Comedy

Less a formulation of a "new" constitution than an exploration of the history and terms of the current one, Bleyer does a remarkable job of describing describing both the substance and the relatively chaotic backstory of the United States Constitution. The framers, although undoubtedly brilliant and visionary, were also very human and had many misgivings about the quality and durability of the document they were creating. Indeed, Thomas Jefferson was quite explicit: no generation should have the authority to bind the next and ideally the Constitution should be written anew by each generation with laws suitable for its own time and needs.

Bleyer takes such august authority as his starting point to facetiously frame his own version of a suitable constitution for our time. While his tone is amusingly light-hearted and sprinkled with frequently hilarious anecdotes from both the times of the founders and of our own (including a luncheon interview with Supreme Court Justice Scalia), what comes across clearly is that the framers would have been shocked, even appalled, to learn that the Constitution they patched together would be considered sacrosanct more than 200 years later. More than that, they probably would have been horrified to learn that their "original intent" (as if there was ONE original intent) would have been considered controlling in interpreting that Constitution by numerous Supreme Court Justices, including Justice Scalia, himself.

Bleyer does a real service in accurately conveying both constitutional principles and the difficulties in their interpretation in an accessible and entertaining style. Whether the reader is new to the subject or thinks that he/she "knows" the Constitution, the book inspires an appreciation of both the privileges and the responsibilities belonging to those who live in a constitutionally governed democratic society and does so in a way that is non-confrontational and, yes, fun!