What The USA IS... And What It IS NOT

The United States of America is a Constitutional Republic, modeled after the Roman Empire in many respects, and is not a Democracy in the true sense of the word. Democratic principles are applied, such as voting and the representation of states and regions and districts in Congress, but if we were a true Democracy there wouldn’t be any need for things like the Electoral College or the Equal Protection clause in the 14^th Amendment to the Constitution. By fashioning this nation as a Constitutional Republic, our Founding Fathers organized a country which was meant to protect and serve all of its citizens, not the majority of them, and certainly not select groups who would put their own beliefs and wants above their peers. Avoidance of majority rule and ensuring against the tyrannical influence of sects of the populace is why we are a Republic and not a Democracy.

With this knowledge allegedly taught to all Americans while we’re in grade school, I am once again at a loss when it comes to how many of my fellow Americans don’t seem to understand how our country is organized and why it was set up this way to begin with. All this hubbub over Same-Sex Marriage is, quite simply, ridiculous when you consider the nation we call home and the cornerstones of what it means to be an American. Extending the legal rights of marriage to LGBT couples is no different than Civil Rights is to Americans who are not Caucasian. In case anyone is unaware, in many states a person couldn’t marry someone of a different race until the 1970’s. It was the same argument then as it is now. Two consenting adults who love each other and wish to be married have a fundamental right to do so, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation. The 14^th Amendment guarantees it with the Equal Protection clause. “Life, liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” is an American right that we all are supposed to enjoy. And not just opposite sex couples who might be white and religious. Anyone who thinks otherwise is Un-American in the very fabric of the word. The Equal Protection clause is also why the majority cannot vote away anyone’s right to be married, or anything else. See, once again, in a Republic, a majority rule is not allowed to dictate the rights of others.

And why did our Founding Fathers create a nation based on the principles of a Constitutional Republic? Because they were sick and tired of being lorded over by a Monarchy that presumed to tell them how to live and what to believe and which taxed them mercilessly without representation, maintaining control through the instillation of fear. They wanted to live in a country where the government was by the people and for the people and where all Americans could be treated equally with the same rights applied to everyone. Yet here we are in the 21^st Century still requiring the law to maintain our country in the manner in which it was set up to begin with because we have so many people who want the USA to be something that it is not.

Let’s talk about state’s rights for a moment. When the movement to abolish slavery began gaining steam in Washington, many of the southern states seceded from the Union in order to not only keep African Americans in slavery, but also because they felt their rights under their state constitutions gave them this freedom. The American Civil War that followed was not only fought to ensure the freedom of the slaves, but to also preserve the Union and to establish the sovereignty of the nation over the state. In other words, Federal law always supersedes state law. Do you know why? Because it is the duty of the Federal government to maintain this country as a Constitutional Republic, governed by the Constitution and its amendments, where no state can strip away a citizen’s rights because a majority decides that they can’t have equality. That, again, is Un-American in the very fabric of the word. This is why segregation was ultimately outlawed and why schools and universities were required to open their doors to anyone who wished to attend them. The same principles apply no matter what the situation may be. Americans are supposed to be equal to one another when it comes to the rights we enjoy as individual citizens of the United States of America.

Lastly, a Constitutional Republic also excludes the influence of religious doctrine in its government. Why? Because now, as then, there are so many differing religions and belief systems and values based upon the doctrines of these religions that it would be all too easy for one to have a majority over another. You wouldn’t expect Jewish Americans to be forced to live by Christian or Muslim or Hindu or Buddhist, or any other religion’s edicts, would you? Certainly not. Religion is a personal matter where one chooses his own path to ensure his own spirituality. It has no place in a government that represents free citizens in a nation where equality is supposed to be guaranteed to everyone. Most of the Founding Fathers were non-theists anyway. They wouldn’t have dreamed of setting up a government based on or including religious principles. Instead, they established Freedom of Religion so that everyone could worship as he or she chooses, or not worship at all. In this manner, individual equality is again guaranteed.

Now, to anyone reading this, here is where I want you to pay attention and pay attention good. I am appalled to see so many of my fellow Americans insisting that they are losing their liberties and having their rights infringed upon. By extending those same rights and liberties to LGBT Americans, they are sharing them and you are losing nothing. You still have the right marry, to worship in any manner you choose, to believe what you want to believe, to vote for whomever you wish to vote for, to speak your peace without recrimination from the government. In other words, you still have the right to live a life of freedom. And so does everyone else.

And to all those elected officials and clergy representatives and ordinary citizens who are encouraging their families and neighbors to ignore the law and do what they wish, there are still laws on the books regarding treason, obstruction of justice, civil disobedience, and inciting others to unlawful behavior. I have a feeling that by confusing the adherence to these laws with Freedom of Speech, there are going to be some very unhappy Americans who are going to find themselves behind bars, charged with and probably convicted of Un-American acts. Your Freedom of Speech does not include rebelling against the government. That was, is, and will always be a criminal act.

If you don’t like the principles by which the United States of America was founded, move to Canada. (Inside joke I wonder how many people will get.)

If you do like them, enjoy your freedom as an American citizen.

Peace out.

C