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In this controversial and provocative book, Mary Anne Franks
examines the thin line between constitutional fidelity and
constitutional fundamentalism. The Cult of the Constitution reveals
how deep fundamentalist strains in both conservative and liberal
American thought keep the Constitution in the service of white male
supremacy. Constitutional fundamentalists read the Constitution
selectively and self-servingly. Fundamentalist interpretations of
the Constitution elevate certain constitutional rights above all
others, benefit the most powerful members of society, and undermine
the integrity of the document as a whole. The conservative fetish
for the Second Amendment (enforced by groups such as the NRA)
provides an obvious example of constitutional fundamentalism; the
liberal fetish for the First Amendment (enforced by groups such as
the ACLU) is less obvious but no less influential. Economic and
civil libertarianism have increasingly merged to produce a
deregulatory, "free-market" approach to constitutional rights that
achieves fullest expression in the idealization of the Internet.
The worship of guns, speech, and the Internet in the name of the
Constitution has blurred the boundaries between conduct and speech
and between veneration and violence. But the Constitution itself
contains the antidote to fundamentalism. The Cult of the
Constitution lays bare the dark, antidemocratic consequences of
constitutional fundamentalism and urges readers to take the
Constitution seriously, not selectively.
In this controversial and provocative book, Mary Anne Franks
examines the thin line between constitutional fidelity and
constitutional fundamentalism. The Cult of the Constitution reveals
how deep fundamentalist strains in both conservative and liberal
American thought keep the Constitution in the service of white male
supremacy. Constitutional fundamentalists read the Constitution
selectively and self-servingly. Fundamentalist interpretations of
the Constitution elevate certain constitutional rights above all
others, benefit the most powerful members of society, and undermine
the integrity of the document as a whole. The conservative fetish
for the Second Amendment (enforced by groups such as the NRA)
provides an obvious example of constitutional fundamentalism; the
liberal fetish for the First Amendment (enforced by groups such as
the ACLU) is less obvious but no less influential. Economic and
civil libertarianism have increasingly merged to produce a
deregulatory, "free-market" approach to constitutional rights that
achieves fullest expression in the idealization of the Internet.
The worship of guns, speech, and the Internet in the name of the
Constitution has blurred the boundaries between conduct and speech
and between veneration and violence. But the Constitution itself
contains the antidote to fundamentalism. The Cult of the
Constitution lays bare the dark, antidemocratic consequences of
constitutional fundamentalism and urges readers to take the
Constitution seriously, not selectively.
Although the American bison was saved from near-extinction in the
nineteenth century, today almost all herds are managed like
livestock. The Yellowstone area is the only place in the United
States where wild bison have been present since before the first
Euro-Americans arrived. But these bison pose risks to property and
people when they roam outside the park, including the possibility
that they can spread the abortion-inducing disease brucellosis to
cattle. Yet measures to constrain the population threaten their
status as wild animals.Mary Ann Franke's To Save the Wild Bison is
the first book to examine the ecological and political aspects of
the bison controversy and how it reflects changing attitudes toward
wildlife. The debate has evoked strong emotions from all sides,
including park officials, environmentalists, livestock growers, and
American Indians. In describing political compromises among
competing positions, Franke does not so much champion a cause as
critique the process by which federal and state officials have made
and carried out bison management policies. She shows that science,
however valuable a tool, cannot by itself resolve what is
ultimately a choice among conflicting values.
Although the American bison was saved from near-extinction in the
nineteenth century, today almost all herds are managed like
livestock. The Yellowstone area is the only place in the United
States where wild bison have been present since before the first
Euro-Americans arrived. But these bison pose risks to property and
people when they roam outside the park, including the possibility
that they can spread the abortion-inducing disease brucellosis to
cattle. Yet measures to constrain the population threaten their
status as wild animals.Mary Ann Franke's To Save the Wild Bison is
the first book to examine the ecological and political aspects of
the bison controversy and how it reflects changing attitudes toward
wildlife. The debate has evoked strong emotions from all sides,
including park officials, environmentalists, livestock growers, and
American Indians. In describing political compromises among
competing positions, Franke does not so much champion a cause as
critique the process by which federal and state officials have made
and carried out bison management policies. She shows that science,
however valuable a tool, cannot by itself resolve what is
ultimately a choice among conflicting values.
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