Ch. 45 Provide for the Common Defense
"To 'provide for the common defense' today means protecting our citizens from all existential threats—whether they come from abroad or arise from our own policies and practices that endanger our climate, our communities, and our children's future." Justice William O. Douglas There's a profound disconnect in how we conceptualize "common defense" in America today. When most people think of this concept in the Constitution, they likely think of protecting citizens from foreign invasion or conquest. Today, we spend more on military defense than the next nine countries combined, yet some of the biggest threats to the survival of humanity come not from foreign armies, but from environmental degradation and domestic gun violence. Rethinking What We Defend Against The threats facing America's youth today aren't soldiers marching across our borders. Instead, we're confronting: Climate change; without a doubt the most serious existential threat t...