Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

[goodluck]

But the document is not as trailblazing as the administration proclaims, according to a recent paper by Patrick Clawson of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and its importance will rest on how well it is implemented.

Most Arab states, he notes, have constitutions containing many of the same rights. Yet these countries are ruled by repressive regimes that are widely condemned for abusing human rights.

Many countries have lovely sounding constitutions. The USSR had a great constitution. But as Madison, Jefferson, Hamilton and others said in the 18th century when they initially opposed or were lukewarm about the Bill of Rights--it's just a piece of paper. Everything depends on how it is implemented, and that is something that no piece of paper can do. Look at the 1896 Plessey decision, which took the Declaration and the 14th amendment and made mincemeat out ot them. And everyone knew that that was happening at the time. But the prejudice was so great that not even the one sharp dissent from "Separate but equal" could shame the majority out of their lunatic evil, which stood as law of the land for 60 years in this "greatest" of countries.