By William Haupt III | The Center Square
"Our Constitution works; our great republic is a
government of laws and not of men." – Gerald Ford
Last week, one of the greatest days in history came and
went without a whimper from the White House or President Joe Biden. It was the
most salient event that changed the world forever. It marked the scribing of
Enlightenment ideas into a document that would be used as a reference for all
future free nations. Spoiled by Democratic melodrama, only a few patriots
celebrated Constitution Day.
Contrary to popular myth, many of the first settlers not
only came to America seeking opportunity and religious tolerance, but
self-governance. These were enlightened Europeans who had been exposed to
liberty following the European Renaissance. They knew the tenants of
republicanism would protect their natural and God-given rights. By virtue they
formed a republic to secure this.
Although signing the U.S. Constitution was one of the
most important events in history, it was not until 2004 when U.S. Sen. Robert
Byrd of West Virginia introduced legislation making Sept. 17 Constitution Day.
It required public schools and government offices to honor and celebrate
signing the Constitution.
As Ben Franklin left Constitution Hall in 1787, a woman
asked him, “Well, what do we have Mr. Franklin; a Republic or a king?” Mr.
Franklin stoically responded, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”
Those of us who have faithfully served our nation for
decades never dreamed the day would come that our precious constitutional
rights were threatened. Although they have been under attack since the Great
Depression, with the new the progressive movement, the dismantling of our
Constitution has been accelerated. And we are approaching the vertex of
justifying Ben Franklin's clairvoyance.
Since he entered office, Biden has embarked on a mission
to deface the U.S. Constitution. He discarded the carefully cultivated image of
a moderate deal maker to win the election in favor of the socialist progressive
model that embraces a further left persona than either FDR or Barack Obama.
"In politics nothing happens by accident. You can
bet it was planned that way." – Franklin Roosevelt
Recently, Press Secretary Jen Psaki casually revealed,
the Biden administration will not honor our First Amendment. She told
reporters, “We are flagging problematic posts on Facebook that we feel are
spreading false information. There are about twelve people responsible for this
misinformation."
Psaki said people were posting unapproved information
from the White House about the pandemic. Only government-approved truth is now
permitted to be repeated in a public forum. Yet a year ago, Dr. Anthony Fauci
said COVID-19 was a “minuscule” risk. And wearing of masks was
counterproductive. In April, the FDA said the J&J vaccine could be fatal
and the virus did not emanate from a Wuhan labratory. Facebook labeled anyone
who dared to disagree, guilty of propagating misinformation.
According to Psaki, the White House view of free speech
is to only allow repeating information in a public forum that they approve? So,
if they silence 12 people who are saying things that are out of sync with
federally sanctioned COVID agitprop, they will reestablish truth in the public
square?
What is and is not “misinformation” ought to be public
debate, without the government’s approval.
For the government to force private companies to only
print what they say is true violates our First Amendment rights. Biden is the
head of the "U.S. Orwellian Ministry of Truth"; America's prototype
of 1984's "Big Brother".
“In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a
revolutionary act." – George Orwell
In a recent speech at the National Constitution Center,
Biden claimed that new voting and election laws passed by concerned state
legislatures are a 21st century Jim Crow assault on voting rights. This is not
only untrue; it is irresponsible, dishonest hyperbole! Biden arbitrarily
desecrated states rights.
"We’re facing the most significant test of our
democracy since the Civil War." – Joe Biden
Our Constitution makes no reference to voting. It was the
obligation of each state to write their own voting laws. It is not voter
suppression, or racist, to implement popular, common-sense rules for the fair,
orderly, and honest conduct of U.S. elections. Biden and the Democrats’ apocalyptic
rhetoric are detached from reality and purposely make Americans mistrustful of
their democratic republic.
It is a constitutional duty for states to establish and
maintain updated lists of registered voters and require identification to
confirm that voters are the people registered. It is equitable to require that
ballots are submitted on time. Voters have a right to secret ballots and
protection from intimidation.
The Constitution established three co-equal branches: the
Executive, the Legislative, and Judicial branches. Each was given the power to
hold the others in check to prevent one branch from seizing absolute power. Yet
Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and socialist progressive Congressional Democrats
recently unveiled a plot to pack the Supreme Court in order to manipulate the
Constitution for their benefit.
The progressives' view of the Constitution is "what
they like is constitutional and what they do not like is unconstitutional.” The
first month in office, Biden signed 40 executive orders to reward special
interest groups. Many of these have already been declared unconstitutional by
the courts.
"I was 29 when I came to the United States Senate; I
think I learned a lot since then." – Joe Biden
Article II of the Constitution requires that the
president “shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” Yet Biden has
refused to enforce our immigration laws and protect our security. The left has
misused the pandemic to abuse political power, buy votes with tax dollars, and
silence critics in the media. They are undermining the core systems of
accountability that protect our Constitution.
Cicero told us, "More law, means less justice."
Cicero was Rome’s greatest statesman. His belief in limited government and
constitutional law preserved the Roman Republic for decades. Historians refer
to Cicero as "a model of defiance against tyranny." When our founders
set fourth to design a democratic republic, they used Cicero's Republic and
wisdom as a model to write our Constitution.
Democratic equilibrium is maintained when the opposition
protests an abuse of power by the party in power. If a sufficient number
object, this will restrain the out of control party. But without credible
public forums and media accountability, constitutional violations go unchecked.
When respect for a constitution is lost, this erodes all faith in the
democratic process and republics meet their demise.
"Every act of a delegated authority, contrary to the
tenor of the commission under which it is exercised, is void. No legislative
act, therefore, contrary to the Constitution, can be valid. To deny this, would
be to affirm, that the deputy is greater than his principal; that the servant
is above his master; that the representatives of the people are superior to the
people." – Alexander Hamilton
