American Civics – 101
M. E. Boyd
5/17/2023
Should schools be required to teach Civics? In Them That Are Bruised, Miss Constitution points out that while the British in authority have history and tradition as the compelling force behind good governance, America has but a simple Oath of Office to protect her citizens, and those within her jurisdiction, from government tyrannies that have plagued humankind forever.
EXAMPLE A:
Article VI, United States Constitution
The Senators and Representatives. . .and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution. . .
Article II, section 1, United States Constitution
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” George Washington added, “So help me, God” with his left hand on a Bible.
Washington put it this way after his second term in office: “Let it simply be asked, where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of moral and religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice?”
Civics Lesson #1: The Oath of Office for federal public servants is secured by personal honor. Personal honor is secured by Moral Law. Moral Law is secured by the tenets of Judaism and Christianity.
EXAMPLE B:
The Secretary of Homeland Security told a committee of Congress that “international agreements” require that America’s borders be essentially open. (The Secretary inexplicably insists that our borders are actually closed.) The international agreement that Miss Constitution thinks he is talking about is the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration that emerged from the Summit of the Americas in 2022.
This agreement, signed by the President, along with about eighteen other countries, is intended to provide additional opportunities for migrating populations outside current law. It calls for, among other things, an expansion of legal pathways to American citizenship, an increase in American H-2A seasonal visas, parole for Haitian and Cuban family members reuniting with those already in the United States, and an increase in immigration to America from Haiti.
The problem with this agreement, in addition to it violating American immigration law, is that any international agreement that is binding on our country must first be approved by the Senate of the United States. It does not matter whether it is called a treaty or an agreement, the issue is whether it is binding on the nation. If it is binding, the Senate must approve or the next President can void the agreement as was done twice by two different Presidents to the Paris Climate Accord.
Article II, section 2, United States Constitution
The President. . . shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur
Civics Lesson #2: This Article of the US Constitution is part of the check and balance system so essential in keeping any President from simply dictating policy that has not been vetted by representatives of the people of the United States. The Los Angeles Declaration on Migration changed America’s immigration law without Congress and therefore may not be implemented. What the President must say is that he agrees with the provisions of the Declaration, hopes to persuade the Senate of the United States to ratify the Declaration, or hopes to persuade Congress to change America’s immigration law to reflect these views.
Current immigration law requires that anyone entering the United State be vetted. See Title 8, United States Code, section 1182. Asylum claims are essentially emergencies that are reviewed by a judge. “Asylum” is not an invitation for hundreds of thousands of persons (now millions) from other countries to simply invade America. This invasion is a violation of Article IV, section 4 of the United States Constitution. Implementing a non-Senate-approved agreement and/or not faithfully executing current federal law violates one’s Oath of Office.
EXAMPLE C:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation misused its foreign intelligence surveillance powers. The FBI is a department within the Executive Branch of the federal government. After extensive investigation by a Special Counsel, the conclusion is that the leadership within the Bureau knowingly, deliberately, and intentionally violated their Oaths of Office by breaching the Constitutional rights of a number of American citizens, including the President of the United States.
Amendment IV, United States Constitution
The right of the people to be secure. . .against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated. . . and no [search] Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized
Civics Lesson #3: Agencies of the federal government are not supposed to wiretap (a type of search) American citizens for political purposes or rummage through their homes without probable cause and specificity about what is being looked for. General search warrants are unconstitutional.
Since all America has, to inspire good governance and to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity”, is five Founding documents, four bundles of the Rule of Law, and a Judeo-Christian moral code, the least we need to do is make sure all who live here know what the documents say, what the Rules require, and what the Code is. This knowledge is how we hold those in authority to account for their personal honor or lack of honor in upholding their Oaths of Office. American Civics – 101
“If I lose my honor, I lose myself.” William Shakespeare from Antony and Cleopatra. Miss Constitution would add, if we lose personal honor in our public servants, we lose our nation. Each must preserve, protect, defend, and obey the United States Constitution. So help them, God.
