Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Corker Slams Kerry; Barker Slams Corker!



Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) is no hero for "chiding" President Obama, Vice President Biden, and Secretary of State John "I Served In Vietnam, You Know" Kerry over their threats to take this country into yet another unsanctioned war of choice.

Kerry got into a heated exchange with Corker who said, "I want to say as I said personally, we have three senators, president, vice president, secretary of state, that are exercising terrible judgment right now. And to say that you're going to do this regardless of what we say, you're not going to ask for buy-in by the United States Senate or House of Representatives on behalf of the American people in a conflict that's going to be multiyear. Some people say a decade. Taking us into another country with a different enemy, is exercising the worst judgment possible."

"I've said this to you as strongly as I can personally, that in essence what you're saying to the chairman right now, saying if Congress wants to play a constructive role, we would welcome that, to me, this is a political game and I'm disappointed that you as secretary of state, being chairman of this committee, espousing the views you have espoused," he added.

Corker is... "disappointed?"

ARE... YOU... FUCKING... KIDDING... ME...?!?!

Have any of you people ever READ the Constitution? (Today just happens to be Constitution Day. Why not take ten minutes and google up the document and READ it?!)

Article 1; Section 1: All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

Article 1; Section 8: The Congress Shall Have Power To...

* EXCERPTING...

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;

* NOT "THE PRESIDENT." NO! "THE CONGRESS."

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

* NOT "THE PRESIDENT." NO! "THE CONGRESS."

* AND DON'T BUY ANY ASININE ARGUMENTS ABOUT THE MEANING OF THE WORD "WAR" - BY ADDING THAT BIT ABOUT "GRANT LETTER OF MARQUE AND REPRISAL" NOT TO MENTION "MAKE RULES CONCERNING CAPTURES ON LAND AND WATER" IN CONTEXT TO THE ABOVE (SEPARATE) EXPLICIT DELEGATION TO CONGRESS OF THE POWER TO DEFINE AND PUNISH FELONIES, IT'S QUITE CLEAR THAT OUR FOUNDERS DID NOT ENVISION US DEBATING "WHAT THE MEANING OF THE WORD IS... IS."

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

* AND THE CONTEXTUAL MEANING WAS THAT "RAISING ARMIES" WAS TO BE INTRINSICALLY LINKED TO PROSECUTING WARS - CONGRESSIONALLY DECLARED WARS. (OUR FOUNDERS NEVER ENVISIONED AMERICA BECOMING A WARLIKE EMPIRE. A VERY SMALL STANDING MILITARY WAS THE EXPECTATION.)

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

* WOULDN'T IT BE NICE IF CONGRESS WERE TO CALL FORTH THE MILITIA TO REPEAL THE CURRENT INVASION OF OUR SOUTHERN BORDER?

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

* NOW... LET'S GO ON TO ARTICLE 1; SECTION 2:

The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America...

* EXCERPTING:

The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States.

* NOTICE "WHEN CALLED INTO THE ACTUAL SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES."

* OF COURSE THE REGULAR MILITARY IS ALWAYS IN "THE ACTUAL SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES." (BUT LET'S REVIEW: WHO - WHICH BRANCH - DECLARES WAR... SETTING THE STAGE FOR CALLING FORTH THE MILITIA INTO "THE ACTUAL SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES?")

(*PAUSE*)

* ARE THE WHEELS TURNING, FOLKS? (KEEP ON RETURNING TO ARTICLE 1; SECTION 1 IF NEED BE!)

He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur;

* SO... IN OTHER WORDS... ON HIS OWN... UNILATERALLY... THE PRESIDENT IS EXPLICITLY PROHIBITED FROM MAKING TREATIES.

* SO... HE DOESN'T HAVE THE UNILATERAL POWER TO MAKE A TREATY WITH A FOREIGN POWER... BUT HE SUPPOSEDLY HAS THE AUTHORITY TO ORDER THE BOMBING... THE INVASION... EVEN THE TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF A FOREIGN POWER...?

* FOLKS... WHETHER WE MAINLY AGREE ON POLITICS OR NOT, SURELY YOU'RE ALL ABLE TO READ WHAT I'M POSTING HERE - RIGHT?

* FOLKS... EITHER YOU BELIEVE IN THE CONSTITUTION OR YOU DON'T!

...and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law...

* AGAIN... DOES IT SOUND REASONABLE - DOES IT MAKE ANY SENSE TO BELIEVE - THAT THE SAME CHIEF EXECUTIVE (PRESIDENT... COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF) EXPLICITLY FORBIDDEN TO SIMPLY "APPOINT" AMBASSADORS TO FOREIGN NATIONS ABSENT SENATE APPROVAL HAS THE INNATE POWER TO TAKE THIS NATION TO PRO-ACTIVE WAR ABSENT EXPLICIT CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL...? (CONGRESSIONAL DECLARATION OF WAR.)

Back to Corker...

What is his malfunction? What is WRONG with House Members and Senators of BOTH parties! Why do they so willingly cede their powers to this President (and presidents before this one)? Simple. The answer is two-fold... perhaps even three-fold:

By ceding power they cede - evade - responsibility. (At least that's what they count upon.)

In exchange for "going along to get along" they get rewarded... rewarded by the president of the time... perhaps rewarded by their party leadership if the leadership is on board... and then... there's good ol' fashioned money - campaign contributions... "personal favors" offered by "friends" who would rather the House Member or Senator toe the "company line."

The final plausible reason? Perhaps they're as ignorant of their actual responsibilities as the average American is ignorant of the Constitution? Perhaps the "Corkers" of Washington have simply never read the Constitution!

(*GUFFAW*)

If Robert Corker and the rest of these incompetent, unethical, untrustworthy dilettantes would only find the courage to make the argument I'm making perhaps we wouldn't be in the mess we're in today as a nation!

Unfortunately... it ain't gonna happen.

3 comments:

William R. Barker said...

I took the infamous "Alabama Literacy Test" back in college.

PASSED!

(*SHRUG*) (*GRIN*)

What's sad isn't that most people get caught up on the "trivial pursuit" aspect of such tests, but rather that most people were never taught the basic principles properly.

michellez said...

It is. It shocks me what isn't being taught. It also KIND OF surprises me that when people realize they DON'T know, they don't feel compelled to find out.

William R. Barker said...

See no evil... hear no evil... ACKNOWLEDGE no evil.

Recent research points to westerners having actually LOST I.Q. points over the past century. I don't doubt it.

TO AN EXTENT... I.Q. is "moveable." You can bring it up a few points... you can bring it down a few points.

The upbringing of so many Americans over the past say 40 years has led to overall declines in intelligence, ethics, morals, honesty, work ethic, and so on and so forth.

YOU know this to be true, Michelle. But... as the perfect response to your post... MOST PEOPLE REFUSE TO BELIEVE what's right in front of them!

And here's the kicker: Our best and brightest... THEY'RE too busy dotting the "i" and crossing the "t" and checking all the appropriate boxes for each step up the ARTIFICIAL LADDER of credentialism to stop, think, and react as we'd like them to.

America is SO screwed!

BILL