Ferndale Oath of Office

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Ferndale Oath of Office

On Tuesday, January 3, I witnessed the new members of the Ferndale City Council being sworn in. Here's what they promised, in front of God and everybody:

I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution and laws of the State of Washington, and that I will faithfully and impartially perform and discharge the duties of the office of [Title of Appointed Official] in and for the County of Whatcom, State of Washington, according to law and to the best of my ability, so help me God.

It is important to note that The Constitution of the United States and the State of Washington are included therein. The question I intend to ask (whenever necessary) is, "Which article of The Constitution gives government the authority to do that?"

This isn't some kind of "gotcha" moment. I simply believe that this is a fundamentally important question to ask. We the People are sovereign; government derives its just power from the consent of the governed. Those powers (and no more) are enumerated in The Constitution(s) and the City of Ferndale charter, as granted to government on our behalf by our forebears when they ratified or amended those documents.

2 comments :

AnonymousJanuary 6, 2012 at 7:35 AM
If only those elected officials understood this...

Most of them obviously think the united states is a representative democracy where they are elected to lord over us with little regard for our opinions once they are elected. They behave more like we hand our sovereignty over to them as we cast our ballots.
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Karl UppianoJanuary 6, 2012 at 9:32 AM
Anonymous, it is obvious that some retraining is in order at all levels of government. And for many citizens, too!
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The Only Question You Need

"Which article of the Constitution gives government the authority to do that?"

If more and more people start asking this question, I think most of our worst political problems, in all branches and all levels of government would go away by themselves, almost overnight. When a reporter asked Nancy Pelosi that question about the healthcare bill, her deer-in-the-headlights response was, "Are you serious?" Well, we are serious, and politicians should be afraid to step out of their offices without a credible answer to that question. It is the only "litmus test" that we need.

It really takes so little effort, that it is at least worth a try. The beauty of it is, this really should appeal to honest people from anywhere on the political spectrum.

Uphold and Defend

Big government and bad policy, usurpation of authority not granted in the US Constitution is human nature. Republicans and Democrats are both guilty. We the People must realize that this is not a partisan issue, and demand that all of our politicians follow the Constitution.

The US Constitution is still the official specification for the United States of America.
It guarantees equal justice for all, and protects your life, liberty and prosperity.
Any regime that distorts or disregards its original intent is untrustworthy and dangerous.

Presidential Quotes

The policy of the American government is to leave their citizens free, neither restraining nor aiding them in their pursuits. ~ Thomas Jefferson

With respect to the words general welfare, I have always regarded them as qualified by the detail of powers connected with them. To take them in a literal and unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the Constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs was not contemplated by its creators. ~ James Madison

I think we can say that the Constitution reflected an enormous blind spot in this culture that carries on to this day and that the Framers had that same blind spot. I don't think the two views are contradictory to say that it was a remarkable political document, that paved the way for where we are now, and to say it also reflected the fundamental flaw of this country that continues to this day. ~ Barack Obama

Every word [of the Constitution] decides a question between power and liberty. ~ James Madison

Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. ~ George Washington

Do You Still Have All of the Liberty That You Were Born With?

Think back to when you were growing up. What things could you do then that you can no longer do now? What things did you have the liberty to decide for yourself that is now a mandate? How many federal, state and local laws were passed since you were born? How many new bureaucracies and agencies have been created since you were born? How many new regulations have they imposed? How many tax increases have you seen in your lifetime? How many new government programs have replaced your ability to do it yourself? (more...)

Kakistocracy Report

Thursday, January 5, 2012