Constitutional Crisis? Well, maybe... BUT

We are hearing a lot of talk lately that the United States Constitution has been "cast aside" by the ruling Democrat Party, and to some extent that may be true. Is it the FIRST time in our nation's history that this has happened? NO. Is it the most egregious attack on the Constitution by those in power? Certainly NOT.

This is not a comprehensive list of the offenses of elected officials against the Constitution, however I hope it puts into perspective two things: First, that the Constitution has suffered greater attack in the past, and second, that the country survived it and ultimately became better for it.

The first that comes to my mind as being a most terrible attack on the Constitution was at the hand of President Andrew Jackson. Why his face continues to be on our currency is something I cannot understand. Native American groups attack colleges for perceived derogatory references to their culture and heritage in mascots and cheers, yet they have not, to my knowledge ever petitioned the Federal Reserve to remove Jackson's profile from the $20 bill. And, I bet few of you reading this can remember the incident to which I am referring.

It was called by the Chactaw Native Americans as "The Trail of Tears." As these people were forceably removed from their native lands by order of Congress and enforced by Andrew Jackson. Treaties with various tribes were ignored by Jackson himself and by various Governors as tribe after tribe were removed from their lands. Then the ultimate attack on the Constitution came as the Unites States Supreme Court sided with the Cherokees in 1831. Jackson, was mandated by the constitution to enforce the orders of the Supreme Court as the Chief Executive, but openly refused to do so and instead challenged the court to enforce its own ruling!

A similarly egregious attack on the Constitution occurred 110 years later. Under the Presidency of Franklyn D. Roosevelt, Japanese Americans, who had committed no crime and had posed no threat to the United States, were forceably removed from their homes and farms and placed in concentration camps in terrible conditions. Some have tried to justify this based upon the attack on Pearl Harbor and being at war with Japan, but such justifications are without merit. Certainly German Americans were not treated in the same manner, but even if they had been, the deprivation of liberty and property to these loyal Americans only on the basis of their heritage and physical appearance was a far greater threat to the Constitution than what we face today.

Under many Presidents of different parties spanning the first 84 years after the Declaration of Independence, our nation not only allowed but fostered a system of slavery upon persons born in the United States just because of their race. They were considered to be chattel and as such were treated much like farm animals. This unconscionable and disgusting practice flew in the face of the principals of freedom and democracy that were touted by the Declaration of Independence and intended to be protected by the Constitution of the United States. Our constitutional "crisis" today pales in comparison.

But, unfortunately the attack on the Constitution by elected officials in their treatment of persons of African descent did not end with the abolition of Slavery, for the next 100 years, these freed slaves and their descendants were denied their rights of citizenship by overt actions. A health care bill pales in comparison.

And lest anyone believe that Abraham Lincoln was the champion of the Constitution by freeing the slaves, he also imposed martial law and other executive orders that exceeded his Constitutional mandate.

As many forget the "Trail of Tears," so do they also ignore the horrific treatment of the Mormons trying to live peaceably with their neighbors in the 1830's and 40's. Not only did the elected officials fail and refuse to protect them from mobs who MULTIPLE times drove them from their homes and stole their possessions and rained terror upon them, but in Missouri, Governor Lilburn Boggs in 1838 ordered that Mormons "must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary." This order stood on the laws of Missouri until 1976!

As bad as these all are, the worst attack on the Constitution is by everyday citizens like you, reading this who have NOT even read the Constitution and have no real understanding of what it is or how it works. Some of these same ignorant persons clamor for a Constitutional Convention! That scares me to death. Do they think THEY will be the delegates to such a Convention? WRONG, the delegates will be chosen by the various states MOST of which are controlled by Democrats! And, if such a Convention were held, who will take the place of Thomas Jefferson? or George Washington? or Benjamin Franklyn? or John Adams? I do not see such people among us today.

As I said, this is not a complete list of the attacks on the Constitution but, in my view at least, MUCH more severe than the attacks of recent days by the Democrats.

Now, I do endorse those that are going forth and peaceably organizing themselves to vote the Democrats out of office in the next elections and if they are successful, then once again our Nation will have strengthened the Constitution in the face of attack.

Michael G Perdue
March 2010