The Quest to Repeal the 17th Amendment, Because of Reasons

By Udo J. Keppler, 1872-1956 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Apparently the 17th Amendment saved America from a giant octopus named Standard Oil, or something.

A movement is afoot among certain people on the right end of the political spectrum to repeal the Seventeenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This movement seems unlikely to rile up the masses, given that the changes brought by the Seventeenth Amendment are pretty much presumed to be the status quo at this stage of America. Understanding what the 17th Amendment does, and why it was enacted in the first place, is at least as important as understanding why some people want to repeal it. I have some idea as to why it was enacted, ratified, etc., but I’m still working on understanding the reasons for seeking repeal.

What is the Seventeenth Amendment?

The Constitution, in Article III, Section 3, Clauses 1 and 2, originally provided for election of U.S. Senators by state legislatures.

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.

Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every second Year; and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during the Recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next Meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such Vacancies.

The Seventeenth Amendment superseded the parts in bold. It pretty much took those provisions verbatim, except that it replaced references to state legislatures with references to “the people.”

Drawing from the resources available to me on a laptop in a coffeehouse (Justia and Wikipedia), I can say that much of the impetus for the 17th Amendment was “popular dissatisfaction with the operation of the originally established method of electing Senators.” As more and more people got the right to vote, people began to think that they should be able to elect senators directly. The idea had apparently come up multiple times since the 1820’s, but didn’t make it into the Constitution until 1913.

What’s the problem with directly electing Senators? Continue reading

Share

This Week in WTF, October 18, 2013

CANDROVIKTOR from morguefile.com

Kitty is shocked! Shocked I say!

– You know, I never really intended this to be a series on weird sex stories, but it seems to work out that way quite a bit. “Florida threesome turns violent when one partner has ‘thrust issues,’ say police.”

This happened in England:

A near-toothless Dover man has been jailed for eight years for biting and gnawing a neighbour’s penis in a row over loud music.

Photo credit: CANDROVIKTOR from morguefile.com.

Share

The Coming Class Action Lawsuit Against Big Gay

Via southpark.wikia.com

Via southpark.wikia.com

Rick Scarborough thinks that the threat of homosexuality merits a class action lawsuit similar to those waged against the tobacco industry, according to Right Wing Watch. In a conversation with Peter LaBarbera, they reportedly said:

Scarborough: Peter, the whole issue of a class action lawsuit, you and I have talked about this a little bit. I just wonder if you’ve explored that, talked to anyone about it. Obviously, statistically now even the Centers for Disease Control verifies that homosexuality much more likely leads to AIDS than smoking leads to cancer. And yet the entire nation has rejected smoking, billions of dollars are put into a trust fund to help cancer victims and the tobacco industry was held accountable for that. Any thoughts on that kind of an approach?

LaBarbera: Yeah I think that’s great. I would love to see it. We always wanted to see one of the kid in high school who was counseled by the official school counselor to just be gay, then he comes down with HIV. But we never really got the client for that.

Are they talking about suing school counselors? Is Big Gay composed of people with bachelor’s degrees in social work who are employed by county-level school districts? As far as corporate conspiracies go, that’s pretty darn thin.

Seriously, though, whom does he intend to sue? You have to identify and serve a defendant to have a lawsuit. No matter how difficult obtaining service of process may be—even if you have to go through a back door—you can’t have a lawsuit without a defendant and adequate notice. Otherwise, who’s going to set up a trust fund for AIDS victims that’s analogous to the fund set up for cancer victims? I ask because it sure as shit isn’t going to be Rick Scarborough or Peter LaBarbera.

Share

Post-Shutdown Thoughts, Penal Edition

Here’s a bit of wisdom from Australian astrophysicist Katie Mack.

I’m not saying her status as an Australian astrophysicist has any specific relevance to the matter at hand, but it sounds really cool.

Share

Some Conservatives Love America Far More as an Idea Than an Actual Country

From Fareed Zakaria:

The era of crises could end, but only when this group of conservatives makes its peace with today’s America. They are misty-eyed in their devotion to a distant republic of myth and memory yet passionate in their dislike of the messy, multiracial, quasi-capitalist democracy that has been around for half a century — a fifth of our country’s history. At some point, will they come to recognize that you cannot love America in theory and hate it in fact?

Share

You Can’t Argue With Folks Who See a Different Reality Than You

The following is an excerpt from a conversation between Washington Post reporter Jonathan Capehart and Belmont, NC resident David Jackson:

Capehart: [Y]ou — and correct me if I’m wrong, I’ve been listening to you these last few minutes — you don’t think President Obama loves this country?

Jackson: Not at all. Not one bit, not one breath that comes out of his body.

Capehart: So why would he run for president of a country that he doesn’t love?

Jackson: Because he wanted to change it.

Capehart: And change into what?

Continue reading

Share

Quick Reference Guide to the Shutdown/Debt Ceiling Deal

I haven’t written much about the government shutdown debacle of the past 2+ weeks, partly because of the Thumper Rule (“If you can’t say something nice…” Not that I ever really follow that rule.) I am still gathering my thoughts about the almost-literally-last-minute deal that seems to have kicked the can down the road a bit.

Paul Waldman at The American Prospect has a quick guide to the deal that outlines the various points and offers “an easy-to-digest set of opinions you can adopt as your own.” This should appeal to conservatives who believe that liberals are incapable of independent thought. (If that last sentence describes you, please keep reading, just in case I decide to put some erotic pictures of guns at the end of this post.) Here are his points with the conclusions. Read the whole article for his full analysis: Continue reading

Share

Science Fiction from the “Friend Zone”

A man who believes he has been condemned to the dreaded “friend zone” seeks the aid of a higher power, of sorts, in “Gather Your Bones” by Jenn Reese (h/t PZ Myers).

The story comes from Daily Science Fiction, a website that apparently delivers exactly what it’s name says, which is awesome.

I should probably also mention, for any denser reader(s), that the concept of the “friend zone” is bullshit.

Share

Monday Morning Cute: Albino Critters

Albinism can be pretty cute, such as with this koala:

Albino Koala

And this wallaby:

Albino wallaby at the Columbus Zoo-2011 07 11 IMG 0776

(Who is a bit shy):

Albino wallaby at the Columbus Zoo-2011 07 11 IMG 0780

And this porcupine:

Hystrix cristata albino

Share

This Week in WTF, October 11, 2013

earl53 from morguefile.com– Proving that there can be too much of a good thing, a man in Sweden was knocked unconscious when a cart loaded with bacon fell on him. In all, the man was hit with 500 to 600 kilos (that’s about 1,102 to  1,323 pounds, for those who don’t use the metric system or regularly handle drugs) of bacon. I will admit it: that is too much bacon.

– A man in San Antonio allegedly faked his own kidnapping so that he could go “party with  friends.” His wife contacted police the night of Tuesday, October 8 to report that two masked men came into their home and took her husband at gunpoint. After a helicopter joined about a dozen deputies in the search, he showed back up at his house. He has been charged with filing a false police report, which is a fun twist since it was his wife who actually made the report, albeit innocently.

Photo credit: earl53 from morguefile.com.

Share