The Time Has Come

The time has come. We the people have our greatest decision to make. Is our country and its Constitution worth fighting for? Our military is being sent to our cities. Why isn't the question. Too many fall for the lies and distractions. Our military is being made to take aim at and, at the very least, intimidate the people it exists to defend. The use of the U.S. military on U.S. soil is legal only under specific and limited circumstances, as it is heavily restricted by the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. The current administration is trying to defy this.

The comedians and their brands of social commentary are being silenced. Were it only a matter of employer vs. employee - matters of consequence of action in a business setting - it would be little more than a blip in the entertainment news. But this is not the case. The federal government made good on its threats to silence them. This in unconstitutional. Some will say the cause has more to do with impending mergers and business deals - but this is not truly the case. The comedians in question are best-known for their public humorous remarks on politics. There is no business deal so important that it carries greater weight than our Constitution. When rights are removed, they are gone. There is no cherry-picking. Once a single right is removed, they all go. Right to free speech? Gone. Plans are currently in place to remove 2nd amendment rights from select groups, while reinstating them for groups who have long been, reasonably so, denied them. There are plans in place to remove birthright citizenship. From there, none of us have the right of citizenship. What other rights are our so-called leaders and legislators planning to strip us of? 

Am I being overly dramatic? I don't think so. We have been told what the plans are. They are dismissed by many. I'm sure that the average German citizens once believed "this can't happen here." We all know how that played out. 

What can you or I do? Plenty. Know who your elected officials are, at every level. Communicate with them in any way you can. Phone calls, letters, email, social media, public meetings. Explain to them, in your own words, that you will not tolerate the abhorrent actions of the current administration. Reticent as I am to suggest it, go buy a gun. Do it legally. Do it by the book. Buy as much ammunition as you can while you still can. You might need it, sooner than you ever thought possible. The Framers of the Constitution intended the "well-regulated Militia" of the 2nd amendment, in part, to serve as a defense against potential government overreach or foreign invasion. If what we're experiencing isn't government overreach, I don't know what is. 

What exactly are we waiting for? 

49 years ago, I remember the U.S. celebrating its bicentennial. I have fond, vivid memories of it. Time has certainly taken a toll on what that country stood for. Was it a perfect place back then? No, but people - for the most part - got along. Politics and religion were considered private matters. People lived their lives and minded their own business. As a kid, I had friends whose families shared different beliefs. Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Orthodox Christians, heck I even knew a few Muslims and a Hindu. We weren't terrified of each other. We were all part of the same community. 

On 9/11, our country was attacked. Some will say - without concrete evidence - that it was an inside job. Some use that day as validation of their fears and their hatred. The media will tell you that the country came together. No, it didn't. We sat in our homes watching the news. Bit by bit, we attempted to return to normal - but it was never the same. 

The erosion of our rights under the current administration is proof that life will never be the same. The time has come. We each have a choice to make. I pray that we make the right one.