It’s funny the way the concept of respect works. If you are being disrespected, you demand respect. If you are the one being disrespectful, then it’s “Just a Joke” or “They’re being ‘overly-sensitive.’” But a world without respect is a dangerous world to live in, and there are lines that should not be crossed. Perhaps that’s the real meaning of “The Golden Rule.”
Yesterday’s “Restoring Honor” Rally held by Glenn Beck at the Washington Mall gathered “thousands” of supporters (try hundreds of thousands, according to the estimated capacity of the areas literally filled with people) who stood together in support of a restoration of honor and faith in America by Americans. There was a strong religious overtone to the entire ceremony, and absolutely zero politics. And on the 47th Anniversary of the “I Have a Dream” speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., there were references of Dr. King’s vision of Racial Equality and Individual Responsibility embedded in the words of almost every speaker and every topic shared, with heavy emphasis to the part so often omitted by those who quote Dr. King’s speech: “the CONTENT OF THEIR CHARACTER.”
The Former Speaker of the House Thomas Philip “Tip” O’Neill, Jr., coined an important phrase during his political career: “All Politics is Local,” and our FOUNDERS would have agreed with that. In fact, it was the basis of our “Republican” form of government. Each Member in the House of Representative was intended to be the elected voice of the constituents of their individual districts. Each member of the House was intended to be responsible to those constituents for their actions, their choices, and every word they spoke as a Representative of those voters. And when the 17th Amendment took the power to select Senators away from the State Legislators, also elected by the People of that State, and, instead, put that power into the hands of those People directly, it made those Senators equally responsible to those People as well. As a result, all Politics, no matter whether they are related to the City, the County, the State or the Presidency, are, in fact, Local!
Conservatives, like myself, have been arguing for a restoration of the CONSTITUTIONAL BOUNDARIES of Congress and the President, and a RESTORATION of the Principles outlined by our Founders. Meanwhile, there are many Conservatives who are also clamoring against the building of a Mosque in close proximity to Ground Zero, the site of the attacks on September 11, 2001. And when the President Obama said that our Constitution protects their right to build, within the limitations of City & State Ordinances, he was…(choke…CHOKE)…absolutely right.
I’ve noticed a trend in the various blogs and Facebook.com pages dedicated to pointing the Finger of Blame at the Obama Administration for the nation’s ills. As I’ve said before, I disagree with pretty much EVERYTHING that his Administration has done, and pretty much EVERYONE involved with this mess, but blaming Obama is too easy of an answer. While his actions have most certainly caused a dramatic increase in the National Debt and created incredible roadblocks in the way of our economic recovery, it isn’t all Obama any more than it was all Bush. It’s just too easy of an answer.
Our Founders believed in American Exceptionalism, though they didn’t have or use that term. It was an understated belief that they, as individuals, could succeed if the Government got out of the way. If you read the Preamble of the Constitution, it clarifies the purposes of the Government: 1) to create a More Perfect Union (in deference to the weak union under the Articles of Confederation); 2) to Establish Justice (implication: EQUAL justice, not Social Justice); 3) PROVIDE for the Common Defense; 4) PROMOTE the General Welfare; and 5) Secure the Blessings of LIBERTY to Ourselves and our Posterity.
I’ve noticed a disturbing trend that has been going on in Political Races wherein opponents to a certain point of view are called “Unpatriotic.” Conservatives accuse Liberals of being Unpatriotic all the time. Liberals make the same accusation of Conservatives. Both sides accuse the Progressives, who in turn point the finger at the Liberals and Conservatives. Being Patriotic has NOTHING to do with being a Conservative, or a Liberal, or a Progressive, because being Patriotic means doing and supporting what you feel is best for the COUNTRY!
This Post is about the Rights of the States, as defined by the 10th Amendment. Each State is intended to be a “Sovereign Body,” entitled to Govern Itself in all regards that are not SPECIFICALLY delineated in the United States Constitution. Under the 10th Amendment, the Powers of the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT are specifically limited. The responsibility of FEDERAL JUDGES in regards to STATE LAWS is to determine 1) if the Statute violates the Authority of the Federal Government as defined by the Constitution; and 2) if the Statute conforms to Federal Law, which must already conform to the Constitution. Beyond that, the States and the People retain the rights CONSTITUTIONALLY to enact their own “Community Standards” in regards to a wide array of issues.