Lead us not into temptation...
November 12, 2004
Is it a sin to violate the Constitution? Senator Paynter thought so:
[I]f one must violate the Constitution which he has sworn to support and maintain, and thus suffer the prostitution and self-abasement consequent upon a violation of that oath, the price which he pays for approval is too great. When a Member of this body is charged with the duty of construing the Constitution, the question as to the effect his decision may have on his personal fortunes should not for one moment be considered. When such a thought enters his mind he should, with due haste, explaim, "Get thee behind me, Satan!" Remarks of Senator Paynter, 49 Cong. Rec. 2687 (1913).