Considering events of the past few weeks, it seems fitting to review what the Founders had to say in America’s core documents -- the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution – and then to compare those words with the public words and actions of our federal politicians. Of course, everyone is (or should be) familiar with these words from the Declaration:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed....” (Emphasis added)

In addition to that timeless wisdom, the Founders constructed and ratified the Constitution to limit the Government’s power. They also had the wisdom to define individual citizen’s inherent rights in the Bill of Rights. Without these first ten amendments, which effectively closed potential loopholes that the founders knew from experience the government would seek to exploit, some historical commentaries opine that the Constitution might not have been ratified.

Furthermore, it’s because of the Bill of Rights that the Constitution, and the power of We the People of the United States of America, quite likely would not have continued to exist as we have for nigh on two-hundred-forty-five years.

What should be concerning to the citizenry -- “the governed;” you and me -- is how readily the words and actions of those we have elected violate the spirit of the principles set down for posterity in our founding. Even more alarming, more than a few in our elected government say or do things that violate their Oath of Office, to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States....”

Consider the following examples:

Joe Biden stated in a public address from the White House, “The Second Amendment, from the day it was passed, limited the type of people who could own a gun and what type of weapon you could own.”

To their credit, several fact-checkers have called out Joe Biden for his obvious misrepresentations about the Second Amendment, but I have not heard him or his spokespeople retract or clarify his statements in a way that could illustrate his fealty to the Constitution, rather than an insatiable lust for ever-more power.

As the Attorney General of California, Kamala Harris once demanded a list of donors from a conservative non-profit organization. To their credit, the non-profits declined to submit to her demands because they believed to do so would be a violation of their (and their donors) First Amendment Constitutional rights. On Thursday, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down its decision affirming the rights of the non-profits over the government’s contrived rights.

Does it not make one curious that those in power routinely -- nearly constantly – must be told to “get back!” and must be reminded that the Constitution limits their power, not the people’s rights?

The person who most clearly defines the Democrats' dour view of the Constitution came from Barack Obama when he was still Candidate Obama, a Senator from Illinois. As a Senator, he would have already taken the Oath of Office; as a proclaimed “Constitutional Scholar,” he had had a crystal-clear understanding of the limits the Constitution imposes on the government. Obama’s problem with the constitution was that he obviously regretted its constraints on government:

“Generally, the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties, says what the states can’t do to you. Says what the federal government can’t do to you. But it doesn’t say what the state or federal government must do on your behalf.”

Damn right! The Constitution of the United States of American most definitely limits what the government can and cannot do. Now, for those who have spent a great many years learning to decipher politicians’ – especially Democrat politicians’ -- carefully crafted pronouncements, the warning signals should be flashing brightly. The former President, as a candidate for the Office of the President of the United States, was expressing his regret that the Constitution would limit him.

Listening carefully, we can clearly see, hear, and understand these politicians’ disdain for the Constitution; that is, for the liberties guaranteed to the people and not to their government (or their idea of government).

Their words and actions make this clear and clearly reveal who they are. They want a “living” Constitution that can be crafted to their own political desires, that suits them and empowers them to dictate to those they intend to rule. They envision an ever-changing, never-ending list of demands that will further solidify their control.

They are, therefore, disqualified for elected office. And yet, because elections have consequences, we have the government we chose -- and deserve.

I am usually only in command of what is clearly obvious, but I honestly wonder: am I the only person who sees this? I doubt that can be true.

We, as Americans, have been given a legacy of Freedom that has done more to liberate the world’s population and lift that population out of oppressive, generational poverty than any other nation in human history. But Freedom is no longer on the march. Instead, it is under attack, both here, within our borders, and by our enemies abroad.

There was once a time when 56 men -- wealthy, white men -- pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to sign a document that would plant the seeds to establish a government founded in Freedom. They intended to – and did -- guarantee the freedom and equal opportunity of every citizen to become as successful, as wealthy, and as powerful as these men were, should citizens choose to do so in their “pursuit of happiness.”

What will we pledge to preserve the best of America? We must right the wrongs, yes, but we must also protect and defend our legacy of Freedom. Hopefully, it will become clear that those who hold elected office have violated their oath of office and have disqualified themselves from service.

I believe so, and Here I Stand.

Jeff M. Lewis is a self-employed small business owner and resides with his family in South Texas.

IMAGE: We the People. Public domain image.

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