A friend who follows this blog relayed that question from another reader to me.
Actually what they said was that I should include in my missives why what I portray should matter to the readers.
At the Dawn of our Republic our Founding Fathers saw two dangers, the Tyranny of the Autocrat and the Tyranny of an Unchecked Majority.
That is why they established a Constitutional Based Representative Republic with Checks and Balances.
The deliberations of the Constitutional Conventionof 1787 were held in strict secrecy. Consequently, anxious citizens gathered outside Independence Hall when the proceedings ended in order to learn what had been produced behind closed doors. The answer was provided immediately. A Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded, “A republic, if you can keep it.”(Benjamin Franklin) |
The qualifier "If you can keep it" is important because the Nation was also cautioned:
Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." --Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4,1777
Now it is apparent that as individuals we cannot by ourselves affect change on the National or even State stage but we CAN endeavour to keep our backyards clean.
There is a possibility that I take these matters personally. I have Cherokee Ancestory.
For those who do not know anything about the History of that tribe, when the Army was moving my ancestors from their Homeland in the Blue Ridge Mountains to Oklahoma the Supreme Court ruled that action to be Unconsitutional, whereupon Andrew Jackson said
"John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it."
So in the words of a former Co-Chair maybe I AM a tad touchy about Constitutions, ByLaws and Rules of Order.
I stand guilty as charged.
To my mind WE call ourselves the Party which upholds the Rule of Law and want the Government to be bound on Constitutional Principles.
If we do not stand up when our LOCAL Constitution, ByLaws and Rules of Order are Violated what are our words but Hot Air?
Remember: Constitutions, ByLaws and Rules of Order are meant to protect the minority or the individual from the Tyranny of the Autocrat and the Tyranny of the Majority.
You may not think these things matter, but in the words of Pericles
Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you.
If you stand aside when they come for somone else, or after some principle, like whether or not a County Constitution is violated, and enough follow your example
Then the Day will come when, if they do not come for YOU they will come for your Children or Theirs.
These thoughts to ME are not Why All of this SHOULD Matter
But rather Why it DOES Matter
Updated: Saturday, 13 December 2014 7:22 PM CST
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