in the International Business Times……….

Like many states before them, Colorado is seeking to become two separate entities. Representatives from the Midwest state gathered Monday to discuss their desire to split the northern, rural region into what would become America’s 51st state, North Colorado.

According to a report from CBS Denver via Yahoo News, representatives from eight northern counties cited a “growing urban-rural divide” as their main reason for the split at the meeting, claiming economic-related decision by lawmakers as the cause of the rift. “Northern and northeastern Colorado and our voices are being ignored in the legislative process this year,” said Weld County Commissioner Sean Conway, one of many who claimed to be affected by gun control legislation and the state’s efforts to encourage less oil use and gas production. “Our very way of life is under attack,” he said.

If successful, Colorado will join the short list of four U.S. states that have successfully seperated from already existing locations. (Maine separated from Massachusetts, Kentucky from Virginia, Vermont from N.Y. and N.H., and West Virginia from Virginia in 1863). Texas was the last U.S. state to request succession in 2012;  the White House receieved 72,000 petition signatures from residents in favor of the change on their website. While the attempt to create North Colorado is only in the beginning stages, counties seeking to secede has already received support from one U.S. representative. “The people of rural Colorado are mad, and they have every right to be,” said U.S. Rep. for Colorado’s fourth congressional district Cory Gardner. “I don’t blame people one bit for feeling attacked and unrepresented by the leaders in our state.”

What do my readers think about this?

Personally, my state of Mississippi is facing the same problems as cited by the Coloradans about the divide…….I have for a long time that the bottom 3 countries, maybe the bottom 6 counties should secede from the state and go it on their own ………we have NOTHING in common with the northern part of the state….

I will be watching this and if successful will see what we can do for the state of Mississippi…after all the part of the state that I live was once a free and independent Republic of west Florida in 1800″s….why not go it alone the rest of the state has NOTHING to offer the bottom 3 counties…….

If successful could be a perfect game plan for others………

Please give me some thoughts on this!