Playing Games On Campbell Ave.

I've often criticized the editorial board up there in the Campbell Ave offices of The Roanoke Times Daily Fishwrap. They tend to make it quite easy for me to criticize them. Their frequent left leaning editorials seldom, if ever, tell the entire story. Today's (Sunday) is no exception, titled "Playing Games With The Constitution".

The Constitution of the United States of America -- this nation's foundational document, which has guided a maturing democratic republic for more than two centuries -- should not be toyed with for crass political reasons.

Yet President Bush and congressional Republicans did exactly that last week with an amendment to ban same-sex marriages. They plan to do the same this week with an amendment to allow Congress to outlaw flag desecration.

Neither amendment has a chance of passage. Neither amendment responds to any pressing need.

Consideration of both was undertaken by Republican leaders with just one goal: push the buttons of a disgruntled conservative base.

Those utterly transparent panders should shame the GOP and embarrass the conservatives they are meant to rally.

OK. I could respect this display of outrage over what the editorialist perceived to be crass political grandstanding. If that was the editorialist true motive for writing this piece. We all know that was not his/her motive.

This piece is merely another directive from Tommy Denton to his writers to slam the GOP in general and President Bush in particular. If the editorial board in Roanoke was truly outraged at "utterly transparent panders" then they would have told their readers about the nearly 100 other Constitutional Amendments that have been offered in the 109th Congress. That's right, dear reader. Each session of Congress sees many Constitutional Amendments offered up, with almost all having little or no chance of passing.

For example, each year since his election in 1995, Rep. J. Jackson Jr. (D)IL, has offered such "utterly transparent panders" as Amendments that would provide a;

• "Right to Housing." (He conveniently adds that if you can't afford it, someone else will be forced to pay for it) (H.J.Res. 33)
• "Right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work, and to protection against unemployment." (He conveniently leaves out who is to be forced to provide said employment.) (H.J. Res. 35)

A quick search at http://thomas.loc.gov/ turns up more gems such a several Amendments to abolish the Electoral College, a few more that purport to guarantee a right to a home, and even a few that would abolish any residency requirements for voting in a Presidential election.

All of these are "utterly transparent panders" to the Democratic Underground and DailyKos wing of the Democratic Party, but Tommy and his crew apparently have no problem with that. Playing games with The Constitution? How about playing games with the readers of The Roanoke Times?