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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowSaying the rights provided in the Constitution come with obligations, the Indiana Bar Foundation has issued a statement condemning Wednesday’s attack on the U.S. Capitol Building.
“We are extremely fortunate to enjoy a host of rights and protections that are enshrined in our constitution,” the statement said. “With these rights, also come obligations and duties that each of us must uphold and preserve to ensure the common good of our nation and each other collectively. The actions we witnessed yesterday broke this sacred social contract and should be rightfully condemned.”
A mob broke through barricades and busted into the Capitol yesterday afternoon as Congress was certifying the Electoral College votes. Carrying pro-Trump flags and wearing red “Make America Great Again” hats, the rioters smashed windows, broke into offices and freely roamed on the floor of the U.S. Senate in an attempt to prevent Joe Biden from become president.
“Yesterday, we watched in shock and anger as rioters violated the hallowed halls of our democracy by invading the U.S. Capitol,” the bar foundation said. “These actions are a direct threat to our country and the ideals it was founded on that have persevered for over 240 years.”
The bar foundation maintains a strong focus on civics education. It runs the We the People program, which teaches middle and high school students about the Constitution, the law and how to disagree civilly. Also, it helps administer the U.S. Senate Youth Program, which allows two Hoosiers each year to join other students from across the nation and spend a week in Washington, D.C., seeing the federal government in action.
Nodding to its educational mission, the bar foundation said the health of democracy depended on citizens understanding the Constitution and America’s democratic form of government.
“We look forward to brighter and better days, where all Hoosiers and Americans understand our system of government, function honorably within this system, and have productive, civil dialogue to solve problems and make the world better for all,” the bar foundation said. “We rededicate ourselves to working every day to strive for the more perfect Union that our founders envisioned, and we all continue to seek.”
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