1789- It’s Not Just a Number
Well, folks, it sure has been a fun run this summer. I forgot how much I genuinely enjoy sitting down at my desk (ok- more often my couch) to pen this column each week. But like all good things, or bad things for that matter, this too must come to an end. Or at least a pause. I’ll be back, but for now, I am heading back to my day job: indoctrinating and grooming young children. I’m just kidding, I leave the political and social commentary to this venue, thank you very much, which is why I enjoy this so much. But to be honest, I do see one point of crossover these days: the need to educate folks on basic principles of Civics. As a nation, especially one that is supposed to stand as a gleaming example to the world of the potential of representational democracy, we are woefully ignorant of the underpinning principles our nation was founded on. Case in point? All these people I see with 1789 and We the People logos emblazoned on everything from hats and t-shirts to the sides of their pickup trucks. Because it seems to me that some of them clearly have no idea what those symbols actually mean.
For those of you who are unaware (I do have Australian readers, after all- “Howdy, Sean and Carrie!”), 1789 and We the People refer to the year the Constitution was ratified and the opening words of its preamble. The Constitution is a document. It’s not that long. You can read it for yourself. I say this because it is evident that most of these jamokes wearing this constitutional swag have not.
We all know where these folks stand politically. It’s not like I walk past someone with a We the People ball cap and wonder, “Would he be open to a gay man like Pete Buttigieg being president?” No, if you don constitutionally-themed garb, you most certainly voted for Trump all three times, and you’d probably be open to a fourth. And that’s where the hypocrisy, and massive existential threat to democracy, come in.
Because if you are going to go around virtue signaling with your pickup truck, trumpeting your love for America and the Constitution it is founded upon, you have to embrace ALL of that document, not just the parts you like. Of course the MAGA crowd loves them some 2nd amendment, but they do realize there’s more in that document, right? They get that there is, for example, also a 1st amendment, which guarantees the rights to freedom of speech, a free press, and a nation free of state-sponsored religion and that these rights apply to everyone, not just themselves or the people they agree with? Because I have begun to suspect that they do not. These folks whine about Trump losing his social media account when the first amendment protects citizens from having their voice suppressed by the government but does not guarantee a platform, but somehow they are just fine with Trump using the FCC to censor criticism of his administration and threaten the broadcasting licenses of networks that air entertainers who criticize the president, often leading to their removal (Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Scott Pelley) One of these situations is a violation of the first amendment, the other is not. But you might have to actually read it to know the difference.
But this is, of course, just one of a multitude of ways that Donald Trump has egregiously violated the Constitution during his time in office, and the worst part is that his supporters and his enablers in Congress and the Supreme Court continuously allow him to get away with it. But this is nothing new; Donald Trump has been in breach of the Constitution since the moment he was sworn into the office- literally. Specifically, by refusing to release his tax returns and divest himself of ownership of his private business, Trump is in violation of the emoluments clause, which was intended to root out corruption and graft by barring the president from receiving gifts from foreign nations because, you know, bribery from outside nations just sounds like a bad idea. But Trump takes in gifts like an expectant mother at a high-end baby shower. I mean this motherfucker had the audacity to accept a plane from Qatar, which hardly seems ethical or prudent when we are at war with another nation in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Trump has raked in over 2 billion dollars during his second term alone by overtly directing markets in ways to profit himself rather than the American people he is supposed to serve. Trump hasn’t drained the swamp; he IS the swamp, and he is soiling the constitution in the process.
And then there’s Trump’s trampling on the very nature of the separation of powers, as outlined in the first three articles of the constitution. Our founding fathers, for all their other flaws, were intently conscious to avoid instilling any one individual or branch of government with too much power. The whole point was to avoid a king or dictator by conferring each branch with certain checks and balances over the other. But Trump’s got no time for that. Article I specifically appoints the power of the purse to Congress, but under the Trump administration, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) faced heavy criticism for freezing trillions of dollars in congressionally approved spending. Article I, section 8 also gives Congress the sole authority to declare war and the War Powers Resolution dictates that a president can only engage in military operations for 60 days before seeking congressional approval, but this administration flies in the face of both of those protections, waging war in Iran without an end in sight.
Finally, for now anyways, there is the Trump administration’s desire to undo the 14th amendment which grants birthright citizenship to all people born on American soil. But the text of the 14th amendment is pretty clear on the issue, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” This isn’t up for debate. And just because you may not like that particular provision doesn’t mean you can turn your back on it and then somehow still coat your truck with a 1789 decal. If you truly are a patriot and not just a bigot selectively using the constitution when it suits you and ignoring it when it doesn’t, then you protect all the rights of all the people- not just the ones you agree with.
Which brings us to the amendment we all know Trump plans to violate: the 22nd amendment limiting a president to two terms. And that’s a doozy because it will truly test the constitutional mettle of the MAGA crowd. Again, the 22nd amendment is hardly ambiguous, stating, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” It does not say “more than twice in a row”. There is no wiggle room for interpretation or deliberation. The constitution strictly prohibits anyone from seeking a third term in office. Period. But we all know that when the time comes, somehow these folks with We the People t-shirts are going to allow that asshole to take a giant dump on the Constitution while they sit back and watch.
Because in the end, it was never really about the constitution for these folks anyways. Fuck, they’ve never even read it. What it has always meant to them is THEIR right to own a gun, THEIR right to push their religion down other people’s throats, THEIR right to free speech while silencing the voice of others they don’t agree with. But I love this country and everything it stands for- including the right of morons to say preposterously stupid things. So who’s the real patriot now, bitches? Me or the dude with We the People hat who has no idea what that even really means?
Steven Craig is the author of the best-selling novel WAITING FOR TODAY, as well as numerous published poems, short stories, and dramatic works. Read his blog TRUTH: in 1000 Words or Less every THURSDAY at www.waitingfortoday.com
