In The Shadows ...

We, the People…

June 25, 2018 Day 12.

Most of us are at least familiar, in passing, with those three words. It’s how the preamble to the Constitution begins. Take a moment and read the opening words:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Every President – from Washington to Trump – took an oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Evidently, some had their fingers crossed.

The What: Since taking office, it seems like Trump has been trying to circumvent his oath of office. Trump has convincingly demonstrated his contempt, abhorrence and lack of respect for the Constitution and the rule of law, as well as for the office of president. That’s clear from his repeated lying to the public and press; his continuing to receive profits and benefits from foreign governments in violation of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause; his attacking the integrity of federal judges and encouraging police misconduct; his disparaging the First Amendment’s protections of a free press—the list goes on and on.

In a recent memo, his lawyers claim - “The President not only has unfettered statutory and Constitutional authority to terminate the FBI Director, he also has Constitutional authority to direct the Justice Department to open or close an investigation, and, of course, the power to pardon any person before, during, or after an investigation and/or conviction,” they write, “Put simply, the Constitution leaves no question that the President has exclusive authority over the ultimate conduct and disposition of all criminal investigations and over those executive branch officials responsible for conducting those investigations.”

Where is Trump getting these un-American ideas? Donald Trump has apparently been informed by his lawyers, and his own ego, that he is something of a monarch and it’s to our detriment – we, the people – that he continues to ignore the very document that he swore to protect.

The Impact: Let’s look at where Trumps actions are leading by looking at the oath he took:

Establish Justice. “The President not only has unfettered statutory and Constitutional authority to terminate the FBI Director, he also has Constitutional authority to direct the Justice Department to open or close an investigation, and, of course, the power to pardon any person before, during, or after an investigation and/or conviction,” they write, “Put simply, the Constitution leaves no question that the President has exclusive authority over the ultimate conduct and disposition of all criminal investigations and over those executive branch officials responsible for conducting those investigations.” In other words, Trump claims that justice is whatever Trump says it is.

Insure Domestic Tranquility. From out and out racism to petty name calling of opponents, Trump continues to play divisive politics. The nation survives amid division and dysfunction now, when we're at peace, more or less. But if America faced a serious threat abroad, say from a nuclear-armed North Korea, these domestic fissures could be paralyzing.

Provide for the Common Defense. President Donald Trump has barely acknowledged that Russians meddled in the 2016 presidential election, and now it looks like he’s doing nothing to prevent Moscow from interfering again. Adm. Michael Rogers, who leads US Cyber Command, told lawmakers on Tuesday that Trump has yet to direct him to strike Russia’s cyber operations where they start. That means Russian President Vladimir Putin — who directed the campaign to disrupt the last US presidential election — has yet to see any serious repercussions for his country’s actions.

How long will it be before we hear:

Calling it “maybe the worst deal ever,” Donald J. Trump said on Wednesday that he is considering pulling the United States out of the United States Constitution. “I’ve seen a lot of bad deals in my life, but this Constitution is a total mess,” he said. “We need to tear it up and start over.” (Shamelessly lifted from "The Borowitz Report, a satire piece by Andy Borowitz) 😂

Stay tuned…

I’ll leave you with a final thought: “We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

I guess it’s up to us.