Captured From Within

Updated 2/25/2013

Are we being captured from within? The President is considering violating the Constitution on the pretext that the Fourteenth Amendment allows him to do so. Our constitution is in danger of destruction by such monstrous ideas. Because of its separation of powers clauses, the Constitution plainly gives the House of Representatives the sole authority to initiate spending, which includes the national debt. The portion of the Fourteenth Amendment that the President is considering using states, “The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.“

Let us consider the words, “authorized by law.” The law authorizes only one entity for initiating any spending, including public debt; that is the House of Representatives. Even then, the House only initiates the spending or debt plan. It must then be passed by both the House and the Senate and then be signed into law by the President. Then and only then is it law. The President alone cannot spend or borrow unilaterally. To do so is a violation of the Constitution because that document requires three entities to each act before a bill may become law. If the President uses that clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to invalidate the Constitution, he is being lawless. If he succeeds with no opposition from the Congress or the Courts, then the Constitution is invalid. This would open the door for any president to interpret the Constitution in any way he or she sees fit. To do so is an impeachable offense.

The Constitution employs three separate branches of government with three separate powers. They are the Legislative (House of Representatives and Senate—Article One), the Executive (presidency—Article Two), and the Judicial (courts—Article Three). The Congress has several powers. The main power is to legislate or pass laws. There is a further separation of powers within the Congress. Article 1, Section 7 says, “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives…” The section goes on to say that the Senate may propose or accept amendments to revenue bills, but the real meat of the matter is that the House is the only entity in government that may initiate spending bills. The Fourteenth Amendment does not negate that power. That power is the law of the land as designated by the Constitution. Again, the Fourteenth Amendment specifically states that the debt must be authorized by law. There is only one entity authorized by law to originate revenue bills, including lawfully incurring debt and that is decidedly not the president. (See Article One)

The Executive branch has the power to sign a duly passed bill into law or veto it. The president has several distinct powers, such as the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, and the power to pardon criminals. He does not have the power to unilaterally raise revenue or raise the public debt. (See Article Two)

The Judiciary has several powers including jurisdiction over “Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party.” This would certainly include controversies over the separation of powers in the government. If the president usurps his authority in this matter, the injured party would be the House of Representatives. If this happens, the Speaker of the House must initiate suit in the judiciary immediately and the Supreme Court must act quickly to stop him. (See Article Three)

The Supreme Court has another power because of legal precedent. During Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, the court ruled that it has the power to determine whether or not a law is constitutional. That power has stood the test of time and is essentially law. (See Marbury v. Madison, 1803)

We are currently in the midst of a Constitutional crisis. If the president succeeds in increasing the US debt unilaterally, he will have usurped the Constitution and the rule of law. He will also have decided that he is the arbiter of what is constitutional. Thus he will have taken on the roles of all three branches of the constitution. He will have become legislator, executive and judge all at one time. What do we call a national leader that does that? A dictator. If he succeeds in that, then what is to stop him from arbitrarily making any law he wishes?

My point in all of this constitutional discussion is this. This country is being taken over from within by a group that is opposed to our cherished freedoms. Our very way of life is under attack and our liberties are being taken away by government, mainly the Federal Government, one at a time. Soon there will be no liberties left. If the president gets away with this unconstitutional gambit, then there will be other such gambits. They will progressively worsen. He will become a dictator and we will have no liberties. Our free way of life will end.

Consider what has already happened. The Department of Homeland Security has ignored the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments. They have taken property in the form of Internet Domains because they disagreed with the content, and they have done so without due process. They have done so without a warrant. When we enter an airport, they have taken our free speech rights, our right to be secure in our persons, and the prohibition of unreasonable search and seizure, and the right to due process through warrants. That is about to be extended to train stations and other places like public stadiums. Before long there will be road checkpoints where they will be able to do the same thing when we are driving our cars. The DHS usurpation of the Constitution is only the tip of the iceberg. Most executive department entities have done these same things. One glaring example is the Department of Education. It does not educate, yet is has its own version of jack-booted thugs; it has its own SWAT (Special Weapons Attack Team) team. Now what in the world is the DOE doing with a SWAT team? Are they going to raid homes where home-schooling takes place? Yes, it may come to that.

For the last one hundred or so years, we have been slowly turning away from God. Officially, our courts have systematically removed God from public debate.  Since then the public has also slowly turned away from God. Presently, we are a very sinful nation in God’s eyes. Let me quickly jot down a few ways we are sinful in God’s eyes. In pursuit of materialism in this country, we have committed idolatry. We have made things our god. We have become a promiscuous society. The sanctity of marriage has all but disappeared. Promiscuity, or the practice of sexual relations outside of marriage, is adultery. This promiscuity has caused the greatest number of officially sanctioned human deaths in history through abortion, which I equate with murder. Adultery and murder are two sins listed in the Ten Commandments. The Word of God is very plain that homosexual relations are sinful. We now consider homosexuality to be a societal norm. In fact, we glorify it. It is now considered an equality issue on par with racial inequalities. Lying and theft by both government authorities and businesses is another norm. Have you ever heard the term, “that’s business?” That is normally uttered win an unethical or illegal action or impropriety has occurred in the process of business. Government leaders, when caught in an illegal or unethical or immoral act often state, “I have not done anything wrong.”

God judged his people Israel when they were involved in the same kinds of actions. He was patient for many years, but finally, He allowed other nations to come and take over Israel and carry all the inhabitants away as captives. Currently, there is no room anywhere for nations to be carried away captive to. Therefore, I ask these questions, “Is God judging us by allowing us to be taken captive from within? Is He using our monetary crisis to get us to turn back to Him? Is He allowing our hallowed free way of life to be taken from us? Will we be taken captive by a rogue leader or a rogue government?”

I believe the answer to these questions in yes, absolutely. However, reprieve is still available. Shortly before God allowed Babylon to come and capture the inhabitants of Jerusalem, God spoke to the through Jeremiah. He said of the people, “Perhaps they will listen and turn from their evil ways. Then I will change My mind about the disaster I am ready to pour out on them because of their sins.” (Jeremiah 26:3) God said this same thing to the people through the prophet at least eight times. Yet they did not turn back to Him so He judged them.

God simply says that he will avert all these problems we are having in our county and will repent of His judgment of us if we will turn back to him. I believe that right up to the very last minute, God will stop His judgment of our nation if we repent and turn back to Him. Consider Nineveh after Jonah preached to them (Jonah 3:4-10). They all repented and God turned away His anger. Will the United States repent and turn form its wicked ways? I hope so. However, that is not realistically likely to happen. But the opportunity is always there. REPENT AMERICA!