Political Pistachio
| As we march toward the Declaration of Independence, today we discuss influences on the Founding Fathers. What historical events and who were the people who shaped their understanding of what America should become? |
| Tuesday Online Constitution Class |
  3:30 PM Pacific Online Constitution Class |
| Online Mr. Constitution Class www.mr-constitution.com America’s Historical Foundation: The Founders used history to shape America’s future. We must ask: What was the culture of the Founding Fathers? How influential were things or people like the Bible, the Greeks, the Romans, and the Saxons? Untold History Channel – (locate the shows labeled “Learn the Constitution”): https://rumble.com/c/UntoldHistoryChannel |
By Douglas V. Gibbs
Contrary to the fashionable claim that the Constitution is somehow outdated, irrelevant, or too “rigid” for modern society, the truth is precisely the opposite. The Constitution remains the most successful framework for limited government in human history. It is a brilliant structure designed not to restrain the people, but to restrain the government. It encourages liberty, secures free‑market prosperity, and stands as a bulwark against the very tyranny that always waits at the edges of human ambition.
Those who dismiss the Constitution as antiquated reveal not a flaw in the document, but a flaw in their understanding of human nature. The Founding Fathers knew something timeless: power always seeks to centralize and accumulate, and without imposed boundaries upon it, it devours. The Constitution is the cage that keeps the roaring lion under control and prevents it from wandering into our lives.
It is true that over time we have lost many of the structural protections the Framers put in place. The slow drift toward pure democracy, a system the Founders openly warned against, has eroded the careful balance of our republic.
• The 17th Amendment severed the States’ direct voice in the U.S. Senate.
• The 16th Amendment handed the federal government a direct pipeline into the people’s wallets, bypassing the States entirely.
• The ongoing push to tinker with or abolish the Electoral College seeks to erase the federal nature of our Union and replace it with a national plebiscite dominated by a handful of population centers.
These changes have weakened the original architecture, no question. But even with these flaws, the Constitution remains the longest‑standing, most stable, and most liberty‑producing governing document ever written. No other nation has enjoyed such continuity, lifting more people out of poverty than any other civilization, providing more opportunity for success throughout history, and serving as a the most durable framework for self‑government in history.
The endurance of the Constitution is not an accident. It is the product of design.
James Madison in Federalist Paper #45 explained the proper division of power with elegant clarity: the federal government is responsible for external matters and issues affecting the Union as a whole, while the States handle the internal concerns of their communities. Keeping the federal government out of the states regarding state issues was the point – while empowering the federal government to handle the issues that are needed to be handled by a central system like foreign affairs, communication between he states through systems like the Postal Service, mediating disputes that cross state lines, securing the border and ensuring foreign actors who are dangerous to our communities are apprehended and deported, and waging war whenever it is absolutely necessary. This was the operating system researched, debated and created for the purpose of establishing a republic that serves its citizens, maintains liberty, and can defend itself against ideologies that seek to destroy it.
The distribution of power is a simple recipe. Local government for local issues. State government for state issues. Federal government for national issues that preserve, protect, and promote the Union.
This layered structure was designed not only to be efficient, but also protective. It keeps power close to the people who must live under it. It prevents distant officials from micromanaging the daily lives of citizens they will never meet. It ensures that the federal government remains a servant, not a master. But, the lion in the cage can be unleashed on America’s enemies, whoever and wherever they may be.
The American system was built on the radical idea that individuals are not subjects of the state. We are free to pursue our own lives, our own callings, and our own dreams. The government, according to the Bill of Rights, shall make no laws interfering with our pursuit of happiness through our Natural Rights. Government was not intended to be there to grant us permission, but to get out of our way because our God-given rights pre‑exist government.
The Constitution does not create liberty.
It recognizes liberty.
It secures liberty.
And it limits the government that would otherwise swallow liberty whole.
This is why America became the most prosperous country in history: Free individuals, operating in free markets, under a government intentionally shackled by constitutional boundaries. That is the formula, and it has worked beautifully. It still works. And every attempt to establish systems unlike it anywhere in the world, based on collectivist schemes, has failed wherever it has been tried.
The Constitution endures because truth and liberty based on a godly foundation endures.
The Constitution remains relevant because human nature has not changed. Ambition still seeks power. Bureaucracy still expands. Politicians still promise the world with other people’s money. And every generation still produces those who believe liberty is too unpredictable, too unruly, or too dangerous. No matter the generation, there is always those who believe that centralized authority can manage society better than free individuals can.
The Founders understood this temptation. They had seen it in kings, parliaments, and empires. They knew it would reappear in new forms, wearing new slogans, wrapped in new moral language. That is why they built a system that does not rely on the virtue of leaders, but on the limitation of leaders and the power of the rule of law – The Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.
The Constitution is not a relic; it is a restraint upon government based upon godly virtue.
The real question is not whether the Constitution is outdated, but whether we capable of defending its timeless principles. When critics say the Constitution is irrelevant, what they really mean is that they find its limits inconvenient. They want government to do things the Constitution does not authorize. They want power without boundaries, authority without accountability, and outcomes without the consent of the governed.
But the Constitution does not bend to the fashions of the moment. It was written to outlast them.
The question is not whether the Constitution still works.
The question is whether we still have the discipline to work within it.
Benjamin Franklin famously responded to Elizabeth Powel when she asked about the system created by the Constitution in 1787, “a republic, if you can keep it.” Keeping it requires more than nostalgia. It requires understanding the structure, respecting the limits, and recognizing that liberty is not the natural state of government. Throughout history tyranny and oligarchies have dominated the landscape. Liberty is the exception. Liberty is difficult to achieve, and it is difficult to maintain. Tyranny is the default setting of human power. The Constitution was created to be the firewall.
Even with the damage done by the 16th and 17th Amendments, even with the erosion of federalism, even with the constant pressure to nationalize every issue and centralize every decision, the framework still stands. It still secures our rights. It still works when we allow it to, defend it, and do what we can to operate within the system it created.
The path forward is not reinvention. It is restoration. America does not need a new system. It needs a renewed commitment to the one that already works.
• Restore federalism.
• Reassert the sovereignty of the States regarding state issues.
• Re‑embrace the Electoral College as the safeguard of a federal republic and a protection against the excesses of democracy.
• Limit the federal government to its enumerated powers.
• Return local issues to local hands.
• Trust free people to build free lives.
This is not radical. It is the original design.
The Constitution remains to this day the greatest political achievement in human history. No other country has enjoyed such stability, such prosperity, or such enduring liberty. No other governing document has lasted as long or produced as much opportunity. The Constitution is not merely relevant, it is indispensable.
It is the reason America became a beacon of hope.
It is the reason tyranny has been held at bay.
It is the reason free markets flourished.
It is the reason individual liberty became the American birthright.
And it is the reason we must defend it now.
Because if the Constitution ever truly becomes “irrelevant,” it will not be because it failed us.
It will be because we failed it.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
By Douglas V. Gibbs
Recently, FBI agents seized election documents from an election hub in Fulton County, Georgia. Back in 2020, the Trump campaign questioned election procedures, absentee-ballot verification, recount processes, and certification. His civil lawsuits challenging these issues were all either dismissed or dropped.
In 2023, a racketeering indictment was filed against Trump, alleging that Trump and others attempted to unlawfully overturn Georgia’s 2020 results.
The U.S. Department of Justice under President Trump has now sought access to ballot materials as part of federal investigations, revealing that Georgia’s 2020 ballots remain the subject of ongoing legal scrutiny.
When questioned about it, Trump replied, “We have it all.” That was his way of reminding us that he believes the 2020 election was rigged and stolen. He said during an NBC News interview that we will “find out the true winner of Georgia.”
If foreign interference is discovered, the whole thing may pull into the investigation Director of Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, as well.
After the FBI executed the search warrant seizing Fulton County ballots and election records tied to the 2020 election, Fulton County sued the Trump administration for repossession of the files taken. If there was no cheating, what are they worried about?
One wonders if Georgia is only the beginning when it comes to a mass investigation into the 2020 election.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
By Douglas V. Gibbs
When Bad Bunny stood on the stage at the Grammy’s and threw out a “F*ck ICE” and then went on to include himself with illegal aliens (even though technically he’s an American since he’s from Puerto Rico) explaining who “we” are and adding a globalistic anti-sovereignty line of “We are all Americans” regarding Central America and South America, the final nail in the coffin for the Halftime Show on Sunday was driven into its place. There was no way I was going to watch an anti-American, pro-criminal-alien show. So, when halftime came, I switched it to One America News and watched the alternative halftime show put on by Kid Rock and friends – and from what I am reading, I am glad I did.
American Football, while its roots might reach a little bit into rugby, is an American game. When the two conference champions collide at the end of the season, it’s one of those few moments when Americans of all stripes come together. For nearly a hundred and fifty years the game of football has grown into something that even challenges baseball as America’s pastime. It has become a globally watched sport, with a finale like the one in Santa Clara this year, that’s watched around the world. It has become a cultural cornerstone of American life. I love to watch football. I enjoy the game on the field. But, for some reason, the leadership of pro-football has been trying to use it to flip a middle-finger at America.
This year’s halftime show, as I am learning, was a “clear display of pure contempt for America.”
My support for immigration laws and President Trump’s work to deport illegal aliens, focusing on criminal aliens first, no doubt has leftwing Democrats and their communist allies shouting as they read this that I am “anti-immigration.” The opposite is true. I am very pro-immigration. My wife is an immigrant from Mexico, whose father navigated through the proper channels of immigration law to bring his family here, and my wife naturalized in 2007. Responsible immigration policies that vets all incoming persons to ensure we weed out those who are not good for America is a wonderful thing. Immigrants do indeed provide a wonderful flavor in the melting pot that is America, stirring in their skills and cultural accents to make America better. But there is a reason that when one becomes a naturalized citizen that the candidate must renounce all other allegiances. The framers of the Citizenship Clause, when they wrote “and subject to the jurisdiction thereof,” understood what they were writing. To be an American you must not be subject to any foreign power. Countries cannot stand long if foreign ideas and ideological threats designed to challenge its sovereignty infiltrates its borders, seeking to dismantle its foundational institutions and beliefs. There’s an old saying. “When in Rome, do as the Romans Do.” When you are in a foreign place, as the proverb tells us, it is important to adapt to local customs, traditions, and behaviors of the people living there. One should assimilate, rather than try to force their own habits on others. If the traditions and cultural pinnings to liberty are beneficial for the prosperity of the land, they typically will stand the test of time. If they are not, the people of that land will ultimately change the system in the hopes of creating a more beneficial government that honors their rights and freedoms.
This year’s halftime performance by Puerto Rican singer “Bad Bunny” was conducted almost entirely in Spanish. One of the flags that followed him off of the stage, after a parade of several foreign flags behind the American Flag, read, “We are all America” while a giant screen read “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” In other words, to disagree with his hatred of ICE is to hate him and all of his ideological comrades. Love is, according to Bad Bunny, defined as turning away from your patriotism and celebrating his hate for America’s heritage and laws. The clear message of the entire halftime show was full rejection of American sovereignty and culture. Americans must lay down their disagreements and accept the invasion coming from all directions of anti-American aliens. Refusal is hatred.
Bad Bunny had no intention of doing as the Romans do, so to speak. He expected Americans to adapt to his cultural messaging and his language during his performance, or be considered a hater.
The intent was to replace American culture that was being portrayed on the field of play and in the stands with a foreign message, an anti-American sentiment, and humiliation for the American audience who better appreciate it and celebrate it or be considered an enemy.
Thank God for the Turning Point USA alternative show that I watched on OAN. As NBC proudly broadcasted anti-American propaganda and cultural warfare, I was able to enjoy a show celebrating America, our Christian values, and family values. While activists, celebrities, and the mainstream media gushed over the message that America’s borders are illegitimate and the foreign looting of our country by criminal gangs, rapists, human traffickers, child molesters, and murderers is something to be defended, I watched a show that proudly waved Old Glory and proclaimed the divinity of Jesus Christ. While a foreign language sang about pride for foreign ideas and ideologies contrary to American Liberty, I watched an entertaining display of patriotism in English – our national language. While on the field Americans were being told they have no right to enforce their own laws, I watched a program that defended American patriotism and sovereignty. While leftists gushed over Bad Bunny’s anti-American performance, Kid Rock and his fellow performers praised Jesus, family, and the American Culture.
The only bright spot, I hear, during NBC’s broadcasted halftime show is that a pro-ICE commercial was played during the intermission.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
| Mr. Constitution Hour KCBQ 1170 AM/96.1 FM at 8 pm and KPRZ 1210 AM/106.1 FM, Saturday at 8 pm (All Times Pacific) |
 Mr. Constitution Hour airs every Saturday Night at 8pm Pacific Time. 8:00 PM: KCBQ The Answer San Diego (https://theanswersandiego.com/) and KPRZ K-Praise (www.kprz.com) Mr. Constitution Hour on KPRZ and KCBQ is a radio broadcast that looks at The United States Constitution through the lens of Christianity. The program is hosted by Mr. Constitution Douglas V. Gibbs. This Week: Mr. Constitution Hour by Douglas V. Gibbs: Religious Freedom, Don Lemon, Godly Foundation, Bible, Saxons and Today’s Society – Religious Freedom is in danger, and if Don Lemon and his fellow agitators who invaded a church in St. Paul are not convicted, the Bill of Rights disappears. Doug then explains our godly foundation, how important the Bible was to the Founding Fathers, the influence of the Saxons, and how in today’s society many Americans have the mentality of a twelve year old. Catch past episodes at Salem San Diego’s podcast page set up for Doug at https://omny.fm/shows/douglas-v-gibbs/playlists/mr-constitution-hour-by-douglas-v-gibbs And on the following podcast platforms: I-Heart Radio Spotify Audacy Apple Tune-In Audible Amazon ListenNotes Rephonic Podchaser Ivoox And ranked among top ten best constitutional podcasts by FeedSpot. Become a Patron to Help Support the Movement |
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From Kneeling During the National Anthem to Public Expressions of Faith
By Douglas V. Gibbs
Seattle pulled off the big win during Sunday’s biggest football game of the year. After bouncing around five teams and being told by the experts that he was destined to be a backup, Sam Darnold the quarterback took Seattle to the Promised Land. After the game he credited the win to his fellow players. Walker, the MVP of the game and Darnold’s running back, made sure to thank God.
My observations this year of a rise in expressions of faith among football players, both pro and college, give me hope for the culture. It’s a sharp contrast to what we’ve been seeing in recent years, with players kneeling during the National Anthem, DEI slogans painted in end zones, and political messaging on the back of helmets. In a culture that often feels hostile to faith and patriotism, sports has unexpectedly shown us pockets of courage, gratitude, and clarity.
Throughout this season I’ve noticed more players openly thanking God after wins. After the end of the game the camera usually sweeps across a circle of players from both teams, along with some coaches, kneeling in prayer together. On national broadcasts we’ve seen more “give God the glory” moments; in interviews, in post‑game comments, and in those quiet finger‑points toward Heaven. It feels a bit unusual compared to the counter-culture tone of recent years, and that contrast is striking.
I watch football, and other sports, for the game. I enjoy the competition on the field. I watch for the game, not the politics around it. When I was young, sports figures were some of my heroes. As a more mature viewer, I still appreciate competitors who carry themselves with humility and class. As a Christian, hearing God acknowledged in a secular, often hostile environment means something. That’s why I followed Derek Carr for so many years. His perseverance, love of the game, and true sportsmanship were admirable; but his faith, and his willingness to stand firm while others knelt, made me a fan eager to support him.
There is no doubt that WOKE and DEI messaging has saturated sports broadcasts just as it has much of the entertainment industry. Anti‑American rhetoric even creeps into commentary. And one of the most glaring recent examples of anti‑faith and anti‑American sentiment in sports is the current Olympics controversy, where some athletes are unsure whether they even want to represent the country. It is quite the cultural contradiction. We have young men in football giving glory to God on the field and wiping tears during the National Anthem, while elite Olympic athletes hesitate to stand behind the flag.
Sports is supposed to bring out the best in us: competition, gamesmanship, and carrying one’s head high in victory and defeat. Gratitude, humility, and patriotism are not dead. They’ve simply been quieter than the noise.
When players thank God, it reminds us that character still matters. When athletes hesitate to represent America, it reminds us why character is needed.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary