In a message dated 98-02-08 02:19:29 EST, you write: << I think the real question when considering an amendment is not what the immediately interested parties intended when they penned the amendment, but rather the ramifications of another interest group using the legislation to achieve an end not intended by the authors. At the turn of the century, the big bosses used the Constitution to beat down the labor. They decided that "individual rights" referred to the rights of the businesses, and that the grievances of labor undermined those rights. Just a thought. Brendan >> GOOD THOUGHTS Brendan. Yes, those are valid concerns too. The process is always a bit speculative, but still a valid concern. I tend to look to the immediate first, because that is what is going to materialize first. Jim