Image courtesy of Joe Brusky under CC BY-NC 2.0.
“If your American chief be a man of ambition and abilities, how easy is it for him to render himself absolute!… the president, in the field, at the head of his army, can prescribe the terms on which he shall reign master, so far that it will puzzle any American ever to get his neck from under the galling yoke. I can not with patience think of this idea. If ever he violate the laws, one of two things will happen: he will come at the head of the army to carry everything before him, or he will give bail, or do what Mr. Chief Justice will order him. If he be guilty, will not the recollection of his crimes teach him to make one bold push for the American throne? Will not the immense difference between being master of everything and being ignominiously tried and punished powerfully excite him to make this bold push? But, sir, where is the existing force to punish him? Can he not, at the head of his army, beat down every opposition?…What will then become of you and your rights? Will not absolute despotism ensue?”
—-Patrick Henry, on the power of the presidency
Another Fourth of July has arrived, and the American people are farther from Liberty than ever before. The gulf between our government’s pro-freedom sloganeering and the reality of its abusive leadership grows wider with every passing year. One has to look at the power grabs that have come out of Washington in the past few years and seriously ponder how much longer the US will be holding free elections. All is not yet lost, but these are dark times for all Americans who take their government more seriously than a football game.
Some people call the Republicans “fascists”, but let’s dispense with the hyperbole: What the modern GOP really stands for is Imperialism–the unbridled tyranny of a Kingship or Emperor. We have an imperial presidency bent on wielding supreme executive power, that nullifies the checks and balances of our Constitution by abusing the powers of the “Commander in Chief”. Patrick Henry gravely warned against the dangers of having a presidential commander in chief with a standing army. As in the case of most warnings issued by the Founding Fathers, somebody should have listened.
As a matter of precedent, post-Twentieth Century presidents have routinely started wars under any pretext–no matter how tenuous–without a Congressional declaration. Now we can see the bitter fruit of that precedent with the “War On Terror”. The executive branch can utilize the ruse of “emergency powers” to justify any excess, no matter how extreme or unconstitutional, while simultaneously ramming military conflicts down the American peoples’ throats. Then whenever a law, national or international, does not suit him, the president can dispense with it using a Signing Statement, Executive Order, or simple indifference. Our 21st century ‘President 9-11’ can violate any law he wishes, and he will be defended by administration officials who will argue that the violation was not illegal because it involved “national security”. National Security has hence become the ultimate Get Out Of Jail Free card…and an invitation to abuse of power for decades to come.
Under the neo-cons, the last vestiges of Reagan-era conservatism have been swept away. Concurrently, the last safeguards of our constitutional republic are being eliminated—abrogated by vile laws like the Patriot Act, and ignored by a vulgar Chief Executive who is deemed above the Law.
What we have today is essentially a crude elective Monarchy. Hail to the King. How ironic that we have now come full circle, as a nation. Our forefathers fought hard against royalist tyranny–gambling their very lives for an experiment in Liberty–in a land with a small, constrained government bound by constitutional law.
It can be said, at this stage, that their noble experiment has probably failed. We have reverted to governance by a King, without meaningful checks and balances, or any apparent adherence to the Rule of Law. The American people are mostly unaware of this shift in governance, of course, since they are informed by a national news media that has abandoned its duty to serve as Watchdog—and is, instead, obsessed with such earth-shaking concerns as pop music, obesity, missing person stories, Botox, celebrity murder cases, and other such drivel.
I’m not just talking about Fox News. The entire Press has become toothless, lazy, obesiant, and obsessed with trivia. Somehow, in recent years, our mainstream news media has become theNational Enquirer. Nixon could have easily survived Watergate if he had dealt with today’s Press. Clinton would have had no reason to bomb Serbia, to get his impeachment out of the headlines. No president would ever face impeachment with the sort of Press we have today.
All we have left in such a system is the elective process itself. Our kingdom is party driven. We have the Democrats, who believe in big government, overtaxation and a cradle-to-grave Nanny State–and we have the Republicans, who believe in seizing power, waging perpetual war, and an even bigger government. Then we have a bunch of little not-ready-for-prime time third parties that are going nowhere and haven’t a ghost of a chance of altering the power structure. A few of these, like the Libertarian Party, are good groups full of good people with good ideas. Are they worth supporting?
Oh yes.
But not yet—at least not during an important election year.
This is a very important election year. If we don’t flush the Republicans out of Congress and the Senate, we are in a lot of trouble as a nation. We are headed down a dark path, constitutionally speaking—indeed, we have already gone much too far down that path, and need to quickly reverse our steps.
I have never voted for a Democrat, nor even considered doing so until now. I am a Libertarian. I used to proudly call myself a “conservative”…but I can’t do that anymore. (The word has been stained beyond disinfection.) I am a Christian. However, I cannot stand by and condone what’s happening to my country simply because I agree with the ruling party’s rhetoric on Bible issues. And “rhetoric” is the key word here. I find it very difficult to imagine our Lord Jesus Christ approving of this administration’s lies, or the large numbers of people it has killed off needlessly on the battlefield, imprisoned without due process, and tortured in dank, shadowy prisons. I further believe—in apparent full contradiction to Bush Christians—that God does not like the concept of earthly Kings. Bush Christians need to add ‘I Samuel 8: 6-18’ to their list of Bible readings.
I don’t like many of the Democratic Party’s ideas. But I recognize that there needs to be an opposition party, and they are at least making constitutional noises at this writing. The Republicans stopped making constitutional noises the day after 9-11, and started doing their best to override the founding documents, nullify the Fourth Amendment, set up a National ID card, and build an onerous, very expensive police state. They went on to build the biggest, most intrusive, and costly federal government of all time…while simultaneously driving up oil prices and inflation with their misguided military policies.
We cannot afford another election victory for “The Party Formerly Known as Conservative”.
I’m still unsure which party I am going to vote for this year, but I will be voting, and I can assure you of which party I will not be voting. As a constitutional patriot, I am boycotting the Republican Party. Permanently.
I hope that former Reagan conservatives like myself will search their minds and look at this administration with a full conscience and a clear eye. And vote. While they still have the privilege.
“Published originally at EtherZone.com : republication allowed with this notice and hyperlink intact.”