Opinion
A Sad Easter and a Sadder Comment on American Christianity
Easter, a time celebrated by Christians around the world to mark our Savior’s triumph over death. And with it, Christ brought his salvation and redemption to the world, an offer of love from God made to all of us. There is no nationalist qualification. No color of skin requirement. No cultural preference to meet. There is nothing selfish or isolationist about this love. This salvation is open to all. It is empathetic and it is inclusive.
But, in America, too many Christians have forgotten the message of Christ’s love. Just look how many Christians, shamefully, voted into office a miserable human being whose despicable behavioral traits are in direct opposition of the traits Christ presented, taught and promoted. In fact, Trump is just a cesspool of Anti-Christ behavioral attributes. And yet, still, people, who go to church every Sunday and pat themselves on the back for being such good Christians for doing so, voted for this morally depraved and debased human being to be their president.
This Easter I want all these Christians to reflect on how their vote lacking in all Christian and American judgement is destroying our country, destroying our national identity as a nation based upon decency, the rule of law and a reverent respect for the unalienable rights of all people granted to them by their creator. America, we used to be a nation that could be counted on to protect the world from evil doers. And while we have not always been perfect in this execution at all times, we certainly never set out to intentionally and purposely commit evil like the evil that is being committed by this Trump Administration. I want these Christians to think long and hard about what they have become.
I want them to do this because I am certain that the salvation they have been afforded by this day that they celebrate has been compromised. They are not the Christians that they think they are. Doing unto others as you would have others do unto you does not involve supporting someone who is actively seeking to deny people basic civil rights guaranteed by our Declaration of Independence and by our Constitution. As demonstrated by the story of the Good Samaritan and countless other parables in the Bible, Christ did not recognize any national boundaries. When it comes to basic human and civil rights, neither should any person who considers themselves to be a true Christian.
Christians need to admit they are sinners. They need to admit when they have made a mistake. It is only then that redemption can be theirs. While this year may be a “Sad Easter,” I am hoping, next year, it will be different. By next year, I am hoping there is a recognition by all American Christians just how unacceptable and incompatible with Christianity Trump and all his Anti-Christ behavioral traits truly are. When that happens, “Happy Easter,” will have the meaning that it was meant to have this year.
The Moral of the Story
When four highly decorated, high ranking United States generals who risked their lives in battle to protect our country and its Constitution despite any bone spurs they may have suffered, who all served in the cabinet of that irresponsible MAGA leader’s first term tells you that that this MAGA candidate for President of the United States of America is a clear and present danger to America, to our country, to our democracy, to our system of government and to our republic, that he is unfit to serve in the office of President, you should believe them. When a substantial number of other respected citizens who worked in that same administration tell you the same thing, you should believe them.
Not heeding the warning of these respected generals and these other respected public government servants will cause you to help destroy your nation in the same way the German people destroyed their nation in the 1930’s and 1940’s, in the same way the Russians destroyed their once democratic and free republic in the 2000’s. Failing to recognize fascist wannabe dictators who so callously manipulates the masses into committing unfathomable violence and talks them into believing his nonsensical and dishonest rhetoric, will bring about a dark dystopian future the likes of which you have never seen and which will not be easily recovered from.
By the time you realize what you have done, when that MAGA President turns on you, when he finds he no longer needs to pander to your ideas since he has all the power he needs now, it will be too late. You will have helped him remove all those guardrails that would have protected us in the past and there is nothing you can do to change it…you voted away your democracy.
Don’t vote away your democracy. Don’t vote away your republic. Don’t self destruct. Don’t cause our country to self-destruct. Don’t vote for a multiply indicted individual facing 91 felony counts. Whatever faults Biden has, he won’t ever cause our system of government to collapse. Is your frustration with Biden worth sacrificing your whole democracy for? Is it worth destroying our whole American way of life? Is it really worth the risk of losing it all?
Day 1,467
There is a great possibility that this fictional story may soon be more real than you think…
- Day 1: the Maga President will be a dictator.
- Day 2: he will “suspend” the Constitution.
- Day 3: he will put all Muslims seeking asylum or already living in America in concentration camps.
- Day 4: his political adversaries will start to mysteriously die for unknown reasons (poison being the most highly suspected cause of death).
- Day 5: other political adversaries and critics will be charged with unsubstantiated crimes based upon false witness and made-up testimony.
- Day 6: news organizations that report unflattering news stories about the Maga President’s behavior and/or his policies are first fined, then shutdown, then outlawed and their chief operating officers jailed.
- Day 7: Fox News and the other radical-right conservative propaganda news machines merge to form Maga News and is now the only news organization legally allowed to operate by the state.
- Day 8: guns will be confiscated from all gun owners who have not pledged their loyalty to the Maga President.
- Day 9: guns are also taken away from all gun owners who have pledged their loyalty to the Maga President. This campaign is promoted as a test of their complete loyalty to him.
- Day 10: former Maga gun owners who made the mistake of criticizing the Maga President, upset they no longer are allowed to own guns, are arrested.
- Day 11: appeals to the Supreme Court regarding the Second Amendment are rejected. The Constitution is still suspended. There is no Second Amendment.
- Day 12: Christians who have criticized the Maga President’s un-American behavior and refuse to pledge their loyalty to him begin to be rounded up and put into concentration camps.
- Day 13: the rest of the Christian population begins to be rounded up and put into concentration camps, retribution for their failure to “vote hard enough for him in 2020,” as they are the group he now most blames for all his legal trouble he had to suffer after the 2020 election.
- Day 14: America abandons NATO.
- Day 15: Russia conquers Ukraine but not without finishing the genocide it began 3 years ago.
- Day 16: Russia invades Poland.
- Day 17: World War 3 begins as all Western Nations except for America declare war on Russia.
- Day 18: Russia, Iran, North Korea and China create an axis alliance against the western nations.
- Day 19: China invades Taiwan.
- Day 20: Taiwan quickly falls as the Maga President praises the Chinese leader for being so bold, smart, and ruthless.
- Day 21: China invades Japan.
- Day 22: The Maga President continues his fawning over the Chinese leader.
- Day 23: Japan falls quickly due to the lack of American support and the years it was required, by post WW2 defense policies, to refrain from weapons manufacturing until only recently.
- Day 24: China invades Australia as the Maga President continues his praises of the Chinese leadership. The Maga President snipes that, “he never liked Australia.”
- Day 25: Europe falls to the Russians.
- Day 26: the Maga President sends Putin a pair of his gold-plated tennis shoes to congratulate the genocidal maniac for his impressive subjugation of two continents in such a short amount of time.
- Day 27: Russia invades the United States through Alaska; assisted greatly by the Top Secret documents the Maga President had earlier provided Russia before he took his second term of office.
- Day 28: the Maga President happily cedes Alaska over to Russia as a symbol of his fidelity to the ruling strong man he admires so much
- Day 1,461: the Constitution is still, “suspended.”
- Day 1,462: the Maga President is still holding onto the shaky reigns of his power.
- Day 1,463: Putin replaces the Maga President with a governor from Saint Petersburg, citing the governor’s younger and sharper abilities.
- Day 1,464: a former Fox News host does grocery shopping for Putin in his new position in Moscow as the Minister of Communication and Culinary Services for the new Russian Union.
- Day 1,465: The Maga President, deposed and without the magnificent tower he wanted to build in Saint Petersburg after the tower in Moscow went bankrupt, is exiled to Siberia.
- Day 1,466: At the behest of the new Russian governor, the Maga Republican House passes a bill to rebrand, “The United States of America,” as, “The Soviet States of America.” Since the Democratic Party has been outlawed long before the Maga President left office, it is expected to easily pass the Maga Republican Senate.
- Day 1,467: Some Maga voters wonder if they have been dupped. America does not seem as great as they were promised it would be. But the thought is fleeting as they rush to wait in the bread lines to feed their hungry kids.
The Colorado Ballot Case: What Happened to the Conservative Notion of States Rights?
“The whole point of the 14th Amendment was to restrict state power,” this is Chief Justice Robert’s assertion. While there are clarifications regarding what States can do in The Fourteenth Amendment, a good portion of The Fourteenth Amendment is to affirm the rights of all United States citizens and outline the protections that States are required to offer all United States citizens. The Fourteenth Amendment also offers additional guidance to States regarding federal office holding requirements.
Yes, States must defer to the Constitution and to the laws of the federal government. That, for sure, is explicitly stated. However, that doesn’t mean that the power that States have been granted in other parts of the Constitution have been erased or supplanted in some crazy way as Roberts appeared to imply with his questioning.
States have the authority to manage elections for federal offices. They have the authority to print ballots for federal offices. They have the authority to send delegates to the Electoral College to vote for President and Vice-President. When printing ballots, States have the authority and responsibility to follow the Constitution.
Additionally, the United States Constitution provides that you cannot be 34 years of age or younger to hold the Office of President. You cannot be a Naturalized Citizen to hold the Office of President. You cannot be an insurrectionist to hold the Office of President. You cannot give aid or comfort to insurrectionists and expect to hold the Office of President. This is clearly defined in the Constitution. The States are NOT limited in this power. The States can decide who is included on the ballot for all these cases. States can exclude anyone from the ballot if candidates do not meet the requirements to hold an elected federal office. Colorado was following the Constitution when its highest court made its ruling in favor of removing a disqualified candidate from its ballot.
If these candidates cannot hold the Office of President, then there is no legitimate reason for States to print disqualified candidate names on the ballot. Also, it is the federal government that has limited to no involvement in all these election processes managed by States not the other way around as Roberts suggested. Nowhere in the Fourteenth Amendment does it say anything about taking away the States’ right to run elections for Federal government offices.
The Fourteenth Amendment only amends the power that States have as described in Article II of the Constitution, to clarify that the power States have cannot conflict with the Federal Constitution, Federal Government rulings or the general rights guaranteed to all citizens of the United States. The Fourteenth Amendment says, “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” The amendment then goes on to indicate what powers States have, “Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed.” These inclusions in The Fourteenth Amendment are less of a limitation than they are a clarification.
Earlier in the Constitution, the second paragraph of Article Two clearly spells out the power States have, “Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress.” Also, Article Two, paragraph 5, specifies, “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.” The Fourteenth Amendment, Section 3, amends who can qualify as a Presidential candidate with additional requirements for the States: “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.” Here, the federal government by way of Congress, does have the power to veto the State’s decision. But, overall, the Constitution gives States quite a bit of power.
Chief Justice Robert’s combative tone in his line of questioning on Thursday, February 8th, 2024, during oral arguments in the Colorado Ballot Case (Trump v. Anderson) seemed very odd and bizarre to me. There used to be a time when conservatives believed in States rights, especially in the ones that appear to be clearly assigned to States in the Constitution. What happened to that?
References:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript
https://apnews.com/article/federal-government-role-elections-392a5567755549336fe91132b9fd5908
The Supreme Court and the Colorado Ballot Case: Only One Way to Rule
I’ve read and re-read Article II, section 1, paragraph 5 and The Fourteenth Amendment, Section 3 of the Constitution over and over, multiple times, and it seems really clear to me that there is only one way to understand these clauses. You don’t need to be a lawyer to understand this text. It is written that well, in plain English. There is only one legitimate way to rule on this matter.
The Supreme Court must make their ruling based upon what is explicitly written in the Constitution. The Supreme Court must allow States to determine ballot eligibility based upon what is explicitly stated in the Constitution. Trump must be booted off the Colorado ballot if Trump is an insurrectionist or if Trump has “given aid or comfort” to insurrectionists.
Presuming that the court is not willing to define Trump’s status as an insurrectionist and/or collaborator, the court cannot take any other “offramp” that is somehow molded into a legitimate Constitutional argument that makes any type of sense in favor of keeping Trump on the ballot, not for any reason; even if the court thinks they need one to avert some highly speculative and imaginary negative Constitutional incongruity between the power the State and Federal governments might have. If the court does try to take any other offramp, the court risks compromising their own oath to protect and support the Constitution. Taking a procedural route would be just as bad for different reasons (they shouldn’t do it).
There is nothing to infer, nothing to doubt in this judicial review like in other controversial cases that have recently been overturned by the Supreme Court where the Constitution might have inferred a right but does not explicitly state one (i.e., Roe v. Wade and Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, etc.). Ruling on the side of what is plainly written in the Constitution, especially when it is so clearly written, arguably, takes a lot of courage. It may not be popular or politically expedient. It may even be dangerous given all the right-winged crazies and thugs that exist out there but it is the right thing to do. It is the American thing to do.
We need to protect our country from insurrectionists who sway public opinion with falsehoods, exaggerations, fear and frenzied rhetoric. We need to protect our nation from insurrectionists who bring dishonor upon themselves and their autocratic enabling political party. We need to protect our citizens from insurrectionists who constantly blame others for all their problems. We need to protect ourselves from insurrectionists who never take responsibility for their own criminal actions but who are always happy to divide then destroy our Constitutional government for the sake of their own narcissistic, power-hungry appetite.
Without that protection, the Supreme Court will take one step closer to ending our democracy. The Supreme Court takes one step closer to ending our republic. One step closer to abandoning the Constitution, altogether. And if that happens, where would that leave the Supreme Court?
References:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dobbs_v._Jackson_Women’s_Health_Organization
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trumps-ballot-eligibility-is-headed-to-the-supreme-court-heres-what-to-know/ar-BB1hUWL1
https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/08/politics/norma-anderson-trump-colorado-ballot/index.html
A Peculiar Day to Celebrate the End of the Peculiar Institution?
Since Delaware and Kentucky were the last states that still allowed slavery to exist until the 13th Amendment was passed in December of 1865, it is interesting to me how Juneteenth came into being. How did June 19th become the day to celebrate that second independence to complement the first one, to become the fulfillment of the contract described by our earlier Declaration of Independence where, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness?” June 19th, 1865 only freed the slaves in Texas when Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived to take control of the vanquished confederate member State. Texas was not the last State to end slavery.
Because Delaware and Kentucky were both Union States, the Emancipation Proclamation did not apply. The Emancipation Proclamation exempted Union States from having to free their slaves. Slavery did not officially end for the United States of America until December 6, 1865 when the 13th Amendment was ratified. And, perhaps, now a source of embarrassment for these Union States, Delaware didn’t ratify the 13th Amendment until February 12, 1901 and Kentucky didn’t ratify the 13th Amendment until March 18, 1976. I’m sure this fact was not lost on the President, being from Delaware, when he signed the law that made Juneteenth a national holiday. But, is Juneteenth really the right day to celebrate the end of slavery?
In general terms, it probably doesn’t really matter what date is picked as long as we celebrate. Slavery is unconscionable. It should have never been introduced to America in the first place. Slavery had or was steadily being abandoned by most Christian nations within five hundred years of the collapse of the western Roman Empire in 476. And it should have remained that way.
While I, personally, may prefer a date more representative of when all the slaves were freed in the United States (December 6, 1865 when the 13th Amendment was ratified), it really shouldn’t matter to me nor should it be up to me. Juneteenth is a tradition we should honor because it means so much to so many who had been given June 19, 1865 as the day to celebrate the end of slavery and that new found independence for a people who had previously been denied participation in our great American experiment. The respect for people to govern themselves that was so eloquently specified in that first Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 had lacked a certain amount of credibility when it excluded a whole faction of people who were not free. But now that contradiction and that blight against our country’s soul had been removed.
And so, I will certainly be celebrating that fully inclusive freedom and independence. And there is one overriding reason why we all should and that is because, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Happy Juneteenth!
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_in_the_American_Civil_War
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/13th-amendment-united-states-constitution/
https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/amendment-13/ratification-of-the-thirteenth-amendment
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution
https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/3003
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_ancient_Romehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_abolition_of_slavery_and_serfdom
No-Woke World Florida
A New No-Woke World theme park is planning to be built in the former Reedy Creek Improvement District in Florida. DeSantis has decided to use his unlimited powers to create a new government sponsored theme park called, “No-Woke World.” The park will be built on the land that DeSantis took from Disney World earlier this year. No-Woke World is set to compete against that “awful, so called, ‘Magic Kingdom,’” DeSantis stated. “Floridians elected me to go war with Disney and that annoying little pathetic mouse, harboring that squeaky, high pitched woke-infested voice. And, by golly, that’s what I’m going to do!”
When asked about whether DeSantis might be confused; that what he disturbingly and personally wants may not really be what Floridians want, he commented, “My personal grievances are Florida’s Personal grievances.” Proud of his tyrannical behavior, DeSantis announced that No-Woke-Mountain will be the park’s first attraction. Part of the thrill of the ride being promoted by DeSantis is that non-white citizens will be allowed on the ride but they must always go to the back of the line.
Also, before entering the ride, non-white citizens will be looked upon with suspicion by menacing policemen dressed in character costumes. White citizens will be given the “No-Woke” discount after visiting the park more than five times in a year. Black citizens must complete a, “Critical Race Theory is Discrimination,” twenty-hour educational course before they will be allowed to enter the park for the first time. For those who have trouble passing the course, watching 40 hours of PragerU videos will also satisfy entrance requirements. In all, No-Woke World is sure to be a hit that is bound to out-compete Disney World in the coming years by being true to its newly adopted motto (and recently approved by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District), “The Most Disturbing Place on Earth.”
Tinker Bell Sent Packing for being Too Woke
Claiming, “that little fairy is just too woke,” Tinker Bell has been banned from Cinderella’s castle, effective immediately, by order of the evil wicked Governor of the East, Ron DeSantis. DeSantis also said he will soon start eviction proceedings against the poor reputation-soiled fairy starting Monday. Since 1971, Tinker Bell had made her home in the Peter Pan attraction at Disney World in Florida but is now forced to permanently relocate to her older home in the Peter Pan attraction in Disneyland in California. Note that, Wokeness, a religion once thought to be protected by the U.S. Constitution, has come under attack recently by autocratic government agencies and new Florida State laws intended to discriminate against anyone daring to practice Wokeness in Florida.
The Pathetic Generation
In 1973 and 1974, the “Greatest Generation” was, for the most part, still at the helm of our national government. When Republicans of that generation learned that a President had participated in actions outside the rule of law, they reacted responsibly with honor to hold that President to account. So, if that was the, “Greatest Generation,” today’s Republicans must be part of the, “Pathetic Generation.”
When today’s Republicans learned of a President’s offences against our nation, instead of removing this twice impeached president from office for crimes of corruption and insurrection, they embraced this liar, cheater and graceless election loser as their “Dear Leader,” turning him into a cult figurehead. Even when learning that after leaving office that it is quite evident that Trump stole confidential and top-secret documents of the United States of America that puts our national security at risk, instead of condemning that former president for endangering our national security, we find them fully participating in his corruption by spinning, distracting and projecting their own worst faults onto the agencies that help to protect our nation from criminals and foreign espionage; not even caring that it puts the lives of these dedicated law enforcement agents in jeopardy.
It doesn’t get any more irresponsibly pathetic than that. Dereliction of duty is one thing…but having members of a once respectable American Political Party being completely complicit in national security crimes is quite another.
The Polarity Resistance 