6-29-07, 9:45 am
Before the United States of America even existed, the people living in this land were oppressed by the rule of a dictator across an ocean who cared not a whit about their desires or opinions. The inhabitants of the colonies had repeatedly pleaded for an audience before the King, and were ignored. As a result, their polite requests gave way to loud demands. This also failed to impress the arrogant ruler across the sea. He was known for being stubborn and unbendable, and had proven time and again that he had no intention of changing his mind, even if it would be in his own best interests to do so.
When the shouting failed to influence King George, some colonials decided to add bite to their bark by participating in acts of civil disobedience which included such small showings of protest as the 'Boston Tea Party'. Still, the King would not budge, and even increased the restrictions imposed on the 'second-class' subjects in the New World. The United States would be England right now if only the King had set aside his pride and made some small concessions to the colonists. But he was oblivious to this fact because he lived in his own little bubble where everything was done according to his wishes, and he surrounded himself with folks that told him what he wanted to hear.
So with their patience and forbearance exhausted, the colonists felt they had no other option but war. They beat their plowshares into swords and ultimately succeeded in winning their independence.
Today, another King George turns a deaf ear to his subjects' supplications. Like his British predecessor, this King George has little interest in the concerns and opinions of the rabble peasants who are sometimes referred to as 'the electorate'. He takes pride in the fact that even when two-thirds of the people living in what he sees as his own personal fiefdom do not agree with his philosophy or approve of his actions as their leader, that he can 'stay the course' in a war that kills and maims the youth of the realm, ironically the most loyal of the King's subjects. He misguidedly believes that ignoring the will of the people somehow makes him more virtuous, and he sees himself as a brave leader who will one day be remembered in the history books as a celebrated hero on a par with Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill, under-appreciated during his reign, but revered in retrospect.
This new King George has reinstituted many of the practices of the old one, such as the denial of the Great Writ of Habeas Corpus, illegal search and seizure, the suppression of dissent and free speech, and advancing the notion that the Ruler is above the law. These wrongs were some of the exact reasons our forefathers warred with Britain. These are the very fabric of the American history and heritage, and this King George has essentially ripped that fabric right down the middle. A Constitutional amendment on flag burning? No match or flame could possibly cause as much damage to the ideals that flag stands for as the furious inferno that this King George has stoked and released upon our nation.
This King George has also surrounded himself with advisors who strive to please him by agreeing with him that he is always right. He isolates himself in his own little bubble where everyone pretends that they are in awe of his many abilities and his political prowess. The King has proudly admitted that he doesn't watch the news or read the paper. He also likes to assert that he couldn't care less about public polls. That tends to beg the question - what exactly does he read, and where does he get his news? If a person never hears an opinion that is different from their own, how is he to objectively judge the validity of his beliefs?
Perhaps one of the worst things about this King George is his mind-numbing arrogance. It is always there, it is unmistakable, and it is ugly. Who would have thought that the 'leader of the free world' would appear on television with a middle-schoolish smirk on his face and childishly taunt an enemy by saying, 'Bring 'em on'? Arrogance most certainly played a role in the King's decision to trample on the rights of citizens by authorizing warrantless domestic spying. It is evident in every 'signing statement' he writes. Arrogance gives King George the temerity necessary to authorize kidnapping and torture, 're-interpret' the Geneva Conventions, open secret prisons, allow 'extraordinary renditions', prevent the Red Cross from inspecting prisoners, refuse to even provide detainees with a reason for their detention, and imprison them without charge for years. This is just a small sampling of the injustices we know about. Imagine the things he has managed to hide.
This King George has decided that the Constitution is no longer worth protecting, and has failed to live up to his oath of office. He has systematically subverted the letter and spirit of the laws and rights set forth in our most important founding document. He has claimed the power to spy on Americans without warrants issued by a court. He has established 'free speech zones' for protesters trying to exercise their first amendment rights at events that he attends. He has attempted to take control of the courts and the justice system by threats and purges of those whom he does not consider to be sufficiently loyal to him. His appointees have been chosen for their politics without regard to their competence. Everything is secondary to his endless quest for expanded executive power.
This new King George's arrogance literally knows no boundaries. He has no qualms about anything. If he wants to do something, he does it - regardless of the law, and with no consideration of the consequences. He sees planning as a hindrance, and contingency plans as an expectation of failure. He takes credit for victories he had no part in accomplishing, and accepts no responsibility for failures that result directly from his mistakes and flawed judgement. He is 'The Decider', and he claims there can be only one.
Once again the people have pleaded for the King to hear them. He has refused to give them an audience. So the people have raised their voices, loudly demanding to be heard. Still, he refuses. The people are now in the beginnings of acts of civil disobedience, their patience and forbearance nearing the point of exhaustion, and if they continue to be ignored they will once again be forced into utilizing the only option left to them - a revolution against an arrogant tyrant who will not listen.
Some say the new King George has forgotten what America is about. The fact is, he hasn't forgotten -
He never believed it in the first place.
--JC Garrett is a Constitutional scholar and writer who believes that the civil rights afforded by the Constitution are endangered by encouraging a culture of fear. He believes that those rights are being eroded by an executive branch intent on usurping powers that belong to the People of our great nation.
