A Government OF the People, BY the People, FOR the People

144 years ago, President Lincoln vowed that this government would not "perish from the earth."

It seems that it has. Our government is no longer for the people of the United States, but rather, for any group of people who demands anything, is offended by any words, resents any actions, that We the People might commit. Our government has forgotten that we exist. It searches, and finds, any screaming, whining, crying and complaining group that whines, cries, and complains to it. It pays no attention to its citizens, its workers, its voters. We the People are a dim memory.

Today, the Senate voted AGAINST a bill which would protect "whistle blowers," those people on airplanes who report suspicious behavior of other people on the aircraft.


How did this all start? In November 2006, six imams were removed from a US Airways Flight at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. Why? Their behavior was suspicious, and caused concern and fear among the other passengers. What happened next? The Muslim community was outraged! Now, the passengers who reported the suspicious behavior are under threat of suit. In order to protect people from threat of suit subsequent to reporting suspicious behavior, a bill was introduced by Representative Peter King. In a nutshell, the bill would have protected people from suit subsequent to reporting suspicious behavior. BUT THE BILL WAS VOTED DOWN.

Why? If a behavior is suspicious, we are obligated to notify the proper authorities. Sure, we can still report the behavior, but we are not protected from suit if we do so. Many people will therefore remain silent.

This is very confusing. So much of the political debate centers on a fear of offending people. However, our politicians never seem to be afraid of offending law-abiding American citizens. This is beyond belief. Each day, with each insane Congressional decision, a layer of of rights is being eroded.

Someone in government should actually READ the Bill of Rights. That document is a list of restrictions on GOVERNMENT; it is NOT a list of restrictions on WE THE PEOPLE.

It began with a list of words that we were no longer permitted to say. A clear abridgment of the First Amendment.

What ever happened to "If you see something, say something?" What ever happened to the findings of the 911 Commission? What is the point of investigating an event, learning from the investigation? Does all of that mean nothing?

When speech is restricted, it becomes easier and easier to erode the other rights that were so carefully specified. We the People sit quietly, in awe, and without recourse.

It also appears that the Fairness Doctrine is not dead and buried.

Senator Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) attempted to introduce a bill which would insure that the FCC would not reinstate the Fairness Doctrine. That attempt was unsuccessful, blocked by Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) Now, We the People are threatened once again by our own government.

It is hard to imagine how something like the Fairness Doctrine would be implemented. Would the FCC hire a group of people to sit and listen to radio shows, and to watch television shows, counting the number of minutes that one point of view was expressed, and then imposing a fine on the company if the same number of minutes that the opposite point of view was NOT expressed? How can legislation of this sort be written? What, exactly, would it specify? How would it be upheld?

These congressional actions are beyond the point of debate and understanding. We the People must take strong actions, expressing our outrage and rejection of the recent decisions that congress has been making. We must impeach our non-representatives. We must demand what we learned that we already had - what Lincoln promised us 144 years ago.