The well-orchestrated “No Kings” protests across America – while motivated more viscerally than rationally – helped illuminate the darker side of our current president. A side that rejects the conservative ideals and principles he claims to embrace. Principles anchored in in natural rights, rule of law, minimum government and maximum freedom.
Trump has certainly done some things that align with conservative ideas, like appointing Tulsi Gabbard, who courageously defends our civil liberties in the face of an intelligence community that wages war daily on the American people. Like tapping RFK Jr., who boldly challenges the corrupt Big Health-Big Government Establishment that is making Americans more sick and less free. The No Kings demonstrations ignored these heroes, underscoring how deeply partisan these “spontaneous” events really were.
But I have challenged my GOP friends to take off their own partisan blinders long enough to apply their conservative convictions equally to politicians from both parties. Do that, and they’ll soon discover that the prideful, profane, power-obsessed Donald Trump is not a principled conservative at all.
How long, for example, will loyal Republicans shut their eyes to the shocking tactics of Trump’s ICE agents? Dealing constitutionally – and humanely – with illegal immigrants is a necessary federal calling. But in the words of constitutional scholar John Whitehead, ICE has “metastasized into a domestic terror force… fueled by profit-driven incentives and outlandish quotas.” Whitehead describes them as “masked, militarized, lawless bounty hunters who are willfully trampling our First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments.” Free societies do not treat people this way. Left unchecked, the corrosive effects of these police state tactics will pave the way to tyranny.
Meanwhile, Trump is punishing colleges that allow too much free speech, and launching military campaigns in Democrat-controlled cities. Internationally, when Trump isn’t bombing countries we aren’t at war with and blowing into oblivion small boats “suspected” of carrying drugs, he’s assuming unconstitutional power to impose trade-war tariffs without Congressional approval – a taxation without representation that lands squarely on every American consumer.
Another indicator of “kingly” presidential power is the use of unconstitutional executive orders to create so-called “administrative law” that bypasses Congress. Liberal Democrat Joe Biden, during his four-year term, issued 162 such orders – an average of 40 per year. At last count, professed conservative Donald Trump has signed 210 executive orders in less than a year.
If Republicans are serious about constitutional rights and reining in government, they should be at the head of the parade, sounding the alarm over Trump’s ever-increasing abuse of power. But because of politics, most aren’t. Partisan blinders keep them from seeing or acting.
Are the Democrats any better? They are just as blind to governmental oppression when their party is in charge. But because the Democrat/socialist core philosophy advocates a top-down, imperialistic model of government (trust force, not freedom) our Democrat friends actually have a much harder time recognizing blatant abuse of power.
Case in point. Where were the liberal Democrats when for three years, Joe Biden locked down our entire country, shutting businesses, schools, churches, and our fundamental right to free associations and free choice? All of this was based on a governmental propaganda campaign of fear and intimidation, and an official policy of lying about the nature of COVID, the efficacy of the masks and the serious health risks associated with forced vaccinations. We may never know the full extent of the harm Fauci inflicted – while Democrats chose to “see no evil” and further empower the dictator.
And how about the brutal federal roundup American citizens were subjected to, who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time of January 6? Did Democrats feel the slightest sense of compassion for these people and their families when the swat teams and armored bearcats showed up in the middle of the night, pounding on their doors?
America is a constitutional republic, where something called The Bill of Rights establishes in great specificity, absolute legal limits on the powers of government. We call it rule of law. Freedom is not a political gift, and the Constitution is not an optional contract. We have liberty because God bestowed it, and we require our government to defend it. Let’s take off our partisan blinders and hold every politician – Democrat and Republican – accountable to their oath of office, and to We the People, who hired them to serve, not to rule.
Comments
4 responses to “If You Don’t Want Kings, Take Off the Partisan Blinders”
How long, for example, will loyal Republicans shut their eyes to the shocking tactics of Trump’s ICE agents?
Okay… I’ll bite: what is so shocking to you (or should I say the Bozeman area of Montana instead)?
You’re shocked that, following a a 1,300% increase in attempted murders and assaults on ICE agents, and their families being doxxed and now getting death threats, they are wearing masks to prevent anyone who wants to dox them identifying them? If you have a legitimate need to identify those officers, simply identify yourself to get their identity.
But perhaps you’re shocked that the DNC’s ongoing attempts to prevent ICE dealing with criminal Illegal Aliens by repeatedly running to their very carefully chosen judges continuallly fails?
Maybe it shocks you that the DNC fails and ICE is ruled to be acting Constitutionally?
Does it shock you because you see the DNC as the champions of the Constitution in our country?
Or maybe you see the Judicial Branch repeatedly rejecting those DNC attempts to protect their criminal Illegal Aliens from deportation is the judiciary signalling they approve of Trump’s monarchy? Or fascism perhaps?
It is possible that the DoJ lawyers advising ICE on how to go about removing as many of these criminals as possible has kept them well within the boundaries that the Constitution provides for them? Would that truth shock you as well?
You have inferred you have an articulable claim that ICE law enforcement directed at criminal Illegal Aliens is of a level far, far below the normal standard of law enforcement throughout the United States. If so, you need to do better than making a pronouncement from the climate controlled secure academic elitist atmosphere of your house.
Meanwhile, Trump is punishing colleges that allow too much free speech, and launching military campaigns in Democrat-controlled cities.
Well, I’m just going to chalk that one up as a carefully re-worded DNC lie. Not what I would expect from anything/anybody that is a truly conservative source.
Any particular reason Trump should give taxpayer dollars without condition to colleges who allow Hamas’ neo-Nazi supporters to harrass and threaten Jewish students, to shut down scheduled appearances by conservative speakers like Ben Shapiro, Charlie Kirk, etc?
Any reason we should agree with you that universities forcing their university women to allow transsexual men to be on their teams and compete against them in womens’ sports should be considered to be those universities properly protecting those transsexual men’s 1st Amendment rights? And Trump is wrongfully punishing them for having the same 1st Amendment views as you do?
Any particular rational reason Trump should comply your desires and allow the continuing vile victimization crime rates of tax paying American citizens in those Democrat controlled cities? Cities whose law enforcement focus is on racist identity politics and protection of violent criminals, rather than protecting their citizens.
Finally, I have the perspective of spending 30 years with my boots on the ground, spanning the years at the end of the Cold War to our last years of fighting in Afghanistan. To term ICE starting by tracking down and arresting the most dangerous of Biden’s 15-20 MILLION Illegal Aliens endangering Americans and legal immigrants as a “military campaign” is an indicator. An indicator that anyone using those words in this context has no real world experience with what a military campaign looks like. In short, it’s a disgusting deliberate use of the words as a pejorative.
Must have been something very bad in the Bozeman Democrat air when this opinion was penned.
while I understand to a degree what you are saying, I also understand that the Democrats do not compromise. The republican party has been trying to compromise with them on every issue but the Dems want nothing to do with it- case in point, the latest shutdown. It’s about time we pushed back and I support our government’s actions. The current administration is much closer to our country’s ideals than the dems. Newsome has no problem taking away representation from California conservatives to further his presidential aspirations, so we need to understand this is a struggle we need to need to keep fighting.
This author clearly doesn’t understand that this is what we conservatives voted for. This piece was a waste of time.
Conservatives have been conservative for too long. The Uniparty and their ilk, Democrats and RINO, will not be able to “rope-a-dope” Trump for the next 3 years. Many disagreed with General Patton’s methods. However, he saved lives and shortened World War II. We are at war for our sovereignty. Many Republicans have been conditioned into weakness. If you are in that group, think back to what our founder sacrificed 250 years ago. If you don’t have it in you…get out of the way. We are taking back our country.