Because It's Obsolete

In December, the Magna Carta is going on the auction block.
I wish I were making this up.



This is the only copy of the Magna Carta in the United States, and it's up for sale.
The same copy that's been on display in the National Archives since 1985 (apparently on loan from Ross Perot). Signed in the year 1215, it's been the foundation of our right to a speedy trial, to know why we're imprisoned, and to confront our accusers (aka habeas corpus) since the Middle Ages. This document started the American colonial resistance against King George III, back when Declarations & Constitutions were mere whispers on the tongues of patriots. But in October 2006, the Military Commissions Act essentially erased our right to habeas corpus, making this document (and some parts of the Bill of Rights) obsolete. And exactly one year later, it's for sale.

Now, instead of a piece of our nation's freedom, I guess it's just a historical trinket. The funds are going to a good cause, so that must make it okay. Can't help but wonder, will the Bill of Rights share the same fate once it's legislated away? How about a copy of the Constitution? When it comes to our rights, is becoming a collector's item really any different from being relegated to the trash?

I wonder how one could advertise for this auction.