This past week, we should have been celebrating the event that
established the United States as we know it. Two hundred eleven years ago, the delegates
to the constitutional convention in Philadelphia signed the Constitution and passed it on
to the states for ratification.
The Constitution quickly became revered and honored by the people
of the new United States. For most of our nation’s history, we have paid allegiance
to the Constitution. We have been willing to give our lives, if necessary, to uphold and
enforce the underlying rule of law for which the Constitution is the foundation.
This reverence and dedication to the constitutional rule of law is
well illustrated by an excerpt from an 1828 elementary textbook on the Constitution that I
recently ran across. "In this free and happy country, no man is so great as to be
above the law. The laws are supreme; to them, all persons, from the President of the
United States to the poorest and meanest beggar, must alike submit."
Instead of celebrations and a national holiday, the anniversary now
passes with little notice. Most Americans don’t even know the historical importance
of Sept. 17, 1787. Even worse, it appears that a majority of Americans are willing to,
once and for all, abandon the Constitution while they remained ensnared in a relationship
that strongly resembles the sycophant followers of a cult.
David Ricardo once said, " I wish that I may never think the
smiles of the great and powerful are sufficient inducement to turn aside from the straight
and narrow path of honesty and the convictions of my own mind."
Sadly this day has come. This is exactly what Bill Clinton has done
to far too many Americans. We must somehow pull ourselves away from the charismatic spell
of Bill Clinton and see that he is impeached and ultimately jailed for the crimes he has
committed.
To continue to allow this man to place himself above the law only
destroys the foundation of this country, which is the rule of law determined by the
Constitution. If Bill Clinton had one ounce of good character, he would resign today.
However, it is abundantly clear that Bill Clinton has no honor or moral character.
Therefore, it is our most solemn duty as a nation, like it or not, to bring Bill Clinton
to justice. If we don’t, we might as well drink the arsenic-laced Kool Aid like the
followers of Jim Jones because we are proclaiming that Bill Clinton is not only above the
law, he is the law.
In my lifetime, the nation still had the courage to enforce the
rule of law against Richard Nixon, despite his claims of, "I am not a crook." I
admit that I liked Richard Nixon. Even as a child, I tried to defend him. But, it was
clear that the impeachment that would have followed (if he hadn’t resigned) would
have been the right thing to do. The nation survived Watergate because we still realized
the importance of the rule of law. It was and still should be the most elementary
principle we know about our government. This duty was clearly spelled out in the textbook
for children of 170 years ago when answering the question whether the President can be
impeached and punished for wrong doing like everyone else.
Let every youthful American exult that he has no master but the
law; let him mark the man who would change this happy state of things as an enemy of his
country; and above all let him remember that as soon as he himself breaks the law, he
becomes himself the enemy. Whoever violates the law helps to weaken its force, and as far
as he disobeys, does when in him lies to destroy it; but he who honors and obeys the law
strengthens the law, and thereby helps to preserve the freedom and happiness of his
country. In some governments it is held that "the king can do no wrong;" here we
know no king but the law, no monarch but the constitution; we hold that every man may do
wrong; the higher he is in office, the more reason there is that he be obliged to answer
for his conduct; and a great officer, if treacherous, is a great criminal, so that he
ought to be made to suffer a great and exemplary punishment.
Lying under oath is a crime punishable with jail time. Clinton lied
in the Paula Jones deposition and likely did before the Grand Jury. Lying to the federal
Grand Jury is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison. When the crimes of
obstruction of justice and suborning perjury are added, it is clear that it is our duty to
impeach and convict him of these crimes. There should be no question that this is the
course we must take as a nation. The arguments to the contrary are without merit. But, it
is a worthy exercise to let some of the founders of our nation dispel these vacuous
arguments put forth by the Clinton propaganda patrol.
The first mantra put forth is that this is only about sex, which is
a private matter. Therefore, it should be nobody’s business and lying about it is
appropriate behavior. George Washington, whose greatness helped to form the nation,
established the standard by which all subsequent presidents have been judged. George was a
great leader whose honesty and integrity are without question. George Washington
recognized that the leader of our country must be a man of virtue, both in public and
private life, because they can’t be separated. Simply put, Washington said, "It
is an old adage that honesty is the best policy; this applies to public as well as private
life, to states as well as individuals."
If simplicity is not enough, then contemplate this more eloquent
statement of the importance of virtue in public life by President Washington:
The foundation of our national policy will be laid in the pure and
immutable principles of private morality...since there is no truth more thoroughly
established, than that there exists in the economy and course of nature, an indissoluble
union between virtue and happiness; between duty and advantage; between the genuine maxims
of an honest and magnanimous policy, and the solid reward of public prosperity and
felicity; since we can be no less persuaded that the propitious smile of Heaven can never
be expected on a nation that disregards the external rules of order and right, which
Heaven itself has ordained.
Instead of acknowledging the divine principle of our national moral
compass, Clinton seeks to twist religious doctrine to justify his actions by saying that
he is sorry and asking for our forgiveness to be enough to absolve him from the
consequences of his actions. Another of the great men that helped found this nation also
addressed this specific issue.
Patrick Henry, known best for saying, "Give me Liberty of give
me death," had this to say about the relationship of Christian forgiveness on a
personal level to what a nation must do to uphold the law:
"I know sir, how well it becomes a liberal man and a Christian
to forget and forgive. As individuals, professing a holy religion, it is our bounden duty
to forgive injuries done us as individuals. But when the character of Christian you add
the character of patriot, you are in a different situation. Our mild and holy system of
religion inculcates an admirable maxim of forbearance. If your enemy smite one cheek, turn
the other to him. But you must stop there. You cannot apply this to your country. As
members of a social community, this maxim does not apply to you. When you consider
injuries done to your country your political duty tells you of vengeance. Forge as a
private man, but never forgive public injuries. Observations of this nature are
exceedingly unpleasant, but it is my duty to use them."
Forgiveness is a function for cleansing one’s soul, but it has
never been a function of excusing criminal behavior. The repentant man accepts the
punishment for his evil behavior without reservation. All one has to do is put a Bible in
the hand and pay a visit to the local prison. The low life of the prison will put on a
show of the greatest revival meeting there ever was. Volumes could be written about the
"born again" convict who used it to get out of jail only to immediately return
to the life of crime. Can anybody really doubt the future jailbird of Pennsylvania
Avenue’s definition of forgiveness is "let me get away with it?"
Letting one person off for a crime is paramount to punishing all of
us who obey the law. The message is that crime and corruption are truly the way to fame
and fortune. It does more than letting one person off for a crime. It is the innocent of
society who pay the burden. Adam Smith, author of the Wealth of Nations,
had this to say, "Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent."
I used the word cult in relationship to Clinton because of the
blind loyalty many of his followers still give him. Look at what has happened to the
Democrat Party. It lost control of both houses of congress after 50 years of domination.
It has seen over 350 elected officials jump ship to the Republican party and hundreds of
more seats lost in state and local races. Clinton’s former fraternity of Democrat
Governors is a dying breed. Almost 2/3 of the country’s governors are already
Republicans. There are likely going to be more Republican Governors and other elected
officials after the November election.
Dozens of his friends and those who work for him have been accused
of and convicted of a multitude of crimes. Many more have had their careers tarnished by
their association with Bill Clinton. Many, including his wife, have had to resort to
unintentionally lying and deceiving the nation because they blindly believed Clinton. Even
worse, many were and are still willing to look the other way and sell their soul by
attacking those who would seek to bring him to justice. The blatant use of propaganda to
promote lies and cover up corruption has surpassed any we have ever seen in this country.
How far do we let the man go? What if he burns the Capital like Hitler did the Reichstag?
How many would blame it on a right wing conspiracy?
I am reminded of the words of Edmund Burke who said, "There is
no safety for honest men, but believing all possible evil of evil men."
I leave you with the warning from George Washington: "Tis
substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.
The rule indeed extends with more or less force to every species of free Government. Who
that is a sincere friend to it, can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the
foundation of the Fabric?"
I urge everyone to stop the indifference and demand that Bill
Clinton be brought to justice by enforcing the constitutional rule of law.
