By
Marilyn M. Barnewall
January 24, 2010
NewsWithViews.com
The Scott Brown victory in Massachusetts certainly shook things up, didn’t it? It should. Obama put his credibility on the line in support of Martha Coakley. Obama lost (just as he did in Virginia and New Jersey).
Does that send a message? It should – but arrogance can be difficult armor to penetrate. And from Emanuel to Axelrod to Summers to Orszag, Obama has surrounded himself with arrogant men who feed on power. They have not yet figured out they are not powerful. Only their positions are.
Based on the amount of surprise coming out of Washington, D.C., it is clear that a lot of politicians do not understand why Americans are upset – and not just with liberal/progressive Democrats. They are upset with those elected to serve the people but who vote for legislation we the people oppose.
The politicians also don’t understand Tea Parties, what the true meaning of them is, or why people attend them. It’s almost like those we elected to serve our needs are just waking up. They now know that we know whose interests they serve – and it isn’t ours. Do citizens actually expect them to legislate on the basis of the Constitution? Unheard of poppycock!
The majority of politicians do not understand, for example, why “Birthers” demand evidence of Obama’s legal status to be President of the United States. Is he a Natural Born Citizen? Do the people have the right to ask such questions and demand answers? Of course they do – but still it shocks those who have forgotten they were not elected to office to impose personal agendas on the people they were elected to serve.
Those in Washington’s “in crowd” who do not understand things about which average, everyday Americans are concerned will pay a heavy political price. After Massachusetts, there is little doubt even the densest heads in Washington (yes, even Nan and Harry) know they, Republican and Democrat, are committing political suicide to continue promoting far-left policies so obviously rejected by you and me. This is not a fight between Republicans and Democrats. It is a fight between liberals and conservatives, between progressives and traditionalists, between those who value the Constitution and those who do not.
Some office holders in Washington are so enamored with their “progressive” socialist views, they will not have to be driven over a cliff to do what they can to change America into a socialist Europe. They will willingly jump. They will continue with their plans while Republicans salivate about 2012, not realizing this is not a Republican versus Democrat thing.
We will see change… they will give us just enough change to try and put us back in our apathetic shells. For example, Birthers – people who believe Barack Obama is not a Natural Born Citizen – have aggressively demanded proof that the man sitting in the Oval Office is qualified to sit there. Their efforts are resulting in State laws to force future presidential candidates to prove their qualifications before their name goes on State Ballots. Such plans are on the drawing board in several states. Arizona leads the pack.
Instead of “What’s your platform?” the question will be “Where’s your birth certificate? And, provide proof of where your parents were born, too.” Legal experts say the words “Natural Born” refers to someone born in America whose parents were also born here.
Birther behavior is part of what the Rule of Law in America is about. If you oppose something, do something about it. Though I’d rather see people be proactive -- oppose things before they get far enough to be called “legislation,” – reactive is better than apathetic. For those who don’t know, that’s what people who attend Tea Party meetings are doing. They are leaving complacency behind and becoming proactive Americans.
Changing unfair laws – or preventing their passage – is part of our responsibility as Americans. We’ve known that since we walked out of a cave and began recording the history of social progress. We’ve known that a government ignored so people can enjoy weekends off will become a bureaucratic oligarchy. That is what we now have and it should not surprise us. We have become a nation ruled by bureaucrats who have no respect for the Constitution or the freedoms it grants us. They ignore due process, contracts, takings, commerce clauses and anything else that needs to be ignored to implement their socialist agenda.
Two plus generations of us decided to enjoy the bounties provided by freedom – but conveniently avoided or forgot the responsibilities that go with it. We grew complacent. Our schools began to indoctrinate rather than educate. We allowed our children to be taught that government, not free individuals, solves problems. Our current crisis is the people of this Great Nation reaping the wild winds of irresponsible behavior. A majority is finally rejecting the numerous violations of our Constitutional rights as American citizens and shouts “cease, stop and desist!”
Have we regained our senses soon enough to save our nation from the destruction that has long been plotted for it?
Many of us believe the mainstream media and, in some cases, various alternative forms of media (television, radio, and the Internet included) manipulate the news so only one side of American political opinion is presented. Psyops specialists write too many newsletters promising to give the “real scoop” about things. A former CIA Director once said: "We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false."
Conservatives stand on the edge of winning the battle for our nation. And that is a huge point of potential danger. The heart beats more strongly, confidence surges through the veins. And we become careless. The carelessness is expressed in a form of arrogance. Some on the new winning side are behaving in ways similar to those who caused them to fight back in the first place. Criticism of Glen Beck is a good example of exactly such behavior.
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Most Americans prize the Constitution. Some have only recently discovered its value. We complain about the controlled media. It doesn’t tell both sides of any story – and it’s supposed to report facts, not tell stories. We hear nothing on the public networks of conservative issues. We hear nothing that opposes the present administration. It’s as if they function under some kind of gag order. Constitutionalists oppose such irresponsible behavior. The media is given special privilege but that privilege is balanced with the responsibility to inform the public… of everything, whether news editors like it, or not.
Those who criticize Glenn Beck because he refuses to discuss whether Barack Obama has or doesn’t have a proper birth certificate are doing what their opposition has done that so angered them. They are trying to manipulate the media. That kind of behavior is what got us off our butts, on our feet, and at those Tea Parties! It is not only short-sighted, but shows a lack of understanding of constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of the press -- even those media sources with whom you disagree.
I don’t hear the same people chastising Rush Limbaugh for rejecting Birther calls on his radio shows – or Katie Couric or Brian Williams or Bill O’Reilly. Why do they target Glenn Beck?
They target him because he has taken some very hard stands in opposition to the current political environment – I was going to say “culture,” but Washington has none of that. Beck has been, and continues to be, highly informative regarding issues that are very unpopular in some powerful quarters. He has suffered threats on our behalf and has placed himself and his family in danger. He is constantly surrounded by security guards. Those who are angry with him need to remember that he has done more to help the general public become aware of Constitutional abuses than almost any media personality. To demand that Beck cover a specific issue because some conservatives support it is akin to cutting off your nose to spite your face!
There are so many ways to view this problem. If his birth certificate is invalid (and if it isn’t, his father’s place of birth prevents him from claiming the status of “natural born citizen”), what then? Joe Biden? Nancy Pelosi? Hillary Clinton? That’s what the Constitution gives us – and in that order.
Do you have a plan for this contingency? I do. Make his presidential illegitimacy a matter of record, cut off his power to act independently. He continues to serve out his term but can do nothing without a two-thirds vote of Congress. That should bring Washington to a standstill for the next three years!
No matter what chain of events unfolds, any unfair treatment of Barack Obama will likely result in uprisings in one or more major city. Even the fairest treatment may bring that result. And there is the excuse for martial law… and there goes your right not only to attend Tea Parties, but to vote, as well. As I’m sure you know, when martial law is imposed, all civil rights are placed in abeyance.
Is that what you want? If not, tread carefully. Bear in mind that all conservative groups have been infiltrated and the Tea Party groups are no exception. As a result, not all suggestions are designed to achieve victory. Rather, they are offered to motivate defeat. This, like any complex problem, must be viewed at far more than surface level.
We are going through a very interesting period right now. For years, Americans have been like an airplane in a holding pattern flying above the clouds to avoid a rough landing. We got stuck there. Government didn’t get stuck, though. Government told us to let it do things for us. Many thought that was a good idea even though government has proven, time and again, it is incompetent functioning in areas that should be the responsibility of the private sector. Government kept getting bigger and ate more and more private capital, reducing dollars available to continue building a strong economy.
As we gain ground – and we will continue to gain ground – we must think carefully about our proposed solutions. The Birthers must be careful not to destroy the protective privileges of the media while seeking support for their cause. Those who understand the Constitution know the slippery slope upon which our nation stands. While some may not care for the person seated in the chair, the integrity of the Oval Office must be protected. To do otherwise invites nothing but chaos.
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Those who support our Republic and the Constitution that created it must achieve the objective within structured and lawful paths. Otherwise, we will be forced to say, “I have met the enemy – and it is me.”
� 2010 Marilyn M. Barnewall - All Rights Reserved
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Marilyn Barnewall received her graduate degree in Banking from the University of Colorado Graduate School of Business in 1978. She has authored seven non-fiction books about banking, two are listed at Oxford and Cambridge University libraries in Great Britain. Her current book, When the Swan’s Neck Breaks, details the banking problems she foresaw in 2006. Of the 24 predictions made in the book, 22 have happened. It is fiction but readers refer to it as docu-fiction.
Barnewall was named one of America's top 100 businesswomen in the book, What It Takes (Dolphin/Doubleday; Gardenswartz and Roe) and was one of the founders of the Committee of 200, the official organization of America's top 200 businesswomen. She can be found in Who's:Who in America (2005-08), Who's Who of American Women (2006-08), Who's Who in Finance and Business (2006-08), and Who's Who in the World (2008).
Web site:
E-Mail: marilynmacg@juno.com
