At the close of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on September 18, 1787, a Mrs. Powel anxiously awaited the results, and as Benjamin Franklin emerged from the long task now finished, asked him directly: "Well Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?" "A republic if you can keep it" responded Franklin. [From Ron Paul’s ‘Speeches and Statements’] Franklin has also been quoted as saying, “He who gives up a measure of freedom for security deserves neither.” To paraphrase this quote, I would say, ‘he who allows freedom to slip through his fingers in order to take his ease, deserves neither.’
There were fifty-six men who were willing to put their lives and fortunes on the line for the sake of freedom. These are the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, the signing of which we celebrate every year with pic-nics and fireworks. These men gave of their time and money to forge the documents that would frame a new nation the likes of which had never been seen on this earth. They did their best to make sure that their posterity knew the cost of the ink these documents contained because they knew that that which is too cheaply obtained is not cherished. They feared for the new republic.
As a people, we need to re-visit our founding documents, immerse ourselves in the Federalist Papers. Learn our Constitution, and know what our founding fathers were trying to accomplish when they set pen to parchment and ensured there could be no turning back on the course they had set for themselves. We need to understand these documents so that when we see things being done by our elected representatives we can call them on it, stop them from ignoring the ‘rulebook’ and keep them in check.
The three branches of our government are supposed to keep each other in check, but over the past hundred years or so they have been slowly moving towards the center and the lines separating the branches have been eroding. We have to put a stop to it now, before, it becomes evident that Benjamin Franklin’s worst fears became true, and we did fail to keep the republic.
During the past few weeks, as the Pelosi health care bill was being cussed and discussed, I called my Congressman’s office in Washington. First, I wanted to add my voice to the others who were opposed to the bill, but I wanted something more. I wanted to know exactly how they justified this bill constitutionally. The staffer I spoke with told me basically that they weren’t constrained by the Constitution unless they were challenged and lost in court.
I’m sorry to say, that I was stunned into silence when I was told that, but I made up my mind right then that I would do everything within my power to unseat Marion Berry from his seat in Congress. If he can’t read the job description in the Constitution, he has no business being in office.
But, that’s just My Arrogant Opinion
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