Lawfully Speaking, Vol I, Issue No. 5
A Weekly Internet Political Column
Written by William H. and John M. Huff
In Washington Newspeak the term bipartisan appears to mean "we know it is unwise and unlawful, perhaps even unconstitutional, but we have all agreed upon it. Therefore, since we have evenly distributed the remote potential for future blame, we can now move forward to more pressing issues [like raising our own pay or perks]."
We have come so far from the days that principle really took precedence over party affiliation that it almost seems quaint to mention. Fact is, principle has been sacrificed on the altar of party loyalty for roughly the same amount of time that political parties have existed.
We really don’t need officeholders who brag about achieving consensus with their alleged enemies, as though that, in itself, was some great moral triumph. These are chameleons who slither in and out of their make-believe ethics without even perceiving it themselves. They are no longer artful at lying, but must rely on the continued decline of awareness among the general population in order to maintain power. As long as the masses remain unwashed, there should be no reason for concern. We don’t want to completely write off everyone in Washington as having evil intent. We have to leave room for the incompetent and ignorant to be exonerated.
It should go without saying, but whenever a citizen who has been placed in a public trust under the Constitution of the United States does anything contrary to what he knows to be right and lawful, and in the best interest of his country, merely because of his party affiliation, he is committing two sins at once. He betrays both his country and his conscience. This is the beginning of the end of the Union. This is the point of departure from the Statesman en route to becoming a full-time political hack - the enemy of the Republic.
But what about Pat Buchanan?
This is not an endorsement or condemnation of any candidate, and certainly not of any party old or new. But why is it that the same old worn out nonsense about dividing the vote or "wasting your vote" is being trotted out, when, in reality, there is only one political party, or, as some call it, a duopoly in Washington? If they gang up to violate the Constitution, they are a gang of outlaws, not political parties.
Is either major political party running headlong back to the rule of law and the reinstitution of all that made America unique - all that made Americans the freest citizens who ever lived? No, they are playing "good cop bad cop" as our liberties continue to be eroded. This dialectic process or "ratcheting" toward government unbound by written law, or worse yet, subservient to supra-national corporate interests, is not going to be enjoyed without exacting a price in property and human life. The first few grisly payments have already been made.
Look in the mirror. We must always lay final accountability on the individual citizen. The crowd in Washington cannot be expected to perform beyond its own abilities, and certainly not beyond the citizens’ expectations and demands. If the average American wants a check from the government in exchange for his liberty, the average Congressman is apparently willing to at least make the appearance of delivering the goods.
Campaigns are nothing more than the most sophisticated and public version of the Liars Club. If Bill Clinton hasn’t proven that Americans love to be lied to, we don’t know what his real Legacy is.
What is wrong?
Parties and other entities such as special interest groups and mega-corps have begun to dictate over the daily lives of individual American citizens in ways that are eroding life, liberty and property. In other words, it’s getting so you have to pursue happiness a lot faster these days if you are to have any hope of ever possessing it. Of course, the well informed remember that "happiness" equated to an absolute right in private property in the minds of the Founders. The phrase "pursuit of happiness" replaced the word "property" in an earlier draft of the Declaration of Independence. However, no one can read the Founders’ writings and fail to acknowledge this relationship.
Below we present a writing by Noah Webster as the preface to the book he published entitled "Papers on Political and Commercial Subjects." This writing is especially appropriate to our discussion of the dangers of political parties. The Administration he discusses so heatedly is the Third Administration, with Thomas Jefferson the President, Aaron Burr the Vice President, and James Madison the Secretary of State. However, the principles and arguments, as he said, apply to all Administrations.