I was going to post a long rant yesterday, but I decided against it. At this point if you’re reading this I know that you’re the type of person who understands what is going on in the world and you don’t need me to lecture to you.
All I will say is that I am angry and I am saddened by the events of the past few days. For too long now people who have taken an oath to support and defend the Constitution have instead treated it, and any who would object to their behavior, with contempt. The Constitution is ignored and debased and laws are broken with impunity. I am saddened beyond the ability of words to convey. There is no law in this country any more. It has been murdered; not secretly, not in private, not in the dark of night, but live, on national television, accompanied by laughter, and then ignored while people argue over haircuts and lapel pins and other crap.
If I go on I’ll start my rant and I don’t want to do that. I’ll just say that I will try to do more to help with the problems we face as a nation. Both houses of Congress have proven to be populated by craven and criminal sycophants. There are a few exceptions, but I’m too cynical to take much solace in that.
Peace.
If you want to read the rant, it's here.
On July 4th, I posted the Declaration of Independence. I did that because it is my tradition to read the Declaration each Fourth so I wanted to use it as my post. I am profoundly impressed with what the founders did with the Declaration. Whatever their political or personal motivations might have been, what they did benefited every citizen and they did so at the very real risk of their own lives. Politicians since who have declared war may have done so for reasons noble or ignoble, regardless, they did so with no fear for their lives.
I am also inspired by the words and the ideals of the Declaration. Maybe my view is not that of the authors of our nation, exactly, but I like to think that I share the spirit of that ideal. I oppose slavery, discrimination and unequal suffrage and in that respect (and I am sure others) I am not in line with 18th Century American thought. However, I cherish the ideals of individual liberty, freedom of speech and religion and protection from oppression that are embodied in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. They are the ideals I learned as a child.
I may be foolish. I may believe in a vision of the United States that is not based on the ideas of the founders. Maybe I’m the only person in the country who feels the way I do. But I don’t see the country that I was raised to believe in.
Yesterday, Senators who took an oath to support and defend the Constitution instead enshrined into law support for those who would break the law and destroy the Constitution. They also helped to destroy the Constitutional rights of all Americans.
This is just the latest step in a long, slow march of abuse of power, abrogation of authority and capitulation that is as disgusting as it is lawless. I am saddened and angered. No changes in Iraq, no changes in Afghanistan, no accountability, a Congress that throws away its Constitutional authority and ignores the trampling of the Constitution and the flouting of the law by the branch of government charged with enforcing the law. And there is so much more.
I cannot say that I am surprised, but I am disappointed.
Laws are broken and there is no accountability. Charges are made and there is no investigation. Laws are passed that trample the Constitution. I am saddened beyond words.
I do not expect any of this to ever have much effect on me, I hope that it does not, yet I am saddened. It is the principle involved that matters. This nation was built on ideals that lay crushed beneath the feet of those in power. Whatever your political position on the issues, the disregard for the rule of law and for the Constitution must offend you. This goes beyond a matter of Federalist or Anti-Federalist views, this is a move to destroy the fundamental protections that not only support our republic, but the very conventions of community that keep a society from tearing itself apart.
Yes, I am being hyperbolic, but consider this: if certain laws do not apply to others, and this has been clearly stated knowing that breaking these laws was for no other purpose but personal gain, what logic can be used to insist that it is illegal to do anything, say steal? Both acts, illegal wiretapping and theft, were done for personal gain. Warrants could have been obtained, but they weren’t, for no other reason than ego and a grab of power; a job could be sought but wasn’t, for the reason of taking something the easy way. In fact, in this scenario, the warrant was guaranteed while a job may not be so easy to find. So tell me, why do laws apply to anyone if they do not apply to everyone?
I realize that that is an extreme position, but logically, if you destroy the rule of law, the slippery slope will lead either to tyranny or anarchy. I do not believe that we will reach either end, certainly not in my lifetime. But if the current trend is allowed to continue unabated we will either have Mussolini or Robespierre. Probably both.
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