On April 8, 1996, OCLP Chair Richard Boddie spoke to the Chapman University Political Science students on the topic of Constitutional Law. The American Civil Liberties Union sponsors monthly events for Chapman on Constitution related subjects, and he was selected to present the Libertarian perspective. Mr. Boddie went out of his way to build bridges between the LP and the ACLU. Specifically, he encouraged the ACLU to "join us" if they believe in giving people ideas by which they can govern themselves, as opposed to simply governing others.

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"...if the Constitution doesn't grant
the power to the Government, we keep it!"
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Mr. Boddie went on to illustrate the Libertarian emphasis on the Constitution by prioritizing the Bill of Rights. "The most important amendment of the Bill of Rights, my ACLU friends would say, is the First Amendment, 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right to the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.' I think the most important is the Tenth Amendment, 'The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people,' i.e., if the Constitution doesn't grant the power to the Government, we keep it!

"The next most important Amendment is the Ninth, 'The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people,' i.e., individual liberty is the basis upon which the Constitution is built. "Because these two amendments are being ignored, the next most important amendment is the Second, ['A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed' i.e.,] the right to keep and bear arms (as a potential resistance to tyranny)."

Mr. Boddie further touched on the significance of the privileges and immunities clauses, [Art. IV, and Fourteenth Amendment, Sec. 1, 2nd Sentence, Clause 1] which guaranteed the freedom to obtain or exchange property, bargain freely over wages and terms of employment, and to pursue an occupation of your choosing. He pointed out how the now infamous Slaughterhouse cases wiped out the privileges and immunities clause. Mr. Boddie discussed Ego Brown, an African-American entrepreneur who is currently being threatened to be put out of his Washington D.C. based business, based on precedents set by the corrupt Slaughterhouse cases, and reestablish the privileges and immunities clause.

A flood of questions followed the presentation, and interestingly there arose a debate regarding immigration. Other questions dealt with the Libertarian position on a variety of topics, and gave Mr. Boddie the opportunity to discuss several Libertarian solutions to problems created by our government.

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"...economic freedom is
inseparable from personal freedom."
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Concluding the event, Mr. Boddie reminded the audience that slavery and segregation were once supported by law, and that the most oppressed minority in the United States today is the individual.