This is my next Letter to the Editor
American Freedom, The Dream Turned or Are you willing to pursue it
“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
These are the opening words to what I consider the greatest gift we as a Nation have ever received. Our Constitution was written to provide We, the people of the United States of America a protection for the rights we already possessed by virtue of our Humanity.
We have seen over the last 25 years a systematic dismantling of our Constitutional rights and in the last 7 years a cascade of assaults on the very heart of our Constitution, the Bill of Rights.
More below the fold:
The use of Free Speech zones, (sometimes miles from the event), at events attended by our Elected officials, the continued consolidation of Television, Radio and Newspapers under the ownership of a few well connected Corporations/Families. (1st Amendment)
The repeated use of Eminent Domain for the benefit, not for the public good, but for the bottom line of corporations, who pay very little in taxes. (5th Amendment)
The use of Enhanced means of Interrogation, (Torture), when did we become a nation that allows this barbaric practice, has our Government been watching too much TV, developing the Jack Bauer syndrome? (8th Amendment)
Our Congress stripped away Habeas Corpus in a wave of Hysteria that was unfounded and based on fabrications that someone, somewhere is out to get us. Our Government continues to hold foreign nationals and US citizens for multiple years, without providing access to our court system. (4th Amendment and Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution)
The Executive branches, continuing illegal wiretaps of communications by US Citizens, without probable cause and the benefit of warrants. Their probable cause, someone, somewhere is going to attack us, soon. (4th Amendment)
Now we have a Congress ready to pass an Ex Post Facto law to provide Immunity to Communication Companies, who provided the means and the members of the Executive branch ( Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution) ,that authorized the Illegal wiretapping of more than 100 million American Citizen’s, phone, mail and electronic communications. (4th Amendment)
I remember as a child, my parents, my grandparents and their friends talking about WWII and how there was some fear that the enemy might attack us here on the mainland, yet there was staunch courage that no matter what, we as a Nation would prevail, not just because of sheer might, but for the absolute belief in our form of Government. They believed that our Constitution provided the backbone for our way of life and no matter what happened outside of the US, our Freedom would prevail.)
Where has that courage gone today? I see repeated messages from our Congress and Executive branches that we should be afraid, be very afraid. During WWII there were Nations with armies totaling millions of armed men trying to defeat us and our country was not living in FEAR. Today we face an enemy that totals perhaps, 10,000 individuals that have limited resources and we are told to be afraid.
Fear is the harbinger that will continue to allow those who do not respect our Constitutional rights, the Ability to continue in dismantling, those same rights, in order to “protect” us.
One of the founders of our Republic, Benjamin Franklin stated this so succinctly:
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
I firmly believe that there are those who would like to harm us and they must be given the appropriate amount of consideration when dealing with our National safety. Yet there are those within our own government that would have us freely give up our hard won rights protected by our Constitution.
I say Nay, I swore an Oath in 1972, when I joined the military that contains some of the same Oath that members of our Government, including our President swear to uphold.
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;”
I believe that many of the members of the Executive and Congressional branches of our government DID NOT hear Constitution in their Oath.
I love my country, my life and my liberty; I have never renounced the Oath I took so many years ago and never will. I love my country, with its remarkable diversity and its warts. I will do my best to bring my beloved country back on course, moving away from this insidious creeping into darkness, where our Constitution is held in such low regard.
I leave you with two statements provided by one of the Framers of our Constitution, Thomas Jefferson.
“Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms (of government) those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny”
“I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.”
I agree with Jefferson, to much liberty is a small inconvenience to pay compared to the loss of liberty. Whether you are a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent or non affiliated, you have a Right, an Obligation, a Trust to VOTE and to participate in our form of Government. We must all write, call or email our Congresspersons, our Senators, our President and be involved in the process of our Government.
As Lincoln stated,
“that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
