Legally, slaves were the property of other men; that is what slavery means. And under the Constitution, nobody could be deprived of his property without “due process of law” — that is, a court proceeding had to prove to a jury that a slaveowner had somehow forfeited his property.

“Due process of law” didn’t mean a legislative act. Congress had no power to pass a law outlawing slavery. Lincoln acknowledged this in his first inaugural address and even said he could support an amendment to the Constitution protecting slavery where it already existed.

If the Constitution meant what today’s liberals say it means, Congress could have simply passed a law banning slavery by invoking its “Power ... to regulate Commerce ... among the several States.” But in the 1860s, nobody thought that this power was so broad as to nullify property rights. They understood that the Constitution would have to be amended to give Congress authority over slavery, which at the time seemed less likely than an amendment for the opposite purpose.

So the Emancipation Proclamation was a limited, complex, and constitutionally dubious measure. Still, it was a brilliant propaganda coup that won foreign sympathy for the Union cause. It redefined the Civil War as a contest over slavery rather than secession, distracting attention from the basic question of whether a state could declare its independence of the Union.

That question was brutally answered anyway by the outcome of the war. Since 1865 it has been assumed that no state may secede for any reason, no matter how tyrannical the federal government may become, no matter how wildly it exceeds its constitutional powers.

People still illogically associate secession with slavery; and even if the federal government is wrong in its claim of absolute sovereignty, the states and the people are helpless against it. The federal government can now change the meaning of the Constitution that is supposed to restrain it, and there is no practical remedy for its abuses.

Lincoln was in some ways a short-sighted man, who neither foresaw nor intended the ultimate results of the Civil War. But “preserving the Union” turned out to mean inverting its federal structure and creating a central government so strong that no countervailing forces can stop it from monopolizing power. The worst of it is that most people in the United States of Amnesia can’t even see this as a problem.

ZE08092909 - 2008-09-29
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Vatican Police Force to Join Interpol

Pope Thanks Gendarme for Dedication

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, SEPT. 29, 2008 (Zenit.org).- With the Vatican gendarme corps set to be the 187th member of the international security force Interpol, the Pope and pilgrims should enjoy even greater protection.

The head of the Vatican gendarme, Domenico Giani, announced in a celebration Saturday at Castel Gandolfo that the corps is set to become part of the international force. The Interpol general assembly will confirm the membership when it meets early next month in Russia. At that time, the secretary-general of the governorate of Vatican City State, Bishop Renato Boccardo, will sign the agreement.

Benedict XVI addressed representatives of the corps Saturday, offering a brief greeting in which he expressed his “sincere gratitude for the competence and dedication” with which they serve the Church.

Timeline Of Re-Coinage, Coin-Clipping, Debasements, Bankruptcies, Manias, Panias, Crashes, Recessions, & Depressions Since 1278 A.D.

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Think ASA 5500.. Don’t Do It.

"We don't have a lot of leeway on time," Reid told reporters in the Capitol. "One of the individuals in the caucus today talked about a major insurance company -- a major insurance company -- one with a name that everyone knows that's on the verge of going bankrupt. That's what this is all about."

He did not identify the insurance company, and later in the day Reid spokesman Jim Manley said the senator was speaking broadly and not referring to anything specific.

"Senator Reid is not personally aware of any particular company being on the verge of bankruptcy," Manley wrote in an e-mail to ABCNews.com. "Rather, his comments were meant to refer to the conditions in the financial sector generally. He regrets any confusion his comments may have caused."

With respect to gold?

It can be “called in”.. again.. as it was in 1933.

Wealthy investors hoard bullion

By Javier Blas in Kyoto

Published: September 30 2008 19:00 | Last updated: September 30 2008 19:00

Investors in gold are demanding “unprecedented” amounts of bullion bars and coins and moving them into their own vaults as fears about the health of the global financial system deepen.

Industry executives and bankers at the London Bullion Market Association annual meeting said the extent of the move into physical gold was unseen and driven by the very rich.

“There is an enormous pick-up in investment demand. I have never seen a market like this in my 33-year career,” said Jeremy Charles, chairman of the LBMA. “The gold refineries cannot produce enough bars.”