Are we
closer to a second civil war in the United States? Maybe civil unrest? American
patriots of all stripes taking to the streets under arms? Even in Washington,
D.C.? Sound scary, provocative, even crazy? Would our Founding Fathers, if
presented with the current state of affairs in this country, still be sitting
idly by? Why do I ask such questions, you wonder?
Maybe you
have seen/heard the news that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has now stated
that the government can indeed use drones to kill United States citizens on
United States soil. I will repeat that – The government of the United States of America may use unmanned flying drones, among other methods, to
kill/assassinate United States citizens on United States soil. Got it? We’re
not talking about enemy combatants from a foreign nation. We’re not talking
about casualties of war on some far away battlefield. We are talking about
ignoring the Constitution of the United States of America, ignoring due
process, ignoring the rights afforded us by that Constitution and the Bill or
Rights, for the mere expediency of the government.
Is it
possible that a U.S. citizen could turn against their own country (like the
current administration has) and seek to destroy America from within?
Certainly that is possible. But, as an American citizen even the most repugnant
among us still must be afforded the due process set forth in our laws. To
ignore those laws for the sake of expediency, in an effort to make the
government’s job easier, only makes it easier to ignore the next guy’s rights,
and the next guy, and the next: until no one has any rights if the government
deems it so. Is that the kind of country you want to live in? Not me.
I know that
there are those of you out there who are right now thinking, “But, Floyd, this
doesn’t concern me, I am not a terrorist or an enemy of the state.” You better
think again. Must I really take up space here reminding you of all the laws
that have been passed since 2001, which have trampled on the Bill of Rights and
your liberty? Do I really need to go over the Patriot Act, NDAA, FAA
Reauthorization Act, and the plethora of other such laws that have clearly
ignored any constitutional law and have created a whole new class of “enemies
of the state?” Have you forgotten the Department of Homeland Security
memorandum to all law enforcement agencies stating who might be a terrorist? If
you are a member of a Tea Party, a gun owner, a veteran, or a person who calls
themselves a “patriot,” you are considered a potential terrorist. If you have
written letters to your elected representatives and spoken of things like the
Constitution, limited government, the Bill of Rights, or any similar language,
you may be a terrorist. If you write a blog or post on your FaceBook page or
other social network site and talk about standing up for your rights, demanding
that the government respect its own limitations, or talk about Natural Rights,
you may be a terrorist. If you are ignorant of any of this then you are part of
the problem, but it’s not too late to fix that. Just take the time, do some
work, and look it up. You’ll be doing yourself and your nation a favor.
So, we now
know that our federal government feels it has the right to forgo due process,
ignore the Constitution, and once it has decided that you might be an enemy of
the state, they can simply kill you. How do you feel about that? Are you angry?
Frustrated? Tired of continually trying to be patient and work through the system? Do you vote each election and hope that you have made a good choice?
And what have those whom we have elected been doing? Given who the current
administration is, we are not surprised that Democrats are either outright
ecstatic about these things or they remain noticeably silent about the loss of
our rights. The Republicans tell us that they are our saviors and will right
the wrongs that the evil Obama administration has heaped upon us. Yet, using
the drone killing law as just one example, they are either complicit, silent,
or have voted for these laws as well. My own representative, Eric Cantor, not
only voted for the Patriot Act and the NDAA, but also voted for the FAA
Reauthorization Act, which allows for the unmanned drones being used on U.S,
soil. He, and the Republican Party, have helped Obama to gather unto himself
the power to do this. And they have the nerve to act as if they are staunch
opponents of Obama and the Democrats. Please, with friends like Cantor and the
Republican Party who needs Democrats?
I know that
there are those out there who will continue to make excuses for Cantor and the
Republican Party. They will bend over backward to pretend it didn’t happen or
that their vote(s) didn’t really mean what we think they mean. They will try to
paint you and me as the crazy ones and tell us that the Republicans are still
our only best hope to fix the problems. But I ask you, have you heard anything
from the Republican Party on this issue? Has the party leadership stepped up
and demanded redress? On the economy, has the party done anything, ANYTHING that
has reduced the size and scope of the federal government? And please do not
insult my intelligence by talking about sequestration. That is a mere drop in
the bucket and more game-playing designed to give the Republicans something to
glom onto for the next election – “See, we did something!” Of course the
spending goes on and the Republican Party’s favorites continue to get their
money.
So, how
much more of this are we supposed to take? Do you vote each election? Do you do
so in the hope that maybe this time they’ll finally get it? How many
more elections will it take? Is it already to late? Are we so far gone,
economically and on the civil rights front, that elections simply will not fix
it? If the Democrats in Washington, D.C. continue their assault on us and our
rights, and if the Republicans are complicit or simply will not stand on principle and fight
tooth and nail to stop it, what other options do we have? It is obvious that
our federal government considers you and me enemies. We do not toe the
administration’s line and thus we are potential terrorists. If we are
considered enemies and terrorists is it then logical to assume that war has
been declared on us? If that is so then do we have the right to defend
ourselves? I realize that these questions are difficult to ask and even more
difficult to answer, but they must be asked and we must be prepared to answer
them.
It saddens
me that I find myself thinking these things. I did not pick this fight. I have
not threatened anyone or determined to take away anyone’s rights. I hope that I am wrong and that we can fix these problems soon and through the system. But I will
not stand idly by and watch my nation destroyed and my liberty stripped away
from me. There can be no doubt, in any rational mind, how our government views
us. Isn’t about time we acknowledged that and prepared ourselves for any and all eventualities?
