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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

When is Enough, Enough?


            



            Are we closer to a second civil war in the United States? Maybe civil unrest? American patriots of all stripes taking to the streets under arms? Even in Washington, D.C.? Sound scary, provocative, even crazy? Would our Founding Fathers, if presented with the current state of affairs in this country, still be sitting idly by? Why do I ask such questions, you wonder?

            Maybe you have seen/heard the news that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has now stated that the government can indeed use drones to kill United States citizens on United States soil. I will repeat that – The government of the United States of America may use unmanned flying drones, among other methods, to kill/assassinate United States citizens on United States soil. Got it? We’re not talking about enemy combatants from a foreign nation. We’re not talking about casualties of war on some far away battlefield. We are talking about ignoring the Constitution of the United States of America, ignoring due process, ignoring the rights afforded us by that Constitution and the Bill or Rights, for the mere expediency of the government.

            Is it possible that a U.S. citizen could turn against their own country (like the current administration has) and seek to destroy America from within? Certainly that is possible. But, as an American citizen even the most repugnant among us still must be afforded the due process set forth in our laws. To ignore those laws for the sake of expediency, in an effort to make the government’s job easier, only makes it easier to ignore the next guy’s rights, and the next guy, and the next: until no one has any rights if the government deems it so. Is that the kind of country you want to live in?  Not me.

            I know that there are those of you out there who are right now thinking, “But, Floyd, this doesn’t concern me, I am not a terrorist or an enemy of the state.” You better think again. Must I really take up space here reminding you of all the laws that have been passed since 2001, which have trampled on the Bill of Rights and your liberty? Do I really need to go over the Patriot Act, NDAA, FAA Reauthorization Act, and the plethora of other such laws that have clearly ignored any constitutional law and have created a whole new class of “enemies of the state?” Have you forgotten the Department of Homeland Security memorandum to all law enforcement agencies stating who might be a terrorist? If you are a member of a Tea Party, a gun owner, a veteran, or a person who calls themselves a “patriot,” you are considered a potential terrorist. If you have written letters to your elected representatives and spoken of things like the Constitution, limited government, the Bill of Rights, or any similar language, you may be a terrorist. If you write a blog or post on your FaceBook page or other social network site and talk about standing up for your rights, demanding that the government respect its own limitations, or talk about Natural Rights, you may be a terrorist. If you are ignorant of any of this then you are part of the problem, but it’s not too late to fix that. Just take the time, do some work, and look it up. You’ll be doing yourself and your nation a favor.

            So, we now know that our federal government feels it has the right to forgo due process, ignore the Constitution, and once it has decided that you might be an enemy of the state, they can simply kill you. How do you feel about that? Are you angry? Frustrated? Tired of continually trying to be patient and work through the system? Do you vote each election and hope that you have made a good choice? And what have those whom we have elected been doing? Given who the current administration is, we are not surprised that Democrats are either outright ecstatic about these things or they remain noticeably silent about the loss of our rights. The Republicans tell us that they are our saviors and will right the wrongs that the evil Obama administration has heaped upon us. Yet, using the drone killing law as just one example, they are either complicit, silent, or have voted for these laws as well. My own representative, Eric Cantor, not only voted for the Patriot Act and the NDAA, but also voted for the FAA Reauthorization Act, which allows for the unmanned drones being used on U.S, soil. He, and the Republican Party, have helped Obama to gather unto himself the power to do this. And they have the nerve to act as if they are staunch opponents of Obama and the Democrats. Please, with friends like Cantor and the Republican Party who needs Democrats?

            I know that there are those out there who will continue to make excuses for Cantor and the Republican Party. They will bend over backward to pretend it didn’t happen or that their vote(s) didn’t really mean what we think they mean. They will try to paint you and me as the crazy ones and tell us that the Republicans are still our only best hope to fix the problems. But I ask you, have you heard anything from the Republican Party on this issue? Has the party leadership stepped up and demanded redress? On the economy, has the party done anything, ANYTHING that has reduced the size and scope of the federal government? And please do not insult my intelligence by talking about sequestration. That is a mere drop in the bucket and more game-playing designed to give the Republicans something to glom onto for the next election – “See, we did something!” Of course the spending goes on and the Republican Party’s favorites continue to get their money.

            So, how much more of this are we supposed to take? Do you vote each election? Do you do so in the hope that maybe this time they’ll finally get it? How many more elections will it take? Is it already to late? Are we so far gone, economically and on the civil rights front, that elections simply will not fix it? If the Democrats in Washington, D.C. continue their assault on us and our rights, and if the Republicans are complicit or simply will not stand on principle and fight tooth and nail to stop it, what other options do we have? It is obvious that our federal government considers you and me enemies. We do not toe the administration’s line and thus we are potential terrorists. If we are considered enemies and terrorists is it then logical to assume that war has been declared on us? If that is so then do we have the right to defend ourselves? I realize that these questions are difficult to ask and even more difficult to answer, but they must be asked and we must be prepared to answer them.

            It saddens me that I find myself thinking these things. I did not pick this fight. I have not threatened anyone or determined to take away anyone’s rights. I hope that I am wrong and that we can fix these problems soon and through the system. But I will not stand idly by and watch my nation destroyed and my liberty stripped away from me. There can be no doubt, in any rational mind, how our government views us. Isn’t about time we acknowledged that and prepared ourselves for any and all eventualities?