THE STATE OF THE UNION:

[ At the the end of this article is our disclaimer.  We give thanks to the author, who can be reached at:  http://wahrheitmacher.blogspot.com  ]

At this present time in our history, are we facing a "constitutional crisis"? You bet your butt we are; but it did not start with Barack Obama or the Democrat Party. Everyone in government takes an oath to uphold the Constitution, but few do so. The people we have been sending to Washington do NOT recognize any limits today on Congress's power to legislate, the only thing they seem to recognize is whatever they can get away with. The real constitutional crisis is the manner in which the American people have, for years, allowed their elected and appointed officials from both major parties to routinely violate their oaths of office to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. We're the ones sending these criminals to Washington, time and again.

As Americans, we have been witnessing the rationing of liberty. Today, every freedom gained by one group means taking away a freedom from another. In 1973, the Supreme Court granted pregnant women the "right" to kill their unborn children by taking away the unborn childrens' right to life. In the Civil Rights Act of 1991, Congress gave certain groups of people the "freedom" to be employed by virtually any business without regard to race, religion, sex, or disability by taking away the freedom of association previously held by business owners. In 1994, Congress gave the federal government more "freedom" to regulate the sale and ownership of guns by further eroding the constitutionally protected right of the people to keep and bear arms.

The Constitution of the United States was designed to be an insurance policy guaranteeing that the freedoms granted to the people by their Creator would remain fresh and unspoiled by an overzealous and corrupt federal government.

For at least two or three generations now, Americans have been brainwashed into believing that to be "good patriots" Americans, we MUST support all of the laws and stautes that Congress or the Supreme Court comes up with, but, is every law moral? Take, for instance, state-sanctioned killing. Does the mere legality of the taking of a life negate one's culpability in such an act? We need to seriously consider this question.

Since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, abortion on demand has been considered legal in the United States. Therefore, any woman seeking to murder her unborn child has been given full license to do so, but does that make it right? HELL NO!

Those who think abortion is murder realize that the Supreme Court overstepped its authority, because we know that the Constitution does not allow judges to legislate from the bench, and even if there wasn't any sort of constitutional restriction or conflict, we instinctively know that abortion would still be murder in the eyes of God. Thus we rightly conclude that not all killing done under the authority of government is justified or morally right. So, what about war?

Over and over again, we are bombarded with the message that we must "support our troops" because those men and women in uniform are putting their lives on the line -- and in many cases making the ultimate sacrifice -- to see to it that you and I are safe. But is this ALWAYS true?

But just what exactly does it mean to "support our troops"? Does it mean that we are to stand in agreement with the cause for which they are fighting? Does it mean that even though we may disagree with their mission we should encourage them in their efforts? Does it mean that we should restrain ourselves from criticizing them or their leaders because they are only "doing their jobs."

Stop and think, the troops are just as capable as anyone else to see through the lies this government perpetuated in order to get us into the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the Gulf War, Iraq War, etc.

Secondly, in regard to the Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the troops are there by choice; they weren't conscripted into the military and forced to fight against their will. Even so, like our elected and appointed government officials, they swore an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States, not to blindly obey any and all orders given to them. Believe it or not, there was a time when refusing to obey an immoral, unconstitutional order was actually considered noble. What bothers me is how so many Americans, especially Christians, who vehemently support all wars in which the United States gets involved. Many of them will point to Paul's epistle to the church in Rome as evidence that we should support our government no matter what.

Let's take a look at the passage in question:

"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed." (Romans 13:1-7)

Despite what many Christians may think, scripture does not condone government doing whatever it wants simply because it was instituted by God. As we can see in the abortion issue, just because something is "legal" does not mean it is right.

In our striving to be good American Christians (rather than good Christian Americans), we seem to have forgotten one very important fact: the earthly governing authority to which we are to be subject is the Constitution of the United States, not the selfish desires of a small group of pompous, over-paid, bureaucratic elites. In other words, "We, the People," are the governing authority.

We know that the Constitution grants the power to declare war only to Congress, and that Congress cannot cede that authority to the executive branch by passing some meaningless resolution. Starting with the Korean War, every war that America has fought in, have been illegal, because in each case, the presidents involved have made an end run around Congress by going to the UN to receive a Mandate to go to war, and Congress has only consented after the fact by passing resolutions. Therefore, our actions in these wars stand in defiance of the legitimate governing authority of this nation of states.

Just as the Supreme Court refused to abide by the Constitution, so too have John Adams, and proceeding to Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, George W. Bush and Barack Hussein Obama, Congress has enacted and the president has signed laws that criminalized political speech, suspended habeas corpus, compelled support for war, forbade freedom of contract, allowed the government to spy on Americans without a search warrant, and used taxpayer dollars to shore up failing private banks.

The Constitution grants Congress 17 specific (or "delegated") powers. And it commands in the 9th and 10th Amendments that the powers not articulated and thus not delegated by the Constitution to Congress be reserved to the states and the people.

In addition, Congress is ONLY allowed to use its delegated powers to legislate for the general welfare, meaning it cannot spend tax dollars on individuals or selected entities, but only for all of us, which means, plain and simple, it must spend in such a manner -- a post office, a military installation, a courthouse, for example -- that directly enhances everyone's welfare within the 17 delegated areas of congressional authority.

When it comes to Hate Crimes Legislation, Congress cannot Constitutionally deny the equal protection of the laws. Thus, it must treat similarly situated persons or entities in a similar manner. It cannot write laws that reward its political friends and punish its political enemies.

Another thing that our presidents, members of Congress and the Supreme Court Justices should bear in mind, they were not elected or appointed to save the snail darter, the Spotted Owl or other endangered species. They were not elected to save and protect the profits of the international bankers, Wall Street, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the perks of corporate lobbyists, etc. What our public servants are charged with, is preserving (saving) our Constitutional Republic.

What is truly sad is that the very people who are charged with the preservation of our republic are the ones who are the most responsible for its destruction. The American people have far more to fear from Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, John Murtha, Harry Reid, John Kerry, Chuck Schumer, Hillary and Bill Clinton, John McCain, etc., than they do from any foreign adversary, because our leaders have proven that they have absolutely no fidelity to the principles of constitutional government. They have no compunction about eviscerating the protection of our freedoms, or about abolishing the vanguard of our liberties.

But, in the end, it is We the People who have shirked our responsibility to govern ourselves. It is OUR responsibility to hold our elected officials accountable to their oath of office and the contract they made with us, which is to uphold our constitutional government. It is OUR duty to "throw off" any system of government that does not secure our liberties and protect our Constitution. And this we have failed miserably to do.

Now, perhaps more than ever before, is the time for a NEW DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE:

"When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another; a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which compel them to make that separation."

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes. But when a long train of abuses and usurpation's reduces them to despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patience of these fifty states; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their system of government. The history of the present federal government is a history of repeated injuries and usurpation's, all working toward the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world:

It (the federal government) has refused to abide by the strict guidelines of the United States Constitution, and has instead decided that it alone will decide what is necessary for the public good.

It has forbidden state legislatures to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, and has allowed the federal judiciary to strike down countless state laws as unconstitutional, in clear violation of the Ninth and Tenth Amendments to the Constitution.

It has refused all states the proper control of land within their respective borders and has instead used its power to confiscate even more property.

It has enacted legislation, on issues ranging from alcohol consumption to the ownership of firearms, for the sole purpose of forcing states and individual citizens into compliance with its wishes.

It has unlawfully persecuted, under various administrations, citizens and organizations for opposing its invasions on the rights of the people.

It has continued to pass laws affecting campaign financing and election procedures that have only served to exclude ordinary citizens from the political process.

It has endeavored to prevent states from taking steps to curb illegal immigration and has refused to protect the sovereign borders of this nation.

It has obstructed the administration of justice by refusing to equally apply the laws it passes to members of the federal government.

It has allowed judges to become dependent upon their own political ideology without any regard for the Constitution.

It has established a multitude of new bureaucracies, and has sent out swarms of officers to harass the people.

It has maintained, in times of peace, standing armies both here on our shores and overseas.

It has effectively rendered the military independent of and superior to the civil authority.

It has subjected us to things foreign to our Constitution, giving its assent to burdensome acts of legislation:

For forcing states to quarter illegal immigrants.

For protecting them and refusing to deport even those convicted of serious crimes.

For implementing protectionist measures that have limited our ability to engage in free trade with all parts of the world.

For imposing taxes, hidden or otherwise, without our consent.

For threatening to deprive us, in times of perceived crisis, of the benefits of trial by jury.

For federalizing offenses that should remain under the jurisdiction of the states.

For implementing a foreign policy that has this nation engaged in costly and unnecessary entanglements overseas.

For taking away state sovereignty, abolishing federalism, and altering fundamentally our entire system of government.

For superseding state legislatures, and investing in Congress the power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever; including areas such as employment, health care, education, and housing, among others.

It has waged war against citizens of the United States by using armed troops to enforce unconstitutional laws.

It has denied states the control over valuable natural resources within their own borders.

It is, at this time, engaged in armed conflict overseas without a formal and constitutional declaration of war.

It has turned businesses into government agencies, forcing workers to report the "suspicious" activities of their fellow citizens to authorities.

It has succeeded, through its interventionist policies, in funding and arming enemies of the United States of America.

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms. Our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A government, whose character is marked by every act which may define a tyranny, is unfit to be the government of a free people.

We have warned them from time to time of attempts by Congress, the president, and the judiciary to extend an unwarranted jurisdiction over us.

We have reminded them of the circumstances of the founding of our nation.

We have appealed to their sense of justice and fair play, and we have appealed to the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They have been deaf to the voice of justice and of reason. We must, therefore, hold them as we hold the rest of mankind - enemies in war, friends in peace.

We, therefore, the people of the United States of America, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude of our intentions, do solemnly publish and declare, that these states are, and of right ought to be, free and independent; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the existing federal government, and that as free and independent states, they have full authority to re-assume those powers guaranteed to the states and the people by the Constitution. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.

Never before in the history of America have we been confronted with problems so huge that the very existence of our country is in jeopardy.

We all must pull together or watch the demise of a society that we all love and cherish. If you are a religious person, pray for our nation.

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