A post by Pat
Is there even a word for it? Governments are usually overthrown by palace coups, invasions and insurrections. Whoa! Take it easy. I am not being seditious lest the eyes of Big Brother fall on these words. I am trying to describe what just happened to our country.
America is a government of the people, by the people, for the people. We elect administrators and lawmakers to effect our will. To overthrow the American government, the power has to be taken away from the American people.
The dictionary definition of putsch is–
a plotted revolt or attempt to overthrow a government, esp. one that depends upon suddenness and speed
Whether or not there’s a name for it hardly matters. It is an historical rarity. Democratically elected officials are attempting to overthrow the people.
Yesterday, obvious coercion was used against elected members in order to produce a slight majority in the House of Representatives. Without coercion a sweeping law the American people do not want would not have passed. That law will destabilize the country and further erode the Constitution. How did it come to be that elected representatives of the people fear their own political leadership more than the wrath of the people? The Constitution was meticulously crafted to prevent a strong central government. The Constitution is the legal foundation of our government and it gives the ultimate power to the people.
A sentiment being circulated is that this radical takeover is the result of people withholding their votes for Republicans in 2006 and 2008. Come on. This is the result of far too many elections of dutifully cast votes based on a mixture of complacency, tolerance of incompetence, and a roster of marginally acceptable candidates. To blame the arrogance of our elected officials on the few times the American people actually stood against such arrogance is an argument for submission. It’s like advising against fighting the rapist because it might get worse for you. You will be treated as abjectly as you demonstrate a willingness to accept.
We tacitly accepted our place as the ruled rather than the sovereign. We didn’t expect to have it go this far. We didn’t believe Americans would do this to Americans. We accepted the rules of the politcal game which were in the politicians favor, not ours. Time to take back our rightful place. We will do it by reasserting the Constitution as the law of the land. We The People are the American government.
My concern is will the GOP see this as a wake up call for themselves or an opportunity to cash in.
More and more I’m coming to believe that what’s needed here in this country is what the French did in 1789. Storm the palace (in our case Capitol Hill) and begin tossing out bodies. That’s the only way to make our so-called representatives begin listening. The non-violent protesting along the lines of King and Gandhi hasn’t gotten anywhere (In the end it got nowhere for King and Gandhi either. They both got their heads shot off). It pains me to write this but after yesterday I’ve come to believe it’s the only way. Someone please convince me otherwise.
Our emotions are running high. The desire to act out is understandable. There are peaceful ways to act out and legal means to redress our grievances.
What you’re talking about will be the end of the country for sure.
Ah, peaceful actions. Yes, how to peacefully counterattack in this war on America?
I’m flashing back to an incident that provides a “teachable moment”. This takes place at the end of WWII, and involves Admiral William “Bull” Halsey. The Emperor had just surrendered, and the order to lay down their arms was making its way through the Japanese chain of command. One of our navy ships radioed in requesting instructions. The captain reported Japanese planes circling in his vicinity, but they seemed friendly. How to respond? Halsey answered: “Shoot them down. But in a friendly way.”
Pat, of course you’re right. Civil war would destroy the country. It didn’t work out that well for France. But Obama got his victory here by nullifying the result of the Massachusetts election. We’ve played by the rules while the other side lies and cheats. It’s frustrating, not to mention terrifying.
LOL… dude it’s built into the system, much more brutal than chopping off heads. Look at Jimmy Carter… pathetic and irrelevant… if I were him I would preferred to have had my head lopped off than spend the next 30 years remembered as the worst president ever. And what about Bill Clinton, OMG, I think I would rather be Carter than Clinton.
You have to wait for it.
It’s going to happen, it might have started yesterday, I don’t know, but it will happen. Our divine system of Governance has a way of grinding out the evil that exists in it and then condemns the ones who challenge it with a very American form of purgatory. Holy cow, I forgot Edwards… I’ll take Carter over both Edwards and Clinton… and I’ll take Nixon over them all, at least he had the integrity to resign…
Surely impeachment is an option (as well as voting out Congresspeople). Why aren’t Obama’s tactics and willful disregard of the Constitution enough to get him out of office?
Great post Pat – thanks. We need to take a few days to lick our wounds, cry a little, and then get back to kicking the leftist’s asses. We can still fight this thing through state lawsuits and fire ALL of these corrupt representatives who think they no longer have to pay attention to “we the people”.
Pat– could not have sumarized this any better. I expect that the republicans will fillibuster the reconcilliation bill and force the senate bill to be the “cram-down” on the House. They could also ammend the reconcilliation bill endlessly and finally States could throw up constitutional challenges, or opt -out, and sue for the return of any federal taxes to it’s people that would be used in the implementation. The next thing will be immigration reform so they can push the U.S. over the edge. Tht’s what they want. They want the country to go down in flames. If that happens, we will see an armed revolution to restore the republic, rather than create a communist government.
whether barky obama is really ‘ of us’ is rather besides the point in this manner- the ideology that drives him and his ‘womanly’ henhouse of power is technically not of us. socialism is not a founding american value. socialism comes from europe, an end product of their vast legacy of aristocracy, theocracy and serfdom. french people still grit their teeth and hiss about being land slaves to hereditary tyrants., lords yet are keenly aware still that the ruling class ‘owes them something’. it’s a legacy as old as the roman empire- when peace and stability and a quasi-liberated commoner and slave class with no investment in their own governance and nothing to fight for were appeased with bread and circuses as their country dissolved into chaos and even greater less enlightened tyranny.
when i was in high school( class of 82) the class that made the greatest impression on me was a state wide requirement concerning the american form of government.at the time being young i was very open to the sort of liberal blather barry a near middle age man is still so smitten by. the wall was still up, most of our teachers came of age in the 60s and my generation, forced to sign up for selective service, were hysterical about ronnie raygun blowing us all up rather than what i now know as the real threat- the fascism that is socialism. there were teachers who used to pass out communist worker rags to students.( of course the same teacher had sex with his underage students on field trips…). raised in peace and security my generation, largely the children of the hippies , were constantly being terrified by leftists that the good guys , meaning us in the USA, were the bad guys, the real tyrants and fascists. lord knows the whole world was telling us the same thing.i did not understand as the hippies did not that peace is maintained through strength and socialism was the antithesis of democracy and individual freedom.
it took me years to understand the big lie that got us where we are today because i enjoyed the safety of a free peaceful country where i pretty much could do whatever i wanted, had plenty to eat and saw no reason to engage in my own government. but today as i understand exactly what freedom truly is and comprehend the immense sacrifices made by others so i could enjoy this freedom, that problems of democracy class has become the most important one of my entire time as a student. i never thought i’d need it, like we all think when we’re surly teens. it was the one class i had not taught by a lifelong civilian but by a marine. let’s say an impression was made.
turning slavery into freedom has been a liberal pursuit in america for generations of people who never grew up, never understood that liberty requires personal responsibility. ” the best government is that which teaches us to govern ourselves.” not in control of themselves, liberals seek to control others to force them into shouldering the entire burden for those who refuse to be responsible for their actions.the whole slaughter rule was an exercise in rendering politicians not responsible for their votes.they twist arms, bribe, don’t pay their own taxes yet seek to put us in jail for not buying a certain product, a product whose lobbyists fill their pockets.the more the true nature of our self serving politicians comes to light, the more i realize as i am sure many others do that our constitution must be preserved at all costs.
we are the children of great fortune. so much has been given to us .barry has all been a slap in the face of our complacency, our loss of vigilance, our lack of involvement with even watering the tree of liberty with our careful attention . i have great faith the people will not let our founders down.
Good post. I too have faith in the American people. We will not let our founders (or Ronald Reagan) down.
What an incredibly-insightful post. It reminded me of what President Lincoln said about the destruction of the US in his Lyceum Address. Our destruction won’t come from the combined armies of Asia, Africa, and Europe, under the command of some super dictator. As the Great Man said:
“If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.”
I learned these prophetic words when American History was still taught in public school! It’s because of these words that I spit every time someone has blasphemously compared the press-created godling to our great 16th President!
Pat, good post, but since I was one who stated the sentiment on the chat room yesterday about the 2006/2008 elections, I would like to clarify that I think we are actually saying the same thing. While others may have said that this HC bill was a direct result of dutiful Republicans not voting straight party lines, I did not.
I do however believe that the 2006 elections were the pivot point. Because, as you stated, it was “the result of far too many elections of dutifully cast votes based on a mixture of complacency, tolerance of incompetence, and a roster of marginally acceptable candidates.” Because of this complacency, etc. people were not engaged in the candidates or the primaries. This was where they needed to pay attention and withhold their votes for the incumbent Republicans–in the PRIMARIES. It is far better to lock your doors to the rapist than to have to fight him when you are at a disadvantage.
We went through years of torture listening to the extreme left taking over the Democrat party. Many could see that the Democrat party was not the same as in the past, however far too few realized how radical it was becoming. Why? Because too many conservatives were unengaged, uninformed and thought there was very little difference between the parties. Again,why? Because we were all Americans, and could never imagine someone hating America. Instead of voting for a real conservative in the primary, they thought it would be no big deal to put in a Democrat instead.
I was engaged and saw the handwriting on the wall if the Democrats gained power again, I did not vote for NE Senator Ben Nelson in 2006. I too wanted to teach Republicans a lesson, but did not want to jump from the pan into the fire. I was heartsick when Senator Nelson was re-elected. Because I knew he could easily change his views when his party took control. And perhaps if NE Republicans had voted along party lines, this bill would not have passed. So I think we are basically saying the same thing, but coming from different directions.
On another point, I need to let off some steam…I did not and still do not trust Democrats. I did not want to vote for McCain either, but during amnesty at least they heard our screams and we stopped it. Now we see the difference.
I am a little tired of all the Republican bashing going on. The only reason Democrats held out on this bill was to get a pay off, and in the end it wasn’t because of principals or our voices. So they are worthy of my disdain, not my praise. And while I believe we have many RINOs, I believe that elected Republicans can be forced to listen to the people and can be brought around, or discarded for new if they don’t. I believe most Republicans are Americans, but I cannot say that for the Democrats. As Glenn Beck stated, they should now be called the Socialist Party. I prefer to be more accurate and label them the Communist Party. I agree with Ann Coulter’s statement regarding ELECTED officials. “There are a few bad Republicans, but there are no good Democrats.”
Once Republican officials figured it out, they gave it a pretty good fight, but too little too late I say. But how long must we bash these politicians who didn’t get it, and now seem too? If they are not sincere, we will boot them out. But to constantly lay blame at the Republicans feet is missing the fact that the electorate was complicit in the treason that was committed yesterday.
Tammy, I love you, but on this point, I feel that you openly show your disdain for Republicans constantly, and no matter what they do or say can somehow never make it right in your eyes. Maybe they, like the electorate have finally started waking up. I pray they do. Sure they were instrumental in bringing us to this point, but would’ve, should’ve, could’ve does us little good now. I am willing to work with these Republicans if they have truly learned their lesson and want to make this right. I believe what Ronald Reagan believed. We CAN take this party back. (with Sarah Palin in charge of course) 🙂
Sorry, I needed to vent today.
I remember your remark in the chatroom. It made me think of all the times I heard the sentiment I wrote about expressed. I’m glad to hear it isn’t your point of view. I’ve heard it from many sources including the talk radio grand poobah. I disagree with it in principle but recognize the dilemma.
Our backs are against the wall for 2010 and 2012 to be sure. It is imperative to win those elections. The GOP is the only alternative. They played us with the either/or choice and now we’re stuck for the near term. Activism is the answer. I think we’ve all heard the alarm now.
I believe Rush has always wanted us to vote conservative before Republican. I remember listening to him in 2006, and other callers urging people not to have a knee jerk reaction in the other direction. That they must be involved in the primaries. But unfortunately all “lesser” elections have such low turn out. We had a local election last year, and only 30% of voters showed up. Now we have a mayor and city council that are mostly Democrat and all in the pockets of the police and fire unions.
In the end, it is us to blame and up to us to correct.
I cringe at the logic myself… it is the Republicans fault that the Democrats got into office? LOL. . Never lose sight that the reason Obama is president today is because Hillary Clinton blinked… it was her election to lose and she let Erkel intimidate her.. so if you want to credit anyone for this fiasco, you can thank Hillary Clinton. As for Tammy, her disdain for the GOP (and organized religion) is in her DNA. I bet when Palin wins in 2012 she still would not join the GOP!
Never forget ( as Anne Coulter reminds us ) :’There are some bad republicans but there are no good democrats !’
No it is not the Republicans fault that Democrats got elected, and Obama didn’t get elected because Hillary blinked. They all got elected because We the People voted for them. We wished for something new and better, and they lied and told us they were that shiny new thing. Be careful what you wish for.
And No, Tammy has said she will never be a Republican. I don’t expect her to. We are all individual Americans, free to make our own choices. I just know that there is blame enough for all to share.
I don’t know …by 2012 the GOP as it is today I expect will be a completely different beast. Pat S is right, the blinders are off and activism is the answer.
I pray you are right, and that the 2010 & 12 GOP will be conservative and headed by Sarah Palin.
@sandyl – I agree. I’m not as eloquent a writer as you; but it’s not just because a Republican is a Republican – it’s because the electorate let them get away with it. How many political newbies (me being a relatively new one in the scheme of things) knew who these crazies were 2 years ago? Now I bet we can all name several House and Senate members and their states. Who knew of NY23 until that race last fall? Who knew the backstory behind Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Clinton, Acorn (uh, Dems all) and the housing bubble.
Have some R’s lost their way over the years? Yep. Who knows why – perhaps if they had been hearing loud and clear from us for the last 30 years like we are doing now, they would have made better decisions. That’s what the left did – right? They pushed and screamed and lobbied for their crap; the people on the right did not do that. We were working and we were just counting on the elected to do what’s right. Now we are paying attention we can only pray that we are not too late.
As noted in her book, Gov. Palin – the Republican planks are rooted in Conservatism – which is aligned with the Constitution (and which is why she is striving, like Reagan, to push the R’s back to the right rather than start a “third” (which would be more like a 53rd) party. The Dems planks are rooted in Statism. I too tire of the R party bashing as it is disheartening and it simply seems our energy would be better spent doing what we can to support Conservatives and looking forward instead of backward. When we kick these a-holes out, we must not again become complacent.
Never more eloquent word is written than those spoken from the heart. Keep speaking from your heart.
pat,
great post, great responses. thanks to all. let me give a shout out to my TAMs. i love this place. this is what great blogs do!
and if i may, from a personal note, add something.
i am a third generation japanese american. i know there are many opinions regarding the treatment of the japanese americans here during WWII. i attest that because of what happened to my family, my opinion may or may not be in the mainstream. i will also attest that because of how strongly i feel, i have volunteered in my local middle school to lecture and tell of my opinion and its historical implications. [now, you have to admit that you want to know what my little lecture is about? 😉 ]
anyway, my dad, an american citizen who was confined to tule lake (look it up) from the age of 18 to 22 [college years, if he were that smart, which i am not sure of] , managed to find migrant labor work after the camps and was eventually drafted into the army during the korean war, which he bragged about.
he could have given up on the US, but he didn’t.
and he kinda told me about it before he died.
i remember walking to school with him the first day of the first grade because we had just moved. he told me,” whatever you do, always write down that you are white.”
“ok”, i said.
i was all of 6. uh, message received???
in retropect, WTF? write down i’m white? really?
he died when i was 8 so it took me a while to figure out what he meant.
i want to share what his meaning was.
this country is our home. it is ours. for him, japan was a then, but the US is now. it is the last best chance. bad things may have happened in the past, but this is our country.
no one takes it from us without a fight-
no matter how illogical the bubble we need to fill, or how it is the socialist flow of history or how uphill the battle might be.
your gonna need to pry my country from my cold dead hands…
rick
PS i may have added on my census that i had two ethnicities. i checked japanese and added race=american.
i will have girl scout cookies and coffee when the census people visit me.
The internment camps are a blight on our history. It should be a reminder to all of us that oppression is a click away if you’re not careful.
just be sure to fill out ” race” with ” nazi racist tea bagger” or as liberals see it ‘ american’ on the census so they know just where to go to round us all up for the unicorns and rainbows re-education camps.
they in fact used census data to locate japanese americans for those camps.
I have been trying to find a silver lining in all this mess. What I came up with is this. I am 42 years old and I have never seen more Americans learning about who they are, those who founded this great nation, and the way Congress and the government is set up. We are remembering what it is we need to do. We are remembering ‘We’ are the ones in control. Maybe the Republicans lost their way because we let them. I have friends spending time each week teaching their children about the Constitution and the Founding Fathers. My friends have never been political types, and history was a bore to them. Not any more!
We will defeat this. We have been underestimated, and thought of as stupid. Their mistake!