As we watch the Constitution of the United States being systematically torn to shreds between episodes of the Michael Jackson death watch and memorial, it is important to distinguish between Un-American and Anti-American.
The difference can be easily illustrated by an act we all are familiar with, burning the flag.
A person who, in protest, burns a flag is not necessarily un-American, in fact the burning of the flag as a display of protest is a reminder of the freedoms that very flag represents.
Freedom of speech and lawful expression are very much an American ideal. Therefore the freedom to engage in dissent no matter how repugnant, is in fact proof of the American ideal.
That does not mean that the person is not un-American only that the act itself is not.Those who wish to remove this freedom as many do through a Constitutional Amendment are misguided, short sighted and in truth supporting an un-American ideal.
However the burning of the flag is in and of itself anti-American. It is an expression, easily understood, of disdain for the very rights that the burning represents.
It is important to separate the un from the anti-American, it has to do with being a "nation of laws, not of men" which is the very essence of America. That no one is above or below the law, that is the American ideal in a nutshell.
That is the ideal, however imperfectly executed, we have stood for these past 233 years. The fact that we have imperfectly executed the ideal, does not make the ideal itself unworthy as some would maintain. This imperfection as all imperfections in life should be a learning tool to improve our system, not dismantle it. All the imperfections are no more than the imperfections of man which will manifest themselves in any system of government.
Does greed, corruption, hate, prejudice, elitism and all other human shortcomings disappear in a different form of government? Will a fascist, socialist, communist, dictatorial, monarchical or any other form of government somehow magically dispel these human characteristics from a society? History shows otherwise, that in fact all other forms of governments tend to feed these shortcomings rather than cure them.
A "nation of laws, not of men" has the best chance of true fairness in a society, and that is what we are losing in America today.
We know how important this principle is, we know in our gut that it is true. It is the very essence of governance in the United States and it is so important that every official at every level of government and military swears by it. From your local policeman or private in the Army to the US Supreme Court, Congress and the President of the United States, all solemnly swear by it as a condition of taking office or employment to:
preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States
That my friends is what is under assault today in America, It has been under assault for a very long time to the point that we are no longer a nation of laws, but a nation of men. Where the very thing that made us great, our Constitution and the very principles that it stands for are being shredded by the very people we entrust and whom have sworn to preserve an protect them.
That my fellow citizens is Un-American. Wake up before the 4th of July becomes a holiday of mourning rather than celebration.
***************************************************
Freedom isn't free
More...
