Time for Some Civil Disobedience?
The knuckleheads inside the Beltway are celebrating.
Only in Washington would a decision to continue borrowing trillions of dollars endlessly to pay for programs that are useless, counterproductive and unconstitutional be considered a bipartisan compromise worth shouting about. This is dysfunctional government at its worst.
We have a president who, seven years ago, voted to oppose any more borrowing, rightfully calling it irresponsible and reckless. And that, by the way, was when the debt was less than half of what it is now. But lately, he has been saying any talk about freezing borrowing is irresponsible and reckless. Go figure.
We have a Republican House of Representatives that is Republican only because of pledges in 2010 and 2012 to cut spending and freeze the debt. But, the Republican leadership does not have the stomach or the will to do either.
We have a Democratic Senate that insists on exempting members of Congress and their staffs from the compassionate coercion of Obamacare. It is good enough for the American people, but not good enough for the royalty on Capitol Hill.
Do these folks still have legitimacy? Are Americans really taking these so-called leaders seriously any more? Are we actually going to continue to subject ourselves to their arrogant rule? Is there not some provision in the law that allows sovereign individuals to exempt themselves from those who defiantly reject the will of the people?
I have been angry before at the politicians who are supposed to be answering to “we the people,” but I would say now I have moved from just anger to all-out rage. What has transpired since October 1st is making my head spin and my heart ache.
Is this really the nation of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and John Adams? Is this the country born in rebellion against tyranny? Is this the land that gave us men willing to sacrifice their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor for self-government? What has become of us? And where do we go from here?
If there ever was a time for another declaration of independence, this is it. Go back and read the grievances listed by our founders. They do not seem nearly as bad as what faces us today.
But where are our leaders? Where are the Samuel Adamses and the Patrick Henrys? Where is the passion for a better life for our children and our grandchildren? Why are today’s Americans content to make the burden of their children and their children’s children heavier tomorrow because we want a free ride today? Are we even worthy of calling ourselves Americans while tolerating the criminal behavior we see in Washington these days?
Maybe it is time for a march on Washington. Maybe it is time for a Million American rally on the mall. Maybe it is time for another “I Have A Dream” speech followed by a little civil disobedience.
We certainly can’t roll over and play dead. We must not stand by and watch Washington steal our money and our freedom and the wealth and liberty of our children without an appropriate response. We cannot go back to business as usual, allowing Barack Obama and Congress to treat us like their subjects. They are not our bosses. They are supposed to answer to us.
I firmly believe those of us who are liberty-minded, self-governing individuals ought to start acting up, much like the political left has done for decades. Like the liberals, socialists and Communists, we need to be relentless. We need to be visible and stay in their faces. We need to raise our voices. We need to make a lot of noise.
Are we willing to do it? Are we willing to sacrifice just a little? Are we willing to fight for our liberty? Are we willing to say “no” to government when it tells you how you can get health care and how you can’t? Are we willing to say “no” to government when we are handed a bill for $17 trillion and are told we have to pay or we will get a bad credit score? Are we willing to say “no” to government the way our founders did?
Our veterans have already shown us what to do. A week ago Sunday, they marched to the World War II Memorial in D.C., took down the “barrycades” and dumped them in front of the White House fence. It was an act of defiance, of civil disobedience. Their actions resulted in some pushing and shoving by law enforcement and it made the people with the badges look bad. Don’t put your hands on veterans who have every right to stand on the sidewalk in front of the White House and peacefully demonstrate!
More of that kind of civil disobedience is needed. It is reminiscent of what the hippies and yippies did during the ’60s and ‘70s. Force a confrontation with authorities and win the public relations battle when the cops overreact. It is doubtful the Obama administration will capture the hearts and minds of the American people when the White House minions issue orders to shove around a bunch of old men who served their country honorably.
In addition, the Tea Party needs to get even more aggressive. More protests. More sit-ins. More news conferences. More rallies. Be loud and be proud. Be unapologetic. Be firm. Permeate the newspapers and television newscasts with conservative opinions and talking points. More fundraising. More activism. More use of the social media. More Ted Cruz. More Mike Lee. More Louie Gohmert. More filibusters.
And finally, Articles of Impeachment. Tea Party Republicans, it starts with you in the House. Write the articles up and see if impeachment proceedings against Barack Obama can get some traction. Force him to account for what he has done in a public forum. Even if the move is not successful, it might tie his hands for the last years of his term, rendering him incapable of damaging the country any more than he already has.
What are his impeachable offenses? Try these, Tea Party, and see if any of them will stick—unconstitutionally amending the Obamacare law with waivers and exemptions by executive fiat; the unauthorized expansion of IRS power; side-stepping Congress by granting de facto amnesty to millions of illegal aliens, using illicit interagency directives and executive orders; reckless endangerment of the public by releasing criminal illegals from prison at a rate far beyond what has been publicly announced; the president’s personal role in the cover-up of the facts concerning the Benghazi attack; the Fast and Furious fiasco which resulted in the death of a US border agent; corruption and cronyism related to the president’s first-term “green” funding adventures.
Impeachment. The final step in rescuing a broke and broken America.
Ed Baswell pastors The Clarion Church and is the host of Crossfire Radio, weekdays from 7-9 am, on The Promise, 90.7 FM. The show is streamed live worldwide at promisetalkradio.org and at ktbs.com. It can be seen each day on the KTBS 24-hour, digital news channel.
