Customer Reviews

Do-It-Yourself Constitutional Amendment Kit

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Waste of time and money. Rip off. I already had a copy of the U.S. Constitution and amendments. I was looking for a framework for writing any type of amendment to an local, state, or national document! Not this quirky nonsense.

The "Do-it-Yourself Constitutional Amendment Kit" totally delighted me. It's funny and amusing, clever and smart, but also deadly serious. It states the obvious that's never stated. It offers pragmatic solutions that cut through the bull. It opens the door to more political involvement in America. This book gives voice to what many are thinking but never say. And delivers it clearly, succinctly and always with a smile. I heartily recommend it!

A funny, poignant, and strangely idiosyncratic work. Author Whitten has tapped into our American pop-culture angst just as the economic and political forces are coming to an unprecedented boil. His basic argument: maybe we need to re-think this whole "constitution" thing and get some new rules (and rulers) in Washington. This is not a "dummies guide" to politics but a book for smart people who enjoy thought-provoking odd-ball notions about politics and the absurdity of our current 200+-year old system of "democracy." Whitten pokes fun at re-working the amendments with a variety of brief vignettes on subjects ranging from "limiting all political speeches to 14 minutes" to a "reading list" for public officials that includes Salinger & Bukowski. I give this book four-star kudos on concept, but can't give it five stars because I wish there were more of Whitten's funny original material, and less of the actual constitution (which is reprinted here as an appendix) though to be fair to the author, I can see why he re-printed "the original" in this book so people could see what he was talking about -- and truth be told I have not actually read the constitution since 1976. Given how important this document is to Americans, we should all read the constitution again as adults and voters; Whitten provides a "fun" revisionist motive for readers to examine the original document.

Seriously, unless you have retreated into a dark cave to live the rest of your life, you've heard the news about the financial meltdown. Who's to blame? It's a tangled web, but assuming our government had something to do with it, you should buy this book. While seemingly a satirical poke at the goobers running our country, there are some good ideas which should be considered.

In all seriousness, maybe it's time we all did our part.

Check it out. You'll laugh. You'll cry. And you can actually read the Constitution (not in that crazy script handwriting they used back then) with all its Amendments, in case you never have. Very enlightening.

Thomas Jefferson recommended that every nineteen or twenty years, the constitution should be repaired so as to adjust to the new generation. The sacrosanct nature of the constitutional amendments thus has no basis in the wishes of the founding fathers. Nathaniel Whitten runs with this. In a half deadly serious, half humorous, tone, he suggests various amendments to the United States constitution, some of them brilliant, and a few facetious, yet also brilliant. If you've never considered the constitution - and how many of us have - now is you chance to familiarize yourself with the most important document in the history of the United States.

Nat Whitten does it again. A book like this is needed now more than ever. Highly recommended to anyone who likes to think.

This book provokes the kind of thinking we need -- with a sense of humor. We should need one now. Bravo to Nat Whitten, a man who knows how to think and write!

Written by the ingenious, iconoclastic and, at times, brilliantly inspired Nat Whitten, this is a great chapbook - with a bunch of solid laughs (and some interesting ideas) provided along the way. Here Whitten encourages every American to exercise their God-given (or, at least, Founding-Father-granted) right to petition the government for change - via the Constitutionally provided mechanism for proposing new amendments for that document.

And, just in case you might feel daunted by this awesome and legalistic-sounding task, the author provides the reader with a number (actually 26) of his own suggestions for amending this sacred, but too-little-changed, text. Some of these are pure tomfoolery (for instance, "Proposed Amendment XXXVI: Ensuring Strom Thurmond Doesn't Run Again - Even Though He's Dead"), but others caused me to take a serious pause and think about the advisability of the suggestion at hand. For instance, there was "Proposed Amendment XXXVIII: No Voter? No Motor." - which ensure greater participation in our democratic process by denying the renewal of your motor vehicle license unless you are certified as having voted in the last election. And a true favorite for was "Proposed Amendment XXXII: Right to Bear Arms, So Long as They're Muskets." Talk about reframing the discussion based on `the Founder's original intentions"!

Finally, to put the cap of seriousness on this whole enterprise, the book includes a copy of the original Constitution as passed by Congress in 1787 (isn't it interesting to read the painful circumlocutions used so that the word - but the facts of - slavery never appear in the document or the use of the word `militia' here - which can be so critical to certain readings of the 2nd Amendment) which is followed by each of the 27 amendments that have so far been passed and accepted for that document. I found this part of the reading sobering and impressive - leading me to wonder if Proposed Amendment LII (Requirement of All Citizens to Read the Constitution) might not have more merit than just trying to elicit a laugh out of me.

How could anyone with any kind of political sensitivity (and funny bone) NOT enjoy and be moved by this charming and witty book?

This book should be mandatory reading for the present presidential and vice presidential candidates. It is cleverly and thoughtfully written, with laughs aplenty and a seriousness that smacks of common sense. I laughed, applauded, and wondered if Mr. Whitten had been listening in on my phone conversations and reading my e-mails. And I would suggest that either Senator Obama or Senator McClain consider Mr. Whitten for a cabinet post in either (and I pray that it's one rather than the dreaded other) administration. I hope that readers who are interested in politics and love laughing--that's you Jon Stewart--pick up this book (after paying for it, of course) and give it a good read. I would also suggest that the readers make good use of the "My Amendment" pages and send them to their respective political representatives. On second thought, they should just send the book to those weanies in power. My wish is that Nathaniel Whitten continues to share his insightful (and hilarious) ponderings in future publications! Congratulations to a splendid writer for another job well done.

Michael Moore is currently trumpeting his "Election Guide 2008" and getting Moore-sized media buzz for it. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Whitten has handled many of the same themes in a far more original way. Whitten has taken on many of the themes of our current election, not to mention our current WORLD, and satirized them by allowing us...you...the reader...to rewrite the U.S. Constitution. Whitten's thesis, coupled with his laser-like wit and take-no-prisoners manner, makes this a constant delight to read as well as a sometimes stunning indictment. Whitten also happens to be a mighty funny dude, so there are a load of laughs here too, often hip but never too hip for the room. I laughed a lot and was often powerfully enlightened. One feels Obama and Biden would very much appreciate this book.