Sun Journal Letter to the Editor

February 13, 2011

Eroding Constitution
One of the most frustrating comments I hear goes something like this: “That couldn’t happen here … this is America” or “I trust the American people” or “I believe in the American people.”

Why do some Americans have this total disconnect from reality? The effects of a tyrannical government, unsustainable debt, and an entitlement society apply to the United States just like they do elsewhere around the globe. We are not immune from the consequences of an over-reaching government. In fact, a review of history shows that we have already suffered the plight of an all powerful government and its attempt to control or protect us from ourselves.

Woodrow Wilson (a Democrat) was active in changing the course of history through actions that were unconstitutional and downright despicable. Wilson, a Princeton elitist, thought the Constitution was a backward document, and ignored it as much as possible. A racist as well, he set back race relations decades by segregating the military and federal workers. During World War I he interred American citizens with German heritage because he considered them dangerous, completely ignoring the Fifth Amendment. And we can thank Wilson for the 16th and 17th amendments. Both gave more power to the federal government and ignored the intent of the Constitution. (The good American people did nothing.)

In an attempt to be the moral compass for the rest of us, the “Progressives” passed the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. The elites decided that alcohol was evil, and the nation would no longer produce, sell or import alcohol. That really worked out, didn’t it? Soon we had a new class of criminals, intent on subverting the law, and 14 years later the 18th Amendment was repealed.

Not to be outdone, Franklin Roosevelt (another Democrat and progressive) continued subverting the Constitution. He instituted all sorts of social agendas (Social Security), and programs that began the nanny state that we now presently have. To ensure his agenda, he loaded the Supreme Court with judges who shared his vision. Thankfully his Bill of Rights was not passed, but that’s about the only thing he didn’t get. (The good American people did nothing.)

Roosevelt was behind one of the most shameful historical events of the 20th century, the internment of the Japanese during World War II. Americans with Japanese ancestry, many of them natural born citizens, were ousted from their homes, leaving almost all of their possessions behind, and put in camps throughout the United States. There was no evidence that these people were working with the enemy; this terrible event was portrayed as “keeping us safe.” (The good American people did nothing.)

Years later, George Bush (a Republican and a progressive) passed the Patriot Act, attempting to “keep us safe.” Using a national tragedy, a law was passed that overstepped the bounds of the Constitution, and the good American people did nothing. Obama liked the Patriot Act so much that he kept it in place. And to keep us even safer, TSA now has the right to X-ray us and touch us in inappropriate ways. Since the Constitution doesn’t mean anything, we can ignore the Fourth Amendment as well. Still, the good American people did nothing.

Between the last two presidents, we have a legacy of debt that will cripple our children and grandchildren, even it does not completely collapse our economy, as many economists predict. Instead of being an exceptional country, we are now the world’s biggest debtor. Our future is jeopardized by our inability to meet our financial obligations.

It’s quite apparent to me that our liberty is under threat. In fact, liberty has been denied to certain American people when the will of the government declared it so. Does the loss of liberty have to come to each one of us as individuals before we can recognize the evil face of tyranny?

We must wake up, and demand that our elected leaders listen to us. As individuals we must get ourselves in a good economic place, prepare for the worst and hope for the best. We must stop being the good American people that did nothing.

Nancy Murdoch, Havelock, NC



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