The following opinion piece is via The Western Center for Journalism which describes itself as a vigorous watchdog that keeps a check on government abuse and the media. The Center believes strongly in open public debate. It also believes that informed public debate requires quality journalism and reporting. We have published the entire piece here for your convenience rather than simply the link. We found it thought-provoking and compelling reading and want to share it with our readers and have taken the liberty to add a couple of links for clarification
This current Congress, the 112th, has shown that they are the tamest bunch of legislators to grace the halls of the Capital since the inception of our Republic. The “go along to get along” mentality has caused an erosion of liberty, the likes of which our nation has never seen. From the moment that Obama burst on the scene, he has threatened Congress in one way or another, challenged their authority at every turn, and usurped a good measure of their Constitutional powers along the way with barely any objection from them.
Obama has managed to use intimidation upon many of his political opponents with great effect as evidenced by his past political campaigns that have sought to win not by persuasive arguments for the benefit of the people but simply disgracing his adversaries and leaving him the only man standing. This abusive method of electioneering is the Chicago “trademark” of politics that’s been perfected by Illinois politicians for generations and is known as the “Chicago Way.”
Why would Obama change his style now that he is on the national stage?
The better question is: Why has Congress accepted such abhorrent and abusive behavior from our president?
Why have they ignored the glaring question of who Obama is? After all, this man has his finger on the nuclear trigger, and we know essentially nothing about him; not his grades from elementary, junior-high, or high school or his college transcripts from Occidental, Columbia, or Harvard. We do not have any thesis or any writings to speak of from his college years, no testaments from friends and acquaintances during this time on who and what he is as a person, much less his true self. We have no stories from previous girlfriends on the man himself other than “Julia” who has been admitted to be a composite; we could continue this list in perpetuity, and we would be no closer to knowing anything definitive about the man or his beliefs.
It is as if he is a mannequin in a department store window being dressed for the appropriate season and style for whatever is fashionable at the time to whoever is the latest audience of his fleeting machinations.
How is it that a charlatan who has the thinnest of résumés and an even thinner skin can bamboozle or intimidate our entire Congress?
Why do they continue to do his bidding by approving spending bills that waste tremendous amount of taxpayer funds and resources without any accountability from this administration or from Congress itself? Trillion dollar deficits for every year since 2009 is not anything to be proud of, much less to be complicit in. Why would they pass the “Presidential Efficiency and Streamlining Act” that eliminates Senate approval for certain presidential appointees, giving even more power to Obama while neutering Congress and willfully abrogating their oversight responsibilities?
The Fast & Furious scandal is nothing more than an illegal criminal enterprise that has left hundreds of people callously slaughtered by viscous narco-terrorists and all that it results in is a mild and meaningless rebuke of a “Contempt of Congress” citation. Then we have the crown jewel of Obama’s corrupt legislative initiatives: the PPACA (aka ObamaCare) which left the entire rule-making responsibility to federal bureaucrats.
This health care legislation is so egregious that federal agencies are making rules that abrogate basic Constitutional rights by caveat without any recourse of the citizens to seek redress, except in the federal courts for violation of their First Amendment rights. An honorary mention needs to be made to the last NDAA, which eliminated two crucial and pivotal Constitutional guarantees (Habeas Corpus and Posse Comitatus) and allows for the indefinite detention of citizens without charges. It also sanctioned the use of the military for domestic law enforcement purposes, usurping the police powers constitutionally granted to the various states.
How is any of this in the public’s welfare when Congress completely abrogates any oversight responsibility for the legislation they enact, and the citizens’ only recourse is through the courts?
Obama is acting in a supra-legislative manner by declaring new immigration and other laws in deference to current federal statutes, or redefining what these laws mean and whether he and his administration will or will not enforce them. These are all “acts” that are impeachable offenses as the Constitution is clear in Article II Section 3 on the duties of the president in these matters. When we look back at the impeachment of Nixon and Clinton on such minor offenses as rising to the level of impeachment against these glaring violations of fundamental law, then the only question that comes to mind is the difference must be in Congress itself.
How is it that we have fallen so far and so quickly into anarchy and that one man, Obama, has the ability to redefine law and morality for an entire nation (and our current Congress stands idly by wringing their hands as we descend into lawlessness?) If history is any judge of these acts, then either a terrible retribution is at hand and will be administered by the rule of law, or the citizens in this nation will act (as they are the ultimate arbiters of our destiny.) If these legislators fail to act, this Congress will be turned out along with Obama at the next election for their acts of cowardice, and their names will go down in history as traitors to our American way of life for their obvious acts of betrayal.
We can hope Romney will usher in a cleansing of the halls of Congress with his election, and men of sterner stuff will be elected along with him as they start the important work of rebuilding a nation torn asunder.
Why would Obama change his style now that he is on the national stage?
Monday, January 7, 2013 at 8:00 AM 
