Today marks the 225th Anniversary of the passing of the Bill of Rights, Dec 15, 1791. The Founding Fathers originally intended the Bill of Rights to be an additional shield against federal tyranny reinforcing the clear limits that the Constitution already had put in place. Like Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings when he proclaimed to the ancient demon “You Shall Not Pass”, the Bill of Rights was to be an instrument that States and individuals would use to proclaim the same message to the national government, “You Shall Not Pass!” The Constitution itself could have served this purpose on its own. It was clearly understood at the time of its passing to grant only limited powers to the national government. These powers were clearly enumerated. If a power was not on the list, it did not belong to the federal government. The founders understood the nature of man and they knew that the Constitution needed to “bind men down” that were elected to civil...(Read Full Article)