Even though the weather today is warmer than usual, in fact, record breaking for the area, there is a persistent haziness in the air that obscures a clear view of the ocean right up to the nearer surf. The oil derricks and passing ships were virtually invisible. I went about my business through the day, had a nice lunch, later picked up my wife at her work and raced back to the island. Unfortunately, when we arrived, the haze had not blown away. Anything more than a few feet off shore was effectively invisible.
As I looked into the haze, I realized that the political and economic view of our great nation is just as hazy and obscure. Our leaders at all levels seem to have purposely set aside the Constitution and the oath each of them took upon their election to public office. No, I am not singling out the current set of politicos, from the president on down to the local county commissioners. Much of the trouble started well before Obama took office, his coat tails overladen with the hangers on who would occupy the lesser offices. George H. W. Bush continued what has become tradition by initiating a war with Iraq that was, among other things, a war to retake oil for western nations at the cost of our American soldiers. The villains, Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Ladin lived to fight another day. President Clinton, with all his antics here at home, failed to complete the task of catching Bin Ladin and dealing with Saddam. Both George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton continued to hack away, or support others who hacked away, at our great Constitution and our civil liberties.
In 2002, George W. Bush, no doubt feeling great pressure to act, ordered the invasion of Iraq (again) with the goal of capturing Hussein. That was accomplished, but now, ten years later, that war rages on, AND we have a new (old) war in Afghanistan that we obligingly took over from the failed Soviet Union. At the same time, George W. Bush also continued the tradition of hacking away at the Constitution by supporting, and signing into law, the infamous PATRIOT Act, one of the most serious attacks on our civil liberties in the history of the United States. Now, Barack Obama, whose patriotism was questionable BEFORE his election, doubly so now, continues to wage the endless wars initiated by his successors, and continues to use his power and influence to dismantle our Constitution at an alarming rate. And we cannot forget the outrageous way King and Queen Obama are frittering away our tax dollars for the largest, most extravagant, most bizarre series of state trips of all time.
As the national assault on our Constitution continues on one front, other issues are tearing this nation apart as well. The never ending wars that our forces are fighting around the world continue. The seemingly endless trillion dollar bailouts (read your money and mine lost instead of that of the criminal bank board members and auto executives), with more on the way. Our "representatives," meantime, are busy passing such Constitution stomping measures as the DISCLOSE Act, the blatant attempt to curtail Internet freedom, the equally blatant attempt to silence the voice of small organizations and political action committees at election time while leaving the huge companies, organizations, and special interest groups free to shout out loud right up to the front doors of the local polling place. One especially outrageous bill (among the many) is a bill that would call for unionization of all public service agencies throughout the United States, effectively taking local control out of the hands of elected city councilmen and county commissioners, and placing command of these agencies in the hand of union leaders (which of course includes members of five certain Families). Do you think you have no control over your police and other public servants now? Just wait till that law passes. And you should know that this very bill will be voted on AFTER the coming election. Those legislators who were afraid to pass these bills BEFORE the elections will have no incentive at all not to trample the Constitution by passing these laws in the "lame suck" session upcoming. These politicians have nothing to lose...BUT YOU AND I HAVE OUR NATION TO LOSE!
Do you love President Obama and the things for which he stands? Do you support Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Leiberman? That is of course your business and your right. But do not allow your support for our first black president and these other power hungry politicians to blind you to our Constitution and the DUTY of our elected officials to UPHOLD it. The current politicians, as well as many of those now out of office, HAVE NOT AND ARE NOT UPHOLDING OUR CONSTITUTION, which is the LAW OF OUR LAND. The United States Constitution is the document that embodies the things that set us apart from most other nations of the world. This same Constitution is being ripped apart at the seams before out very eyes!
You should support those politicians who are truly representing you. But if these same politicians are tearing apart our Constitution and our nation, and you STILL support them, perhaps YOU need to review the Constitution for yourself. Many men and women have fought and died to preserve the rights embodied in that great document, but it appears that the people most hellbent on destroying it (AND YOUR LIBERTIES WITH IT) are our very own elected congressmen and senators. We do not have to let this happen. This is still after all, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. It is STILL OURS!
No comments:
Post a Comment