Founder-Chic Fact or Fiction: Fourth Branch Edition

We try not to get involved in petty political issues. After all, Founder-Chic does not like to use her fine powers for evil. Nor, however, do we like to see the U.S. Constitution so carelessly perverted. That document has enough problems of its own, we believe. Therefore, we've decided that a brief Founder-Chic Fact or Fiction is necessary to clear up this nonsense about the Vice-President not being a part of the Executive Branch. Fourth Branch, indeed!

Fact or Fiction: The Vice-President is NOT a part of the Executive Branch, as current VP Dick Cheney claims.

Verdict: FICTION. Let's turn our attention to the September 7, 1787 Constitutional Convention Notes, shall we? (pg. 596) Things were wrapping up; folks wanted to go home; everybody was bitchy--you get the idea. They were discussing this new post that they had just made up called the Vice-President. No body knew exactly what it was or why they made it...all of a sudden, poof! presto! there is a Vice-President. Now, what does the Vice-President do?

Article 1, Section 3 (in the final version) of the Constitution states, "The vice President shall be ex-officio President of the Senate."

Gerrymander, "opposed this regulation. We might as well put the President himself at the head of the Legislature. The close intimacy that must subsist between the President & vice-president makes it absolutely improper. He was against having any vice President."

GM, "The vice president then will be the first heir apparent that ever loved his father. If there should be no vice president, the President of the Senate would be temporary successor, which would amount to the same thing."

Shermy, "saw no danger in the case. If the vice-President were not to be President of the Senate, he would be without employment, and some member by being made President must be deprived of his vote, unless when an equal division of votes might happen in the Senate, which would be but seldom."

The states eventually voted 8 to 2 to approve the Vice-President as president of the Senate, even though he had a "close intimacy" with the President. John Adams was the first V.P. and was miserable--both at the job and in the job--earning himself the nickname "His Rotundity."

Therefore, Mr. Cheney, I believe that you are, in fact, a member of the Executive Branch. And, remember this: information wants to be FREE.

Oh, and here is a cute little Jon Stewart YouTube on this whole thing.

xoxo
M.O.W.

Founder-Chic Fact or Fiction: Independence Edition

It is time, fellow Founder-Stalkers, for a new segement that we like to call "Founder-Chic Fact or Fiction." This is where we examine some of the most egregious errors of our collective memory about the events, places, and people of the founding generation.

For our first Founder-Chic Fact or Fiction let's have a little chat about Independence, shall we?

1. Fact or Fiction: we declared independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776

Verdict: FICTION. We voted to declare independence on July 2, 1776, not July 4. July 4, 1776 is the day that the Continental Congress voted to approve the Drafting Committee's (Tommy, Benji, JA, Shermy, and RL) Declaration of Independence. Declaring Independence is not the same thing as approving the document that justifies that declaration.

Americans seemingly celebrate the document rather than the event.

2. Fact or Fiction: July 4, 1776 is the day that the CC signed the Declaration of Independence

Verdict: FICTION. They did not sign the Declaration on the day that they approved it, but on August 2 after a fair copy had been made and it had been printed. Some of the dudes who signed it were not actually the ones who voted for Independence or approved the Declaration.

Fact or Fiction BONUS: Roger Sherman (CT) is the ONLY person to sign both the Declaration AND the Constitution. Why haven't you ever heard of him before, you say? Good question.

3. Fact or Fiction: while waiting for their turn to sign the Declaration supposedly Benji told the gang: "Indeed we must all hang together, otherwise we shall most assuredly hang separately." BenHa (a BIG fella) told Elbridge Gerry (a little fella): 'With me it will all be over in a minute, but you, you will be dancing on air an hour after I am gone."

Verdict: HARD TO TELL. This certainly did not happen on July 4, and while it could have happened on August 2, the story doesn't seem to appear anywhere until the 1840s (when BenHa's grandson ((BillyHeHa)) was kind of a big deal in national politics), so it is suspect. A good story though.

Why not check out the LOC page on the Declaration. And, why not join us in celebrating BOTH July 2 and July 4? Come on, ya know you want to.

more at twiigs.com...