When the state or federal government control the education of all of our children they have the dangerous and illegitimate monopoly to control and influence the thought process of our citizens.

We pay a price when we deprive children of the exposure to the values principles and education they need to make them good citizens.

Our citizens and those who have gone before us charted the broad outlines of where we need to go and they would envy our opportunity to translate those dreams into action. And I believe they will judge us very harshly should we fail to act.

My dreams were always small and puny. All I ever needed was a little house with a little picket fence by the sea. Little did I know that I would live in Malacanang Palace for 20 years and visit all the major palaces of mankind. And then also meet ordinary citizens and the leaders of superpowers.

I have argued for years that we do not have a health care system in America. We have a disease-management system - one that depends on ruinously expensive drugs and surgeries that treat health conditions after they manifest rather than giving our citizens simple diet lifestyle and therapeutic tools to keep them healthy.

If you think aficionados of a living Constitution want to bring you flexibility think again. You think the death penalty is a good idea? Persuade your fellow citizens to adopt it. You want a right to abortion? Persuade your fellow citizens and enact it. That's flexibility.

Policemen so cherish their status as keepers of the peace and protectors of the public that they have occasionally been known to beat to death those citizens or groups who question that status.

Crucial to understanding federalism in modern day America is the concept of mobility or 'the ability to vote with your feet.' If you don't support the death penalty and citizens packing a pistol - don't come to Texas. If you don't like medicinal marijuana and gay marriage don't move to California.

My dad remembers being in school with my uncle and the teacher would say outright to the class that the Japanese were second-class citizens and shouldn't be trusted.

The criteria for serving one's country should be competence courage and willingness to serve. When we deny people the chance to serve because of their sexual orientation we deprive them of their rights of citizenship and we deprive our armed forces the service of willing and capable Americans.