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A Corrupt Shell Of What It Once Was

By Dave Henderson
Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Some years ago I had the honor to visit the battle fields of the D-Day invasion in Normandy, France. I remember strolling through the American Cemetery; I could not help but feel an overwhelming sense of the sacrifice that those thousands of people before me had made for the good of the country. This is a sacrifice that in my opinion has been totally lost on the morally bankrupt leadership that we now see in Washington.

Some thirty-one years ago, I raised my right hand and took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. When I entered the service of my country, I did so of my own free will. I soon found that I was undertaking a job that was, as they say now, "larger than self". Even as a young man, when most people are absorbed in self-interest, I knew that the oath that I had taken put the good of the country in front of my own. In every sense of the word, I had agreed to give my life in exchange for the good of the country.

When one enters political service, they also take an oath of office. That oath is a pledge that is legally and morally binding, as a contract to serve the good of the country and the people that elected them to serve. This oath varies depending on the office, but all follow this basic form:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."

When a public servant takes office, they do so at the behest of the public that voted them into office. The people do not answer to them; they answer to the people, be it the dogcatcher or President of the United States and all levels in between. Their public office does not grant them permission to write laws that are counter to the word and intent of the Constitution, yet it is common practice.

The Founding Fathers of this country foresaw the potential power grab that is human nature. They knew that common sense could easily be replaced with greed and a lack of moral character. They presented us with a system where George Washington did not become the first American King and the people his subjects; he became its first President and leader of the people. They gave us the ballot box to change our government so that violence would not be necessary.

It has become obvious to me that our Government has become a corrupt shell of what it once was. While there are good people in office, many have become corrupted by the political system and the political party.

The time has come for the American people to clean house and return our country to the representative government that it was intended to be. The time has come for change, but not a change to a socialist system of government that history has proven a failure.

Complacency has lulled the American people into the belief that they can't make a difference, that they can't change the direction of our government. As their employers, we must demand from public official's faith and allegiance to the good of the country, not their personal enrichment or the political party they claim. We must demand that they prove their worth by action, not empty promise.

If they do not live up to their oath of office, we must replace them with someone who will. If they place the good of the party before the good of the people we must replace them with someone who will not. To blindly vote for a political party is shirking our responsibility as citizens. To accept morally bankrupt leadership is an insult to all those who fill our National Cemeteries.

For the first time in decades, the American people have the attention of those in Washington.

For the first time in decades, they have awoken the sleeping giant called the average American.

I see a fundamental shift happening in my country. While Mrs. Obama may for the first time in her life feel proud to be an American, for the first time in my life I fear for my country. I'm encouraged to see this giant awakening, that gives me hope.

How dare they call the average American a terrorist for standing up for our Republic!

How dare Pelosi call me a Nazi because I believe in the Constitution!

Do so at your own peril, Washington! I know not what course others may take. As for me, I'm currently investing in tea. I seem to be in good company at the tea parties.

"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed — that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it.…"

TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK – VOTE THEM OUT!

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This article was first published on Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 4:29 pm. This article has been viewed 1644 times.

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