Irving
01-15-2009, 00:13
So I got this book called The Constitution Made Easy, by Michael Holler.
It is a translation of the Constitution into regular English. There are no wordy interpretations or explanations, just word for word and trying to drop the legalese. On all the even pages (2,4,6,8,10,etc) is the original constitution the way it was written; and on all the odd pages (3,5,7,9,11,etc) is the translation. The only other thing is that sometimes in the constitution, one section or clause, will direct you to another article or clause. On the odd page, or the translation, the article or clause that you were directed to is included right there for you to read, so you won't lose your train of thought while you're looking for it. I picked it up for $5 and it is totally worth being able to understand the constitution better.
I'll copy an example of a translation right out of the book for an example:
The Original
Article. I., Section. 6.
The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.
They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech of Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.
No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office.
Translation
Section 6
1.6.1 Senators and Representatives must be paid for their services in an amount set by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States. Any change in their pay will not take effect until after the next election of Representatives.23
1.6.2 They may not be arrested while they are attending a session of their respective Houses, or while they are going to or returning from a session, except for treason, felony or disturbing the peace.24 They may not be arrested because of any speech or debate in either House, and they may not be questioned in any other place.
1.6.3 No Senator or Representative may be appointed to any official position under the authority of the United States during their term in office, if that position was created during their term, or if the pay plan was increased during their term. No person holding any official position under the United States may be a member of either House at the same time that he or she holds this other office.
You'll notice that in the original there are breaks in the paragraphs that were not there originally, this is to help the reader follow each point that the section is making. The author (Michael Holler) has similarly broken down each point in his translation and added a corresponding number to each thought, or paragraph in his translation. So the first paragraph (or point) in Article 6 is represented in the translation as 1.6.1 for Article 1, Section 6, Clause 1.
Also, you'll notice that there were two footnote numbers in the translation. These refer to a list of definitions in the back of the book.
I haven't read the whole thing yet, but I really want to get the word out on this book (also I told the author that I would when I took his CCW class. ;) )
You can order the book from TheConstitutionMadeEasy.com
Also, I selected this particular Article of the Constitution because it is exactly what Hillery Clinton is doing isn't it? Wasn't she just assigned to an official position in the government that they just raised the salary on during her term?
It is a translation of the Constitution into regular English. There are no wordy interpretations or explanations, just word for word and trying to drop the legalese. On all the even pages (2,4,6,8,10,etc) is the original constitution the way it was written; and on all the odd pages (3,5,7,9,11,etc) is the translation. The only other thing is that sometimes in the constitution, one section or clause, will direct you to another article or clause. On the odd page, or the translation, the article or clause that you were directed to is included right there for you to read, so you won't lose your train of thought while you're looking for it. I picked it up for $5 and it is totally worth being able to understand the constitution better.
I'll copy an example of a translation right out of the book for an example:
The Original
Article. I., Section. 6.
The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.
They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech of Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.
No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office.
Translation
Section 6
1.6.1 Senators and Representatives must be paid for their services in an amount set by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States. Any change in their pay will not take effect until after the next election of Representatives.23
1.6.2 They may not be arrested while they are attending a session of their respective Houses, or while they are going to or returning from a session, except for treason, felony or disturbing the peace.24 They may not be arrested because of any speech or debate in either House, and they may not be questioned in any other place.
1.6.3 No Senator or Representative may be appointed to any official position under the authority of the United States during their term in office, if that position was created during their term, or if the pay plan was increased during their term. No person holding any official position under the United States may be a member of either House at the same time that he or she holds this other office.
You'll notice that in the original there are breaks in the paragraphs that were not there originally, this is to help the reader follow each point that the section is making. The author (Michael Holler) has similarly broken down each point in his translation and added a corresponding number to each thought, or paragraph in his translation. So the first paragraph (or point) in Article 6 is represented in the translation as 1.6.1 for Article 1, Section 6, Clause 1.
Also, you'll notice that there were two footnote numbers in the translation. These refer to a list of definitions in the back of the book.
I haven't read the whole thing yet, but I really want to get the word out on this book (also I told the author that I would when I took his CCW class. ;) )
You can order the book from TheConstitutionMadeEasy.com
Also, I selected this particular Article of the Constitution because it is exactly what Hillery Clinton is doing isn't it? Wasn't she just assigned to an official position in the government that they just raised the salary on during her term?