Minnesota's state motto, "L'Étoile du Nord," "The Star of the North" is a true metaphor for a state that is showing us that as a nation we are off course, once again. It is not ironic during the month in which we commemorate Martin Luther King Day, that amidst the callous disregard for human life by ICE agents who are themselves the worst of the worst, we hear the optimism of Dr. King's voice,"We shall overcome." I sincerely hope that is the case.
The deliberate murder of George Floyd in 2020 by a law enforcement officer and the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti this month at the hands of ICE agents who believed they could and can act with impunity has shocked many in our nation into a reality many do not want to believe. But believe it we must as the Trump regime is quick to excuse such murderous behavior by accusing the victims of being domestic terrorists as a rationale for depriving them and the nation of the justice we are all constitutionally entitled to.
The Trump regime is denying due process of the law simply because due process is a threat to this regime, as it consistently violates its constitutional responsibilities by creating national emergencies that have no basis in fact as a cover for the President Trump's illicit past. The Trump regime has been getting by with this simply because the Republican controlled Congress has largely turned a blind eye to court rulings that have attempted to block Trump's regime from its abuse of power.
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DAVOS
At the World Economic Conference in Davos Switzerland this past week, we saw how weak the Trump regime truly is. Yes, the United States has great military power and can push its weight around as demonstrated by the capture of the Venezuelan President Moduro and his wife, an act of pure dictatorial theater to impress upon our allies the futility of denying President Trump's claim that the United States must have Greenland for its national defense and threatening if the U.S. could not purchase it from Denmark, it would take it by force. Added to this, he threatened to impose tariffs on any NATO nation opposing his desire.
That was before his appearance at Davos.
Before Trump landed in Switzerland, it was clear that European democracies and Canada were having none of it. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech made it clear that the Trump regime has created a "rupture" in the NATO alliance; that the United States can no longer be trusted as an ally. Carney's speech will probably go down as one of the most important speeches of the 21st Century. It has all the makings of a game changer in world order. It should have a chilling effect on any conscientious American citizen. Our most trusted and faithful allies are turning against us.
Can we blame them?
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FEAR
Fear is a great motivator. Currently there is enough fear in the world to threaten its existence. This is not hyperbole. As our allies are giving up on us and seeking ways to forge alliances that exclude us, we are facing domestic terror the likes we have not experienced since the Civil War.
At Davos, Trump had a woke moment. Once he became aware of the opposition he was facing from our NATO allies, he quickly changed his rhetoric and said he would not use force to annex Greenland nor would he impose tariffs. Instead, he claimed there was a deal be had sometime in the "infinite" future. While President Trump's political supporters were glad to hear it, the rest of the world knows that such rhetoric is a face saving ploy. For the moment Europe can take a breath, but we here in the United States cannot as ICE agents are acting like Trump and Noem's Gestapo, going door to door in Minneapolis asking people to point out their immigrant neighbors and arresting protesters or spraying them with pepper spray while protecting their neighbors.
Americans have a lot to fear right now. The Constitution is being ignored. President's Trumps threatens to enact the Insurrection Act of 1807 to quell peaceful protests against ICE in Minnesota by employing the U.S. Military to do so, which prompted Senator Mark Kelly and others senators who served in the military to make statements with regard to the fact that members of the military owe their loyalty to the U.S. Constitution and not to the President. As a nation we need to understand what made them speak up.
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LOYALTY TO THE CONSTITUTION
The following is a plaque posted at West Point Military Academy which may help the reader understand Senator Kelly's and others concern about the use of force to do the President's bidding:
"THE UNITED STATES BOLDLY BROKE WITH ANCIENT MILITARY CUSTOM OF SWEARING LOYALTY TO A LEADER. ARTICLE VI REQUIRED THAT AMERICAN OFFICERS THEREAFTER SWEAR LOYALTY TO OUR BASIC LAW, THE CONSTITUTION.
WHILE MANY OTHER NATIONS HAVE SUFFERED MILITARY COUPS, THE UNITED STATES NEVER HAS. OUR AMERICAN CODE OF MILITARY OBEDIENCE REQUIRES THAT SHOULD ORDER AND LAW EVER CONFLICT, OUR OFFICERS MUST OBEY THE LAW. MANY OTHER NATIONS HAVE ADOPTED OUR PRINCIPLE OF LOYALTY TO THE BASIC LAW.
THIS NATION MUST HAVE MILITARY LEADERS OF PRINCIPLE AND INTEGRITY SO STRONG THAT THEIR OATHS TO SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION WILL UNFAILINGLY GOVERN THEIR ACTIONS. THE PURPOSE OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY IS TO PROVIDE SUCH LEADERS OF CHARACTER
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THE INSURRECTION ACT OF 1807
"The Insurrection Act of 1807 empowers the U.S. president to call into service the U.S. Armed Forces and the National Guard:
- when requested by a state's legislature or governor, if the legislature cannot be convened, to quell an insurrection against that state (§ 251),
- to address unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages, or rebellion in any state, which renders impracticable the enforcement of the law (§ 252), and
- to address an insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy, in any state, which results in the deprivation of constitutionally secured rights, and where the state is unable, fails, or refuses to protect said rights (§ 253). " From Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia
"In 2016, Public Law 114-328 was amended to include Guam and the US Virgin Islands under the jurisdiction of Chapter 13; §252 indicates that the “Use of militia and armed forces to enforce Federal authority: Whenever the President considers that unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages, or rebellion against the authority of the United States, make it impracticable to enforce the laws of the United States in any State, by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings, he may call into Federal service such of the militia of any State, and use such of the armed forces, as he considers necessary, to enforce those laws or to suppress the rebellion."
From Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia
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I believe it is important to understand where the Constitutional battle lines are being drawn. The Insurrection Act of 1807 is not in the Constitution per se, but it is a law enacted under the auspices of Congress constitutional duty to make laws as it deems necessary. The spirit of the Insurrection Act is to protect the Constitution in which the right to public assembly and to protest government action is embodied within its Bill of Rights. As noted above the insurrection can employed where such rights are being deprived.
Peaceful protest that is loud and boisterous is not rebellion nor should it be considered an act of insurrection. In fact, the Justice Departments exclusion of civil and state authorities in investigating the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis must considered in the light of obstructing justice at the local and state level where such acts occurred.
Senator Mark Kelly is within his constitutional role as a Senator and as a retired military officer to remind those serving this nation within the military of their obligation to protect the Constitution by following the law rather than following orders. The case being made against Senator Kelly is that as a retired service member he does not have a First Amendment right to publicly voice his opinion even though he is a Senator who serves on the Armed Services Committee. In voicing his concern to those serving in the military, especially the military leadership, of their oath to defend and protect the Constitution from those who would usurp its authority, he was in no way sharing state secrets nor inciting members of the military to engage in an insurrection. That the current regime reacted as if he and other did is in itself telling.
The biggest threat to the United States is the increasing disregard of our Constitution by Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court; all of whom have engaged in meaningless parlor games over the decades regarding its authority. If we survive the miasma of Trump's swamp, we need to consider changing our motto from "In God We Trust" to "No One Is Above The Law." Fear of the law is obviously more effective than fearing God; especially, when it comes to the current regime.
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EN AVANT
Governor Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Frey have preempted the need for military force as Governor Walz has called in the Minnesota National Guard to protect the streets of Minneapolis. Both Governor Walz and Mayor Frey have urged calm and peaceful protest, which on the part of the citizens protesting has demonstrated immense restraint thus far, given the extreme violence leveled against them by ICE agents. ICE should not be weaponized against President Trump's political adversaries. No President of the United States should ever expect one hundred percent loyalty from U.S. citizens. Such expectations are totally un-American and reek of dictatorship.
If anyone is attempting to incite an insurrection, it is President Trump who in an act of unfiltered transparency has offered to pull back his ICE agents on the condition of Minnesota turning over its voter registration record to the Department of Justice. Everyone should know where that is going, given that we are nearing the mid-term election.
The blatant extortion being exercised by the current regime is astounding. Every American should be aghast at this obvious attempt to discredit the upcoming election because the current regime fears losing both the House and the Senate. Every member of the House and Senate should be chomping at the bit to see the current regime impeached, convicted, and removed office. We need to protect our electoral system from the felonious behavior of bamboozling liar. The only way forward to is prevent it from meddling with the upcoming election. Congress do you duty. You have more than enough to impeach and convict.
We must stand with Minnesota and the brave citizens of Minneapolis who are defending not only their rights but our rights by demanding justice for all and a return to civility in government. Let us keep our gaze fixed on L'Étoile du Nord. The world is watching and waiting to see if we have the courage to correct our course. The question is how long will they do so?
Norm
