Dear Friends of IWP:
We here at the Institute commemorate Constitution Day because we believe strongly in its value as the foundation of a system of rule of law.
America was conceived as a society under the rule of law, one in which laws would restrain our governing authorities. This conception is borne of a realistic understanding of human nature: the recognition that human beings will always suffer the temptation to do the wrong thing. Sometimes if we do the wrong thing in passing a law, society needs a further restraint on what could be a gravely mistaken, if not unjust, action. The United States Constitution is a fundamental law higher than those statutory laws that can be enacted in a fit of passion, and that ultimately can prove to be unjust.
There is a theory that says that the Constitution must be a living document, and on the face of it, there is nothing wrong with that – except that, all too often, some jurists who subscribe to this theory prefer to re-interpret the Constitution according to their personal views, rather than to accept those provisions as they were originally intended and ratified. This amounts to judicial rule rather than rule of law.
The American Constitution has served our country magnificently for so many years, and insofar as some of its provisions are inadequate to meet needs that a national consensus considers vital, that Constitution stands waiting to be amended, which is the proper way of running a true rule-of-law system.
The defense of America is not simply a material matter. It involves the philosophical defense of a political order. We at IWP remain dedicated to this task.
Sincerely,
John Lenczowski
Founder and President