There are times when I tell myself in frustration, when I ask myself gravely if I no longer want to be an American.
There are times throughout my life when I have so questioned the dissimilarity from many of my countrymen of my political, economic and intellectual understanding regarding the basis of my native country, having studied deeply and rationally for years its political and philosophical history, having learned the fundaments of economics, having lived in other countries and having learned at least a basic appreciation for their democratically-elected political structures; when I feel myself so distant and removed from others of similarly rational passion and disposition that I have wondered if I might be better off abandoning my country to live a solitary life somewhere… much as an unwanted wife might leave an unhappy marriage in which promises were broken and core responsibilities neglected, ignored and dismissed as her misunderstanding of the relationship, in which injustices have mounted and continue to mount without apology or defense of her agreed-upon rights, in which the abandonment of a beloved home seems the only, if regrettable, resolution and possibility for an independent life – hard as it may be – and the unrestrained pursuit of happiness.
These questions assail me when I am faced with the current political spectrum in America; when I am faced with the current Presidential would-be’s; and when I am faced with the multitudinously reflex-like, ignorant, uneducated and misguided responses by my countrymen to such events as Great Britain’s vote to exit the European Union in an act of re-establishing their independence as the wealthiest nation in Europe from an unelected organization of bureaucrats and regulators who have, for the entirety of the existence of the EU, dictated to the citizens of every participating nation how they must run their businesses, engage in trade and immigration, and more.
I cannot stand to see such flagrant dismissal by my fellow Americans of the value of independence, whether in our country or in another. Still, the connection seems too clear; the reason comes to light as I observe from afar my country’s constant response to the limited “choice” of those presently vying for leadership of our country: people whom we constantly cry out that we do not trust, do not want, in whom we do not believe… and yet, amongst whom the bulk of the United States and the world is accepting will determine the next leader of the United States!
I cannot stand by and remain silent any longer.
I cannot bear to watch the so-called ‘Presidential Debates,’ in which the media and whatever powers have sway over the topics discussed divert attention from the true responsibilities of P.O.T.U.S.:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
I wonder, as the debates rage on, as each candidate makes raging promises to the populous for all sorts of changes, by what right they feel they have to make such changes, whether elected or not — particularly when so very many of their proposals and promises break so many tenants of the Constitution.
Have we Americans forgotten that this little, old document is the basis for our life and livelihoods? Have we forgotten that it has been repeatedly ignored, trampled upon, undermined, bit-by-bit and then more and more flagrantly by the leaders of our nation — whom we elect?
I cannot help but wonder: How many of our elected officials have read the Constitution end-to-end? How many comprehend the meaning of the language therein?
And: How many of those conducting debates of political candidates have read and understood the Constitution; and why, if they understand it and the gravity of responsibility any elected politician might hold, would they direct discussion away from projected upholding of the key job descriptions of any Federal politician, when they have those job descriptions laid out in black-and-white, as agreed upon, and as yet unaltered except by ratified Amendments, two-hundred-and-twenty-eight years ago?
I wonder: How many American citizens have read and comprehend the archaic-yet-articulate legalese of our Constitution?
That there will be debates over the meanings of our core political document is without question; there were debates even when the document was written, over clauses included and excluded, over wording and placement of wording; and there have been debates ever since. But, why not voice those debates that may exist now — if any such do — unless we no longer respect, love, cherish and uphold the Constitution? And, if we do not… should we not be open, as citizens of the United States, to expressing, as potential political leader or as ordinary citizens, if we find the document dismissible, no longer valid; and then allow for discussion of what comes next, instead of maintaining the farce of our current political sphere, instead of avoiding the discussion altogether by forcing sub-intelligent banter between power-hungry individuals to take the fore of our consciousness; as if such chatter had some validity; as if we were without other subjects to fill our mind and attention, without other persons to protect and uphold our fundamental values; as if we must accept this half-witted conversation as the only one to be had?
I, for one, have had enough; and I want my questions answered.
I, as a citizen of the United States, get to choose what person, amongst all people who are legitimate options – as outlined by the Constitution – I believe will perform the duties of the President of the United States of America in the upcoming election. It is a hefty job to uphold a Constitution that I cherish dearly, and I would like to know in detail what each and every one of the wishful leaders thinks about every sentence, clause and paragraph of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and how he or she plans to fulfill the responsibilities of preserving, protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States.
As citizens of most countries, unless we are being mistreated, we take for granted our citizenship; we take for granted that our countrymen – including and particularly our country’s political leaders – will protect and care for us in whatever ways the nation’s fundamental principles outline. Some countries may not have a written document stating how citizens are to be protected and what rights they have, and what rights and ways the leaders may and may not take in their duties as protectors.
We, in America, have such a document. It is called The Constitution of The United States of America, and it was first ratified on June 21, 1788; and has been amended, in small fragments and with extreme occasion, in the years since – as was provided for within the original Constitution, itself.
This Constitution, by way of ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, is the only reason why I am, by law, bound to the land that is considered “The United States of America” — yet, if the entirety of that Constitution is not preserved, if it is not protected, if it is not defended in the true spirit in which it was written, then I am no longer an American, because that document is no longer valid, because America’s founding laws no longer hold weight, and because America, as it was created, no longer exists.
I may be a citizen of the country of my birth or of no country whatsoever, as circumstances and truth may have it; but I am not and will never be a slave to a brand.
~ Libertas
Oceans of Mine 