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Constitution Week Activities in Arizona Begin Sept. 17

Sept. 13, 2007

Constitution Week is nearing with events scheduled September 17-23 in the East and West Valleys of Maricopa County and the University of Arizona.

This is the sixth annual Constitution Week observance in Gilbert, the largest celebration of its kind in the United States.

The theme for Gilbert’s Constitution Fair on Saturday, Sept. 22 is “Honoring Old Glory.” Fairgoers can see replicas of the nation’s first flags and are encouraged to bring their own old flags. Attendees can also watch a tribute to America’s fallen soldiers, local performers, a demonstration of how to retire old and tattered flags and there will be activities for kids.

The fair will culminate with a patriotic program with skydivers and fireworks beginning at 8 p.m. Michael Israel will headline the evening entertainment by performing several of his famous patriotic masterpieces live on stage in a full concert sound and light extravaganza.

The Gilbert fair will be hosted by Mesquite High School, 500 S McQueen Rd., Gilbert, from 6-9:30 p.m.

Admission to the fair is free.

University of Arizona to Observe Constitution Day

The year was 1787, and 39 men gathered to sign what would become the foundational document for the United States.

On Monday, Arizona law professors will join state and federal level judges to participate in an event meant to commemorate the U.S. Constitution while also educating the public about the 220-year-old document's legal purpose.
The 9th Annual Supreme Court Review Celebrating Constitution Day event will be held Monday, Sept. 17. The three-hour event, beginning at 2 p.m., will take place at the James E. Rogers College of Law, 1201 E. Speedway Blvd, in the Ares Auditorium or room 146.

Lawyers and judges will discuss several cases, including those involving prisoner complaints and considerations of race in school admissions. The experts will also talk about this year's landmark Massachusetts v. Environmenal Protection Agency case that, like all others to be discussed, was part of the Supreme Court's 2006-2007docket.

The event is sponsored by the William H. Rehnquist Center on the Constitutional Structures of Government and is part of nation-wide events. The event is free and open to the public, and continuing legal education credit is available.

For more information, call (520) 626-1629.

ASU West Campus Celebrates Constitution Week

Arizona State University West is featuring a Constitution Week celebration with events offering analysis and interpretation of the document, as well as some of the history that led to its framing.

The U.S. Constitution is the oldest Federal constitution in existence and lays out the basic rights of citizens of the United States. The document was framed in Philadelphia by a convention of delegates from 12 of the 13 original states.
Events include:

• Constitution Fair presented by West campus student government officers, including information booths specific to such topics as “Constitution Facts,” “A Brief History of Suffrage,” “Constitution Questions and Answers,” and more, and staged in the Delph Courtyard on Sept. 18 (12 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.;
• “Signing of the Constitution,” an activity designed to illustrate our greater familiarity with pop culture than the Constitution, presented by Student Life on Sept. 19 (10 a.m. to 12 p.m.) in the Sands Breezeway;
• “Domestic Spying: What are the Checks on Presidential Power,” a documentary aired by Communications Studies professor Majia Nadeson in her Crisis Communication class, Com 414, in CLCC 158 on Sept. 19 (12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.);
• “The Bill of Rights: What it Says, What it Means, and How it Works in the Criminal Justice System,” a presentation by School of Criminology and Criminal Justice associate professor Andrew Clemency in his Discretionary Justice class in CLCC 246 on Sept. 21 (6:30 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.).

Contact: Kelly Grysho, kelly.grysho@asu.edu, (602) 543-5209

Ben Franklin to attend Constitution Week events at ASU’s West campus

Benjamin Franklin may be 301 years old, but the statesman, philosopher, printer, inventor and signer of the U.S. Constitution will headline a series of activities scheduled at Arizona State University’s West campus during Constitution Week, Sept. 17 through Sept. 23. The activities are open to the general public and admission is free.

Franklin, who also put his name to the Declaration of Independence in 1776, will appear on Thursday, Sept. 21, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., at Second Stage West, at ASU’s West campus, 4701 W. Thunderbird Road, Phoenix. He will preside over the Constitutional Convention of 1787, reading the Constitution and later answering questions about the historical document and the subsequent Bill of Rights. Senators from ASU’s West campus student government will serve as delegates to the Constitutional Convention. Franklin will be played by actor Phil Soinski, far younger than 301 and who has made many appearances as the colonies’ greatest ambassador as an expert on his subject.

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Not surprisingly, the element of political correctness has not been lost on the liberal university that is ASU West. One of the university's administrators parroted Al Gore and other leftists in this misidentification of the Constitution:

“The history of our nation and what makes the United States special and different from any other country in the world is our Constitution,” said Lesley DiMare, associate vice-provost for undergraduate initiatives and academic programs. “Of the written constitutions, it is the oldest and is a living, breathing document created by a unique group of patriots that has stood the test of time.”

The living/breathing line is what leftists use to justify indefensible judicial performances that created the Everson and Roe v. Wade decisions.