Exposing GOP ‘pro-Constitution’ Hypocrisy

Over the last week or so, two events have really hit home in exposing the hypocrisy of the GOP when it comes to being ‘pro-Constitution’.

The first was the Atlanta Flood. A multitude of things could be said about it, but the most glaring thing to me is that many area (and statewide) GOP candidates and leaders were clamoring for MORE government involvement via FEMA and “disaster relief funds” – all the while claiming that government should stay OUT of healthcare and return to its Constitutional basis. Of these, Attorney General Candidate Sam Olens – also the Chair of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners – was probably the most blatant when, per AJC’s Jim Galloway, he “said the entire region growing impatient waiting for President Barack Obama to sign a declaration of emergency that would unleash federal resources for the area.” Why weren’t these ‘leaders’ instead pointing out the unconstitutionality of FEMA and these funds?

Indeed, the ONLY GOP candidate who publicly decried FEMA and “federal disaster relief funds” as the unconstitutional mess it is was Ray McBerry, who said via press release last Thursday:

With the recent flooding in Atlanta, Gov. Purdue and John Oxendine ran straight to the federal government by asking that FEMA intervene in the cleanup. Ray McBerry takes another position. Believing that Georgia is quite capable of launching an internal system for cleanup and restoration after the damaging rains, he asserts that Georgians are the answer to Georgia’s problem.

Now, I personally don’t believe even the State of Georgia should be giving away our tax dollars for such “relief”. As I said last week, the American Way is not government assistance, but individuals helping individuals, families helping families, friends helping friends, and neighbors helping neighbors. Indeed, the backstory of Davey Crockett’s “Not Yours To Give” speech illustrates this perfectly in a situation that could well have been ripped from last week’s headlines – and yet happened nearly 200 years ago.

Moving on though, and using the “Not Yours to Give” speech as a segue, since it was first told to me by a friend from the extreme corner of NWGA, let’s talk about another incident from around his neck of the woods.

Friday afternoon, the Chattanooga NBC affiliate reported that cheerleaders at Lakeview-Fort Ogelthorpe High School in Fort Ogelthorpe, GA (in extreme North GA, not very far from the GA-TN border) had been banned from displaying the signs they spent all summer making for the football team to run through at the opening to games this season. The reason? Apparently, they all had “inspirational messages” – which turned out to be Bible verses – on them, and the school – correctly – said that this was a violation of the First Amendment guarantee of no government involvement in religion. Indeed, yesterday’s update on the report makes this case brilliantly, and I quote it here:

Catoosa County Public Schools has determined it is a violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution for signs with Bible verses to be displayed on the football field. Superintendent Denia Reese said, ‘I regret that we had to ask the LFO cheerleaders to change the signs used in the stadium prior to football games. Personally, I appreciate this expression of their Christian values; however, as Superintendent I have the responsibility of protecting the school district from legal action by groups who do not support their beliefs.’

“The 1st Amendment to the United States Constitution forbids the enactment of any law or practice ‘respecting an establishment of religion.’ The purpose of the Bill of Rights was to protect the rights of the minority; for this reason, the stamp of approval of religion by the government is not a matter subject to majority vote.

“Regarding public education, families entrust public schools with the education of their children, but condition their trust on the understanding that school activities will not purposely be used to advance religious views that may conflict with their religious beliefs. As a result, the courts prohibit Rabbi-led prayers at school sporting events, Wiccan posters in gymnasiums, and reading the Koran over the school public announcement system.

“The U.S. Supreme Court and Court of Appeals have ruled that religious activities at high school football games create the ‘inescapable conclusion’ that the school endorses the religious activity. Violations of these rulings can lead to lawsuits resulting in injunctions, unnecessary legal costs and damages that have to be paid by the local taxpayers, and possibly the loss of federal funding.

Again, I was raised a Southern Baptist and still consider myself a Baptist. I have ZERO problems with prayer or reading the Bible, and actively encourage both practices – in private. I also acknowledge that others have different religious beliefs, and therefore a PUBLIC school should be strictly neutral on matters of religion, as should government in general.

You see, I actually believe in the ENTIRE Constitution, unlike some Facebook friends of mine, such as Don Hutelin, leader of the “Heritage Republicans” in that area, and Jeremy Jones, a candidate for the 9th District US House of Representatives seat. Both of these men like to purport to be lovers of the Constitution, yet clearly they mean only the parts they like.

No, the Catoosa County School System made the right call here, and they are the true lovers of the Constitution on this issue – not the GOP leaders and candidates who think the Constitution only applies when they like what is happening.

So here we see two instances of the GOP showing its hypocrisy on being ‘pro-Constitution’ in all of its ugly glory. As their record from 2002-2006 -when the GOP was in full control both at the State and National level- shows, all they care about is political posturing and grabbing more and more power for themselves, no matter what they say at the moment.

If you actually believe in the ENTIRE Constitution and giving the political power back to the People as the Founding Fathers envisioned it, I invite you to join me in the Libertarian Party – the TRUE ‘Party of Principle’.