People act as if the Constitution is a granite mountain that is impervious to attack and will last forever. But the reality is the Constitution is a very fragile document that will only exist so long as it remains intact. It will not long survive attempts by those who will cut out portions or tear little pieces off here or there for some temporary financial or political advantage. And once it is gone, it will be replaced by the tyranny it was designed to defend against. That the United States has lasted as long as it has is an anomaly in the history of nations that began with good intentions but fell at the hands of the fearful or opportunists.
“The people made the Constitution, and the people can unmake it. It is the creature of their own will, and lives only by their will.”
Justice John Marshall – Cohens v. Virginia, 19 U.S. (6 Wheaton) 264, 387 (1821)
