U.S. Constitution honored Friday

Seven articles. Forty signatures. Twenty-seven Amendments. One Constitution.\nForty-three presidents later, on Dec. 8, 2004, George W. Bush signed into public law Constitution Day as Sept. 17. The purpose of Constitution Day, according to www.constitutionday.com, is to "perpetuate the Constitution to each succeeding generation ... to educate each generation the uniqueness and brilliance of our Constitution."\nRussell Hanson, an IU political science professor, said it is not clear to him why Congress needed to mandate a day, adding that the majority of the population doesn't even associate with the Constitution. On Sept. 17, 1787, delegates agreed to put a Constitutional proposal forward, but it wasn't until Dec. 15, 1791, that the Constitution and Bill of Rights was ratified by all 13 states and approved by Congress.\nHanson alluded to the fact that Congress hasn't mandated us to celebrate Independence Day.\nSome students have no idea what Constitution Day is or that it was being celebrated in observance today, mainly because the day falls on a Saturday this year. Others others expressed interest in the idea of a Constitution Day.\n"One should want to celebrate our Constitution," said Joe Lee, a junior political science major. "It's what separates us from the rest of the world." \nIn addition to IU students, Nicholas Sommers, a U.S. Army soldier stationed in South Korea, feels Bush has bigger things to worry about.\n"He needs to put his priorities in order and concentrate on the bigger picture -- and not some little Constitution Day," Sommers said.\nBrandon Fisher, a political science major, sees the importance in having a day dedicated to the Constitution.\n"I don't think people understand the purpose of the Constitution," Fisher said. "By dedicating a day to it, people will come to understand the meaning in the first place." \nIU will hold two events for Constitution Day. \nFive scholars from IU, the Georgetown University Law Center and Foreign Policy in Focus will present a town hall meeting 12 :30 p.m. Friday at the Whittenberger Auditorium, titled "The United States Constitution as a Model for Others."\nThe IU School of Education, in partnership with area high schools, will hold a Constitutional forum in the W.W. Wright Builiding Saturday.\n"Congress requires us to celebrate the day it was proposed to establish a national government with unprecedented power, unlimited by a Bill of Rights, and heavily insulated from popular control," Hanson said. "I prefer to celebrate today's Constitution, with amendments guaranteeing fundamental liberties to all, broad voting rights, an elected Senate, and a president who is ultimately accountable to the people. We should celebrate these improvements, and follow the example of those extraordinary majorities of American people who have, from time to time, altered the Constitution of Sept. 17, 1781, to better secure their safety and happiness. That's the best way to honor the Founders, and preserve our system of government"