US Congress Oath of Office: I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.
“…enemies, foreign and domestic…” Who are these “enemies” and how is this phrase applied to the work of our US Representatives?
I believe the first sentence of the oath is clear that Congress supports and defends the Constitution against these “enemies”. It does not say that Congress supports and defends democracy or even an ideology against these “enemies”.
Democracy is defined as control of an organization by the majority of its members.*
An ideology is a system of ideas that aspires both to explain the world and to change it.**
A constitution is a body of fundamental principles to which an organization is acknowledged to be governed.*
In the US Constitution the control is defined and enumerated among three distinct branches of government, and ideology is best left to the individual as a right of belief.
Given all the above definitions we can easily see that Congress today is leading from a perspective of CONTROL and IDEOLOGY. This is not their charge!! Congress has moved so far from their Constitutional powers that they have in fact become a domestic enemy. Their efforts to have a political party assume majority powers has made them believe that they can impose their political ideology AND that they have the moral authority to do this. Over the past twenty years I have seen the decay of Congressional leadership…No more compromise or negotiation toward bills that incorporate the best ideas from all sides of an issue. The best ideas are where we achieve the greatest form of diversity and move our country toward progress…A diversity NOT based on gender, race or ethnicity!
I believe Congress’ domestic enemy status has perpetuated the unfortunate circumstance of allowing foreign enemies to invade our soil through a porous border and the relaxed policing standards within our states. One party rule has meant that our Republic is no longer functioning as it should. Our representatives in the Senate and the House must be sent a daily message that We the People will not stand for their tyrannical behavior. Call, email or write your representatives in Washington DC. Tell them that they do not honor their oath by not working across the isle with the minority…This is the way it has been in the past and must continue to be. God help us all!
*Google dictionary; **britannica.com
The Shrew 
Muhammad's Blog Posts
The blessed thing about the U.S. Constitution is that it allows for the bending and shifting of its meaning and intent because like the breathing document it is it also is human in nature as we shift our emotions continually to do what is right in the eyes of some or do what is wrong in the eyes of others.
LikeLike
The Shrew
The Constitution has a process for the states to amend it.
Alternatively Congress has a process to implement laws as long as these laws fit within the interpretation of the Constitution…Again, there is a process for this which might involve the Judicial branch of government. Can the Supreme Court decide an issue based on the emotions of the issue (law)? At times it does appear this way.
What we must be ever cognizant of is that people in high positions can be bribed or threatened for their actions, after all we are only human with all the trappings there in. How can we assure the integrity of the process? We do this by honoring the individual. When you honor the “mob” we then have become a Banana Republic.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Muhammad's Blog Posts
I agree that people in high positions are bribed and threatened for their actions. I know this to be true because I see everyday on the news through announcements from the FBI telling us about their investigations of such ‘bribes’ and threats. My only question is – who is the individual we are to honor over the ‘mob’ to ‘assure integrity of the process?’
LikeLike
The Shrew
Honor is not the correct term…I believe the word is trust. We can only trust an individual based upon their past actions. How a Representative votes in Congress, how a judge renders their decisions, how a President treats the whole of their citizenry. Everything is recorded and available to see by anyone regardless of the sound bites that journalists choose to focus on.
We as individuals are responsible to ask questions, research all material that is available to test those in power, be involved in relevant discussions and then vote accordingly when the time comes.
Beware groups that talk at you and not with you – these ‘mobs’ and special interests work on behalf of their leaders and are not required to document their activities.
LikeLike