“In the traditional American view of the relationship between citizens and government, all power ultimately derives from The People. The phrase ‘Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,’ from the preamble to the Declaration states unequivocally the view of the Founders on the proper role of government in society. A view the same men later enshrined in the constitutional federal republic created by the ratification of the United States Constitution. As quite carefully explained in that remarkable document, many basic ‘natural’ rights were placed FOREVER beyond the purview of the federal government. Immutable rights such as freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of association, protection from arbitrary and capricious acts of government, AND the right to keep and bear arms were explicitly placed off limits in the Bill of Rights, which should more properly be called the Bill of Restrictions on Government.” (06/29/09)