Unquestionably, governments exist to interfere with each person's pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. If governments did not exist to protect their citizens from their citizens, we would have anarchy. Each person would do that which he desires to do. Anarchy is the ultimate instance of each individual pursuing his own concept of life, liberty, and happiness for himself. The problem, of course, is that it does not work and can not work on this earth without GOD because when each selfish individual pursues his own thing; he ends up interfering with the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness of others.
Even the new commandment of JESUS, "'A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.'" (John 13: 34) is an interference of a person's pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. It prevents a person from hating, from envying, from being contemptuous of others. Loving others also must not be the normal state of man or JESUS would not have had to command HIS believers to love one another.
If governments exist to protect their citizens from their citizens, the question is not shall or will the government interfere with an individual's pursuit of life, liberty, or happiness. Rather, we know that they must and we know that they will. The questions actually are who decides what interference is acceptable and what guidelines are used to determine the level of acceptable interference?
We have guidelines established throughout our life. Our parents establish guidelines telling us what is and what is not acceptable behavior. Our schools, our places of work, our recreational outlets, and almost every other place where individuals come in contact with other individuals all establish guidelines for acceptable and unacceptable behavior. All of these instances interfere with our ability to pursue our own concept of life, liberty, and happiness. All are necessary to one extent or another to allow us to peaceably exist in social settings.
Often these guidelines are written down so that everyone knows what the "rules of the game" are. For our purpose, I will call those written guidelines the instruction book. For Christians, the instruction book is the Bible. For Muslims, the instruction book is the Koran. For the United States, the instruction book is the United States Constitution, laws passed by Congress, and treaties entered into by the United States government. Article VI Section 2 of the United States Constitution states, "This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land...."
In a pure democracy the people as a group make the decisions in relation to what level of interference is acceptable. In a Republic the people elect representatives who are given the task of making those decisions for the people as a whole. It is suppose to be the elected representatives who make the decisions; not a small group of unelected, appointed members of the court system. That is not democratic. That is an oligarchy of selected, appointed elitists who do not answer to the will of the people.
Today, we are moving more and more in the direction of a Courtocracy where a small appointed group determines our laws either by vetoing the will of the people or by saying this is what the law will be. That is not democracy. They also often do this while ignoring the instruction book. Sometimes, they use other instruction books such as international law or the laws of other nations. None of these actions uphold our democracy as founded and none of these actions uphold the oath of office they swore when they assumed their position of trust.
Prayerfully, President Bush with his appointments of strict constructionists will be able to pull the United States back from its drift into Courtocracy. Prayerfully, Congress will begin to assert its constitutionally given authority to establish the laws of the United States. The choice is clear. Either we continue our descent into Courtocracy or we return to the democracy intended in the Constitution. That is why; I am adamant that the Courts must follow the Constitution. That is why; I am adamant that the Constitution does not provide for a "wall between church and state." The choice is clear. I have chosen democracy over the oligarchic will of five unelected members of the Court. What is your choice?
Even the new commandment of JESUS, "'A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.'" (John 13: 34) is an interference of a person's pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. It prevents a person from hating, from envying, from being contemptuous of others. Loving others also must not be the normal state of man or JESUS would not have had to command HIS believers to love one another.
If governments exist to protect their citizens from their citizens, the question is not shall or will the government interfere with an individual's pursuit of life, liberty, or happiness. Rather, we know that they must and we know that they will. The questions actually are who decides what interference is acceptable and what guidelines are used to determine the level of acceptable interference?
We have guidelines established throughout our life. Our parents establish guidelines telling us what is and what is not acceptable behavior. Our schools, our places of work, our recreational outlets, and almost every other place where individuals come in contact with other individuals all establish guidelines for acceptable and unacceptable behavior. All of these instances interfere with our ability to pursue our own concept of life, liberty, and happiness. All are necessary to one extent or another to allow us to peaceably exist in social settings.
Often these guidelines are written down so that everyone knows what the "rules of the game" are. For our purpose, I will call those written guidelines the instruction book. For Christians, the instruction book is the Bible. For Muslims, the instruction book is the Koran. For the United States, the instruction book is the United States Constitution, laws passed by Congress, and treaties entered into by the United States government. Article VI Section 2 of the United States Constitution states, "This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land...."
In a pure democracy the people as a group make the decisions in relation to what level of interference is acceptable. In a Republic the people elect representatives who are given the task of making those decisions for the people as a whole. It is suppose to be the elected representatives who make the decisions; not a small group of unelected, appointed members of the court system. That is not democratic. That is an oligarchy of selected, appointed elitists who do not answer to the will of the people.
Today, we are moving more and more in the direction of a Courtocracy where a small appointed group determines our laws either by vetoing the will of the people or by saying this is what the law will be. That is not democracy. They also often do this while ignoring the instruction book. Sometimes, they use other instruction books such as international law or the laws of other nations. None of these actions uphold our democracy as founded and none of these actions uphold the oath of office they swore when they assumed their position of trust.
Prayerfully, President Bush with his appointments of strict constructionists will be able to pull the United States back from its drift into Courtocracy. Prayerfully, Congress will begin to assert its constitutionally given authority to establish the laws of the United States. The choice is clear. Either we continue our descent into Courtocracy or we return to the democracy intended in the Constitution. That is why; I am adamant that the Courts must follow the Constitution. That is why; I am adamant that the Constitution does not provide for a "wall between church and state." The choice is clear. I have chosen democracy over the oligarchic will of five unelected members of the Court. What is your choice?
posted by Christian Gunslinger at 12:50 AM
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