ASR Recognition, and an exchange with the VT ACLU!

At the Vermont Community Access Media producers dinner on Friday night, American Socialism for the Rich was honored with the VCAM’s 2009 Staff Award for “Fearlessly Embracing Both the Spirit and Technology of Community Access Digital Video Production”!  The dinner was quite the production, with clips played from all of the shows currently in production, ranging from a wrasslin’ fan hour to fairly high production value stuff.  Additionally, long-time producer of the “Songwriter’s Notebook” Rik Paliari talked about the experience of having his show archived at the Library of Congress, and the Director of the Vermont ACLU gave the keynote address.

When it came time to ask questions of the speaker, I asked about the ACLU’s position on the utility of the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution as a tool for preserving liberty.  As soon as the words “Tenth Amendment” came out of my mouth, his body language became dismissive/exasperated, and his answer was that, essentially, there are parts of the Constitution that are anachronisms, and the tenth, as well as the ninth and third, fall into that category.  I strongly disagree with that analysis, as I ascribe to the position, a la David Deudney, that the checks and balances (or “negarchy”) created by the Constitution are vertical [Federal-State-People] as well as horizontal [Executive-Legislative-Judicial].  As the exchange occurred at a dinner, I didn’t press the issue; however, I think this line of thought deserves bearing out, so ASR will be extending an invitation to the ACLU in the near future…