To the readers of Fillmore County Journal:
These quotations from President Theodore Roosevelt are more than 100 years old but crucially important today:
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
“To educate a person in the mind but not in morals is to educate a menace to society.”
“Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.”
If we call ourselves patriotic, if we live by the law, if we cherish our Constitution and treasure our Democracy, we must act to return to the values and ideals by which we live.
Sonja Cook
Rushford, Minn.
Gerald J. Boyum says
Yes, excellent suggestion, Erika.
The Declaration and Constitution are two of the greatest documents written by humans, but it should be no surprise if we have public officials who don’t seem to follow the guidance contained in them when the Constitution is allegedly not even taught in law schools even though it is the “Supreme Law of the Land”. They should also be required for high school and college graduates.
The Constitution was written by our Founding Fathers using the philosophy of utilitarianism to provide the greatest good for the greatest number along with the foundation of Belief in a Supreme Being and Divine Origin of Man and First Principles as discussed in “America’s Survival Guide” by Michael Warren such as Rule of Law, Protection of Unalienable Rights, Equality, and Social Compact.
The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States is as follows:
“We the People of the United States, in Order to:
* Form a more perfect Union,
* Establish Justice,
* Insure domestic Tranquility,
*Provide for the Common Defence,
*Promote the general Welfare,
*Secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
There should be no excuse for not following the above guidelines when passing laws, especially those that involve expenditures of public funds and the direction our country is going. All of the items identified by DOGE should not have happened, especially when the direction could lead to bankruptcy. We can do so much better than that; it is our responsibility as citizens to elect leaders who will keep America heading in the right direction. It should also be noted that an informed citizenry is critical for success of self-government/democratic process which are the responsibilities of our education system and news media.
These guidelines would be valuable in writing part of the job descriptions for public officials which can be used by voters to evaluate performance of candidates for voting purposes and developing “State of The Union” addresses to Congress and the citizenship. Start with “One Nation Under God” and “In God We Trust”.
Erika Haugerud says
MAFUCA – Make America Follow the US Constitution Again