-Caveat Lector- from: http://www.zolatimes.com/V3.24/pageone.html ----- Laissez Faire City Times June 14, 1999 - Volume 3, Issue 24 Editor & Chief: Emile Zola ------------------------------------------------------- How the Constitution Aids Federal Power-Grabbers The Hologram of Liberty a book review by Sunni Maravillosa At age five or so, I discovered that Santa Claus is a myth. Having been suspicious of the story for some time, that discovery did not shock me nearly as much as the realization that my parents�whom I�d completely trusted up until then�had lied to me. Thus began my tendency to be skeptical of nearly everything, and everybody. My skepticism has been lulled in certain areas by my public school indoctrination, most notably American history. Kenneth Royce�s book Hologram of Liberty has permanently changed that. Royce is better known as Boston T. Party, author of several libertarian books, including Bulletproof Privacy and Boston on Guns and Courage. In Hologram of Liberty, he examines the historical record surrounding the Constitutional Convention as well as the Constitution itself, and concludes that the primary reason for our current non-free condition is the Constitution itself�it was not intended to preserve states� or individuals� liberties, but to be a slow-working power-grabber for the federal government. Hologram of Liberty is not based on "patriot mythology", nor on minutiae or legalistic sleight-of-hand. Royce�s research is thorough and relies on many respected scholarly works. While some hypotheses leave more room for nagging questions than others, the essential points of his work are solidly grounded. As I was recently chastised for questioning the Constitution and its authors in an essay, Royce provides me with evidence that both deserve tighter scrutiny from libertarians than they�ve received. Let me say before going any further that Royce�and I�are not out to mindlessly bash the Constitution, nor to denigrate the founders of the United States. Royce states in Hologram of Liberty that he is "for true Liberty under a constitution" (emphasis in original). My motives overlap his in writing the book; in reviewing it, I want to share information and ideas, and spark further thought with the goal of creating a better, more freedom-respecting system of government. Given the current abysmal state of the American system, it is better to eye sacred cows critically�and to slaughter them if necessary�with the intent to improve the system rather than to fence them off worshipfully while tyranny grows. Royce focuses his attention on two primary areas: the men who wrote the Constitution; and the actual writing of the document. From each he builds his case in a clear, logical style that makes it easy to understand his points. He challenges all who claim to love liberty to set aside preconceived ideas and examine his evidence, and invites scholarly refutations of his claims. The Founders: Patriots or Elitists? The first myth debunked by Royce is that all Founders are created equal. While most people seem to think of the Founding Founders as a specific group of men�those who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, and collaborated on the framing of the Constitution�whose goals and motives were generally similar and freedom-oriented, this is not the case. Of the 55 delegates who comprised the Constitutional Convention, only eight were signees of the Declaration of Independence, and only six signed the Articles of Confederation; most were politicians and lawyers. More importantly, the revolutionaries whose inspiring words we rightly cherish were not among those 55: some were not chosen as delegates, while others refused to serve, and Thomas Jefferson and James Adams were out of the country. Thus, the flavor of the groups that participated in various aspects of this country�s formation are quite different. Most individuals are aware that the debate concerning the Constitution centered on the philosophical differences between Jefferson�an agrarian and staunch defender of liberty�and Alexander Hamilton�an Anglophile federalist who advocated a strong federal (i.e., national) government. Royce fills out the picture even more with his careful documentation of the federalists� careful advance planning and propaganda campaign to create an atmosphere of concern with respect to the Articles of Confederation, and the need to devise a "better" system. Although many na�vely view the Founders as being "above politics", Royce in many cases uses the federalists� own words to debunk that myth. He shows the "bait and switch" used by the federalists to co-opt the Convention from its original purpose. Quoting extensively from The Federalist, Royce documents the overblown rhetoric and specious arguments employed by (mostly) Hamilton and James Madison to enlist popular support for the Constitution. Their motives for seeking a strong national government are also laid out, thus showing their interest in self-advancement over liberty. Royce also presents evidence advanced by others of machinations to suppress the anti-federalist perspective from gaining a wide audience. Another bit of American mythos is given a different view in Hologram of Liberty. Traditional history texts paint a picture of the men�sworn to secrecy�cloistered in the second-floor hall with windows closed because of the hard work being undertaken. These conditions were endured, Royce argues, not because of the arduous work of crafting the new form of government (which had already been drafted to a large degree by Madison before the convention started), but due to the strife between the federalists and anti-federalists regarding the nature of the convention and the proposals being considered. Royce makes it clear that the delegates to the Constitutional Convention were among the brightest of the day; that much appears to be accurate. However, much of the activity was ugly, dirty politics on a level equal to much of what occurs today. Many of the federalists had personal gain at stake in ratification, and their extant writings support Royce�s argument that those motives drove their actions, rather than the love of freedom that traditional history books espouse. Word Games and Smokescreens Royce�s central thesis is that the Constitution was not designed to protect individual and states� liberties, but rather to allow a strong federal government to come into its own over time. The purpose of this was to allow the rich and powerful to enjoy the benefits of the system, while farmers and other workers shouldered much of the burden. How, then, did this come about while appearing to protect liberty? By the clever use of words and phrases, and via the complexity of the system of checks and balances among the three branches of the proposed federal government. It was curious phrasing in the preamble to the Constitution which, Royce claims, led him to conduct the research that resulted in Hologram of Liberty. Anticipating skepticism from readers, he slowly, compellingly builds his case, beginning with a discussion of the differences between "United States" and "United States of America" (which is expanded upon later in the book) and building to a detailed examination of the work of the Committee of Style, which was charged with making the Constitution flow and be internally consistent. Even without accepting all Royce�s claims, there�s enough evidence presented to give one pause. Given particular attention is a few switches of preposition here and there. For example, the Preamble speaks of the "Constitution for the United States of America", whereas the Presidential oath (written into the Constitution) refers to the "Constitution of the United States" (also note that the �of America� is dropped). Royce explores the implications of each of these changes, leading to an extremely interesting hypothesis�that there are actually two constitutions�that seems to be rather far-fetched. Royce readily admits his only evidence is circumstantial. Irrespective of one�s opinion on that matter, the fact that the Committee of Style saw fit to change certain other prepositions but left that discrepancy intact is, at the very least, interesting. Royce allows for the possibility of oversight leading to some of the curious phrasings; however, the evidence makes that conclusion unlikely. As Royce reminds the reader, the Constitution is not only a document, but the law, and as such, must be given careful attention in both creation and interpretation. While quibbles over words seem tiresome in general, in the law it is necessary, as "the devil is in the details". Through his extensive quotations and detailed presentation of his arguments, Royce makes it clear in Hologram of Liberty that there is merit in re-examining the structure and the result of the Constitution. Royce also documents how the complex system of checks and balances which we are taught protect our liberties and help staunch the growth of federal government is a smokescreen. The lack of a check on the Supreme Court is but one obvious glaring deficiency which was noted at the time, yet was left intact. Indeed, many anti-federalists, including Jefferson, saw through the hall of mirrors presented in the Constitution yet were powerless to change it in the wake of the propaganda campaign mounted by Hamilton, Madison, and others. Many are quoted in Hologram of Liberty as fearing precisely the kind of government we are now suffering with. Kenneth Royce has done his research well, and even if one takes issue with many of his conclusions, there�s simply too much data presented to reject everything out of hand. Not content to complain about the results of governance under the Constitution, Royce offers ideas and solutions to create a Jeffersonian republic of individual liberty and very limited federal government. Hologram of Liberty is written in a casual yet informative style that helps the reader follow Royce�s reasoning. At 229 pages, it isn�t a behemoth, yet due to the content, Hologram of Liberty is not a book to breeze through in an afternoon. It requires focus and effort, and pays well on those investments. Anyone who is interested in challenging the mythology surrounding the Constitution and several of the men who crafted it will benefit from reading Hologram of Liberty. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Hologram of Liberty, copyright 1997 by Kenneth Royce (AKA Boston T. Party). Published by Javelin Press, ISBN # 1-888766-03-4. To order copies, visit http://www.javelinpress.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Sunni Maravillosa is a psychologist and web mistress for the Liberty Round Table (URL http://home.lrt.org/ ). -30- from The Laissez Faire City Times, Vol 3, No 24, June 14, 1999 ------------------------------------------------------- Published by Laissez Faire City Netcasting Group, Inc. Copyright 1998 - Trademark Registered with LFC Public Registrar All Rights Reserved ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, Omnia Bona Bonis, All My Relations. Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End Kris DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! 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