A Constitutional Threat

The fundamental recipe for tyranny begins with equal measures of apathy and ambivalence by the electorate at large and ignorance by the elected officials entrusted with the responsibility of governance. In recent days, there have been two examples of a flagrant arrogance by Americans who should know better and the American electorate must not stand idly by and consider these incidents as nothing more than mere trivialities; these are serious issues that must be properly addressed.

These two events, while seemingly individual in nature, do indeed speak to a growing apathy and ambivalence by the electorate and thus are tied together as emblematic of a serious threat to what Thomas Jefferson referred to as the ‘great experiment’ – American self rule.

In the first instance, a Texas school suspended a 14-year-old boy for two days for telling a classmate he thought homosexuality was wrong. The student was in a German class at the high school when the conversation shifted to religion and homosexuality. At some point during the conversation, he turned to a friend and said that he was a Christian and “being a homosexual is wrong.”

The issue here is not the question of sexuality, or even pursuing why the topic shifted during a German language class. Both questions can and should be debated, but such discussions occur only within a healthy body politic. The fact that a school district would suspend a student for expressing a thought is terrifying; the government should not act upon thought, for once it does, under the guise of doing the ‘right thing’, there is no limit to what can be considered the right thing. The United States Constitution is not a document that restricts the citizenry; it is in effect to limit the power of the federal government.

To quote from that august document:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. (emphasis ours)

There does not seem to be any ambiguity in the first amendment. There are of course limits to free speech – the popular understanding that you may not yell ‘fire”, absent one, in a crowded theater is a valid restriction.

It is incomprehensible how what this particular student said would be acted upon by suspending him. We are close to crossing the Rubicon on political correctness at the cost of liberty. This is not hyperbolic rhetoric; a student was suspended for expressing an opinion. This should cause a hue and cry from the American citizenry, yet the muted outcry is sadly deafening.

The second event is equally troubling, but in a different manner. North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue this past week proposed suspending congressional elections for a cycle so legislators could focus on fixing the economy.

"I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover,"

 "I really hope that someone can agree with me on that. You want people who don't worry about the next election."

To again quote the United States Constitution:

Article 1, Section 2

The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature. (emphasis ours)

The fact that Governor Perdue is her states highest ranking elected official and she is suggesting dismissing the Constitution due to its being, apparently, an inconvenience should alarm the American people. The question needs to be asked: what is her understanding of the Constitution, the governing document of the United States, that she could so glibly suggest abandoning it?

Her office subsequently attempted to claim that the governor was speaking in jest, but the audiotape of her speech shows no level of jocularity, and the audience was silent, suggesting they were on some level in agreement with her suggestion.

The Constitution must be defended if we are to remain a free people. Regulating thought, expressed as speech, and glibly discussing insurrection should be a warning to the American people.

They risk the loss of their liberty if they do not heed the alarm.