Constitution

The president and CEO of the National Constitution Center announced Friday that he will be stepping down, effective Oct. 31. David Eisner, who was president and CEO for nearly three years, will stay on to present the 2012 Liberty Medal to Muhammad Ali on Sept. 13 and to open the Constitution Center's exhibition about Prohibition on Oct. 19, according to a news release issued by the center Friday. He also will assist in the search for a new chief for the center. "The National Constitution Center has made significant progress in establishing itself as a regional and national attraction, and this is the right time for me to step aside," Eisner said in the statement.

The president and CEO of the National Constitution Center announced today that he will be stepping down effective Oct. 31. David Eisner, will stay on to present the 2012 Liberty Medal to Muhammad Ali on Sept. 13 and open the Constitution Center's exhibition about Prohibition on Oct. 19, according to a news release. He will assist in the search for a new chief of the Center. Eisner was appointed CEO in November 2009 by the Center's Board of Trustees, chaired by former President Bill Clinton, and including, among others, former President George H.W. Bush, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, and former Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell.

The entrance to the auditorium at the National Constitution Center was beset by faux demonstrators Tuesday morning, a ring of young women carrying signs denouncing the evils of drink. Inside, a raucous jazz quartet from Bucks County's Pennsbury High School filled the room with Prohibition-era tunes. Constitution Center marketing staffers were decked out in flapper feathers and red dresses. All the hubbub was in service to the Constitution's 18th Amendment - and the center's big fall exhibition, "American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition," which will open Oct. 19 and run through April 28, 2013.

Actors Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis will appear in an event open to the public this morning at the National Constitution Center. The two funnymen are promoting their upcoming film, "The Campaign" and will be signing a copy of the Constitution to commemorate its 225th Anniversary. Doors open to the public at 10 a.m., and the duo is scheduled to appear at 11 a.m. at the center's Grand Hall Overlook. National Constitution Center President and CEO David Eisner will also be on hand.

Tattle was still snoozing Tuesday morning when Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis popped into town for a quick "campaign rally" stop at the National Constitution Center.   Fortunately, Tattle political correspondent Stephanie Farr was available to catch up with the stars of the upcoming comedy, "The Campaign. " Stephanie reports that like most political candidates, they showed up a half-hour late to their own event and spent most of their five minutes onstage schmoozing with local celebrities.

Kevin Bleyer has rewritten the Constitution of the United States. Bleyer, a writer for The Daily Show With Jon Stewart who has contributed to speeches for President Obama, decided that the Constitution needed revision — and that current politics would never allow another Constitutional Convention. He has laid out his plan in a new book, Me the People: One Man's Selfless Quest to Rewrite the Constitution of the United States of America (Random House, $26). "We need a convention of one. We need Kevin Bleyer to make all the decisions, on behalf of America, because he knows best," the Emmy Award winner said by phone.

It's appropriate that our Fourth of July celebrations coincided with a moment when the Supreme Court's health-care decision prompted intense debate over the purpose of our government and what the Constitution allows it to do. We are a more philosophical people than we give ourselves credit for. Constitutional questions enter the political conversation here more than in most countries because our diverse nation is bound by our founding principles, not...

Breaking News alert: Supreme Court rules out life in prison without possibility of parole for juveniles under 18. Here is our previous story. They murdered - the ultimate impetuous act of teenagers whose lives were often marked by deprivation, depravity, and emotional and mental disabilities. Some, like Joseph Ligon, were city kids. Ligon was part of a gang of North Philadelphia teens out to steal money to buy booze. Two of their targets died. Now 75, Ligon lives in the sprawling Pennsylvania state prison at Graterford in Montgomery County.

Rumored Mitt Romney VP pick Marco Rubio, the rising-star Republican U.S. senator from Florida, canceled a scheduled book event Wednesday night at the National Constitution Center.   Rubio was supposed to join Talk Radio 1210-AM host Dom Giordano for a sold-out discussion of his new book, An American Son. "Senator Rubio was called back to Washington to take part in unexpected votes in the Senate," the radio station announced on its website before apologizing to ticketholders.

Savon Goodman and Daiquan Walker, seniors on Constitution's state-championship boys' basketball team this past season, have finally made their college selections. Goodman, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound forward, has committed to Nevada-Las Vegas. Walker, a point guard, signed a letter of intent with Central Florida on Friday morning. An undersized but high-flying small forward, Goodman chose the Rebels over Southern Methodist and Pittsburgh. Last season, while averaging 25.8 points and 14.2 rebounds, Goodman led the Generals to a 23-9 record, the Public League championship, and the school's first PIAA Class A state title.