Many of the billionaire class seem to have little or no thoughts over their obligations to the U.S. Constitution and our flag. More money and more power seems to obliterate duty to country. Two billionaires, Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch, are both naturalized American citizens that now display indifference to any obligation to be good citizens. Regardless of the oath they took to gain that citizenship.
“Qui ne dit mot consent, “, French for, “silence is consent”.
I am 86 and remain fired up over the U.S. Constitution and the American flag. I am an Army veteran with two older brothers buried in Arlington Cemetery. Those two fought for our U.S. Constitution, not for an individual or a wannabe autocrat.
I believe it is an honor to be an American citizen. The opportunities in this country are truly extraordinary. We have 1,000 billionaires, that have cashed in on a wonderful business environment. The freedom of choice over picking careers in our country is still available.
For a foreign national to become a citizen of the United States, they must take an oath under the Naturalization laws to uphold the U.S. Constitution, (not a President, or an individual). They must swear allegiance to the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. This demand must be upheld even against those with power and money.
A democracy, (a Republic) to succeed must display certain core values such as accountability emanating from the legal system. The rule of law is important for a just society. Courts determine disputes, embracing facts and evidence to substantiate outcomes. Mobs have no standing to effect any of those outcomes.
The United States has been fortunate to have those 55 Founding Fathers that put their necks on the line against King George III of England while they fought for independence. After their victory over Britain, the Continental Congress put together the Articles of Confederation to govern the thirteen colonies. Problems quickly arose because of no central government theme, no military, little tax structure, and no common currency. There was too much divergence away from cooperation of those thirteen units. So, 55 men of wealth and power rallied around George Washington to construct a more Perfect Union. They met in 1787 in Philadelphia, for 3 months, studying all past forms of governing throughout history. The final outcome was the U.S. Constitution, something that after 235 years is still working in the United States.
Those unique and unusual men decided to set up a government of the people and by the people. In other words, they were idealistic towards self-government that would put their own wealth and power in a secondary position. They sought a government that would protect freedom for all of its citizens. And they sought a government chosen by the people that would stop any of the three branches of government from being dominant.
It is my opinion that the strength of those Founding Fathers’ ideas is again being tested as it was in the Civil War. Many of the billionaire class seem to have little or no thoughts over their obligations to this U.S. Constitution and our flag. More money, more power seems to obliterate duty to country.
Two billionaires, Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch, are both naturalized American citizens that now display indifference to any obligation to be good citizens. We have an unwritten rule that politics stops at our borders. But these two gentlemen lack support for our NATO treaty that commits us to assist Ukraine against the Russian invasion. Mr. Musk has actually stopped Ukraine from using his Star-Link satellite network, that helped Ukraine against the Russians. Meanwhile Rupert Murdoch uses Fox News to assist in degrading the U.S. political position over Russia. Now Russian nightly television often quotes Fox News and its commentators. Tucker Carlson is by far the most popular American seen so often on Russian television.
The FCC cancelled the fairness doctrine which was formed in 1947 to protect fairness on radio and television. It was not renewed in 1987, resulting in so much unbridled and unchecked verbiage on radio and television. Now provocative innuendo and exaggeration are used to incite the listener rather than to inform them. Too many listeners seem beguiled by this commentary that often demeans their own country.
Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter) and Star Link, often does not display mainstream thoughts over American politics, especially over foreign affairs. His position reminds some of Henry Ford who sided with Germany and Adolf Hitler until WWII broke out in 1941. Meanwhile his position on climate change seems to be plastic in an attempt to appeal to the non-believers.
Rupert Murdoch garnered billions from Fox News by appealing to right-wing American political listeners that steadfastly appreciate exaggeration and innuendo as well as outright political lies. Now Fox News is being sued and losing millions because of groundless statements that were often malicious in nature. President Joe Biden’s family has to listen to dozens of references daily that suggests the crookedness of Hunter Biden. The American legal concept of innocent until proven guilty is discarded by Fox News too often.
Plato suggested, democracies pass into despotism. How come? What is the reason? There were 8 U.S. Senators and 140 members of Congress that voted "no" on the January 6, 2021 vote to accept the legitimacy of the Presidency of Joe Biden. The problem? They voted "no" without a shred of evidence to support their position. It damages our legal system when someone in power takes an oath swearing allegiance to the Constitution and then forsakes that oath to appease a political position or mob mentality. It seems Plato knew the weakness of the human character that would emerge to forsake accountability. This opens the door to the despotism according to Plato.
Even if many Americans now seem to be godless, soulless, and even clueless, that does not give them a right to forsake their oath. Over a third of the American voters appear ready to accept an autocracy as a new form of governing. The United States Constitution is now thought by many to be expendable. This is a tragedy that absolutely must be overcome.
How to overcome this unfortunate political development? Does a third of America really believe that the government of Hungary and Russia have a better way of governing than the U.S. Constitution? That is really peculiar because so many immigrants are climbing fences and swimming across rivers to enter the United States. Meanwhile thousands in Russia and many in Hungary are voting with their feet to leave their country. We have seen that same story in the past. For example, when many Americans (1939 thru 1941) saw no threat from Adolf Hitler and Germany. It should be noted that those same Americans came to their senses when World War II broke out and they then supported the war and their own government over dictators.
So, what do we do now?
We need 55 American billionaires with righteous indignation to display the same moral fiber that those 55 men in Philadelphia had, and to imitate that love of a free society. We need a rebirth of freedom and accountability, and the rule of law. We need our courts to remain true to facts and evidence and never be pushed around by the powerful trying to subvert justice. Abraham Lincoln said in 1838 that our courts must be the ruler of legal outcomes, and never give in to the loud voices of the mob or the misled. The use of political money must be used to promote common causes and freedom, not power, or jaded idealism. Reason, not ideology, must remain part of our legal system.
The 2024 election will be a test of the strength of our U.S. Constitution. We need men and women of vision, imagination and good character to now come to the aid of their country and their flag. Our children and grandchildren need us to protect their future and we cannot accomplish that with indifference.
We need liberty, freedom and justice to be on everyone’s mind in 2024.
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