ETERNAL VIGILANCE by T. Edwin Perry
Whether the quote is attributed to Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), Wendell Phillips (1811-1884) or John Philpot Curran (1750-1817) is irrelevant. Likewise, whether the quote is “The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance” or “Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty” is irrelevant. All that remains relevant is the spirit of the message: If you don’t watch out for it, you WILL lose it!
When most of us hear the line about Eternal Vigilance, we tend to think about the military, the Guardians of our Great Nation, risking everything to protect our freedoms and liberties from foreign invaders. I’ll admit that I, too, have had a tendency to do so as well, but if you think about it, the Vigilance isn’t about watching the horizon for invaders, but the threat of corruption from the inside.
I’m currently working on a project that requires my reading and analyzing the Constitution of the United States, as well as other historic documents that we tend to take for granted. I’ve found a number of very interesting items, some of which I’m enthusiastic about sharing with you today.
First off, if you read the Constitution (It’s not very long, by the way – Just about 9.5 pages printed from the National Archives), you’ll notice a trend in every section where it establishes the Power of Government: All Power is Limited regarding what the Government can do to the People! The greatest amount of power in the Government is given to the House of Representatives, which is supposed to be most representative of the Population of the Nation. The second greatest power is given to the Senate, which is supposed to be most representative of the Individual States. The President is intended to Balance against the Congress to ensure that laws do not oppress the People, and the Judiciary is intended to allow the People to argue against laws which infringe their Liberties and do not conform with the Constitution! Our Founders, in either their wisdom or their skepticism, were hoping that the Government would remain loyal to the spirit of the Constitution, but were fearful of the potential for abuse. So, when people like President Obama start talking about the “Negative Liberties” in our Constitution, understand that those “Negative Liberties” are imposed against the Government, NOT THE PEOPLE!
Secondly, if you take the time to read the constitution, you’ll notice some interesting places where the Rights of the People sneak into the document BEFORE the “Bill of Rights,” which are the first ten Amendments to the Constitution. In Article 3, Section 3, defines Treason, which was often used as a weapon against people speaking out against the Government prior to our Revolution. It specifies that Treason will only apply if actually levying war against the Government of the United States, or in aiding foreign powers in such a war. Also, nobody can be convicted of Treason without at least two witnesses of such action or a confession of the accused in Open Court.
Third, the Constitution clearly defines that no laws can be enacted Retroactively to punish actions that were not illegal at the time. You’ll find this in Article 1, Section 9, which lists all of the things that Congress CANNOT do, including, but not limited to, taxation, immigration and commerce.
I bring these things up because the Congress of the United States is writing laws against the Will of the People. These laws include things like “Health Care Reform,” the current legislation having nothing to do specifically with “Health Care” or “Reform,” and “Cap & Trade Energy Reform,” which has nothing to do with Reforming Energy Productions so much as creating a new tax that will “Necessarily Skyrocket” energy prices for individuals and business. (Watch the Barack Obama quote here!)
Individuals, like myself, are ridiculed by our Representatives when we criticize their actions, when we question their motives, and when we demand answers. Those who gather to oppose these laws are called “Tea-Baggers” and the movement is called “Astroturf” instead of “Grassroots.” I say, “Call us what you want, but prove us WRONG!” If we’re misinformed, give us the facts. Answer the questions, no matter how mundane they seem to be. If the answer is “too complicated for us to understand,” I guarantee it’s too complicated for YOU to understand, so don’t pass the law! Stop treating us like idiots, and treat us like what we are: YOUR EMPLOYERS! And like any Employee, if you don’t do your job to our satisfaction, YOU WILL GET FIRED!
I said before that the “Greatest Amount of Power in the Government is given to the House of Representatives.” Don’t be fooled: the TRUE POWER still remains with the PEOPLE! So long as we have the Constitution to protect us, THEY are powerless without US! REMAIN VIGILANT, or risk losing that power forever!
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