The danger we face: apathy, complacency, and ignorance

Thoughts from a Star Trek Fan

By Mark Pearson

I have no idea how many people who read the articles in this magazine are Star Trek fans, especially fans of the original TV series.  Yet, in light of what is going on in our nation and the crises we are facing at this time, I happened to recall an episode where there was a planet with a history parallel to ours.  

It may be remembered that at the end of the show a group of people who, in spite of heavy casualties, survived a battle to win back territory that was previously lost to them.  This bunch of people paraded into where Captain Kirk and other members of his crew were being held. They slowly made their entrance reverently carrying a flag that just happened to be the Stars and stripes (Otherwise known as “Old Glory”) and a copy of a sacred scroll.

The leader made this announcement to all those who were present:

“That which once was ours is now ours once again!”

He then unrolled the “sacred scroll” and began to read from it.  His words were so garbled that at first Captain Kirk didn’t realize what he was reciting or what the words meant.  He, being the hero of this program finally figures out what document the leader was reading from.

I find it interesting that the garbled words that this character recited and shown to be meaningless were, in fact, the opening Preamble from the U.S. Constitution. 

We the People…  

Not we the nameless, faceless, unelected, taxpayer-supported career bureaucrats and their staffers who don’t appear to have to answer to anyone.  It also doesn’t mean the people who make up the different cabinets that have been created over the years that have no right to exist according to that “sacred document” much less have the right to make or enforce the law.  That right is reserved to the Congress, State and County Legislators, and City Councils.

It does not say, “We the news media elite” who think that their interpretation of events or assessment of someone’s character is the correct one.  How many things have they the media reported as fact over the last four years that turned out to be made up, twisted, or flat out lies?  They have twisted the meaning of the first amendment that a pretzel looks straight in comparison.

It does not say, “We the Governors or State Legislatures”  who through this crisis have made dictatorial edicts that have violated our basic civil rights and have treated those of us that put them in office like stupid children that have to be spoon-fed and led by the hand.  Most of the people holding these various offices have never held a job in the private sector in their entire lives.  Whoever gave them the right to determine what business is essential or not and in the process ruin businesses and in some cases bankrupt business owners?    

It doesn’t say, “We the Judiciary” who, I might add, swore an oath to uphold and defend that “sacred document” when they took their office. This same bunch, believe they can violate the rights of people who need to get back to work so they can put food on the table. The average salaries paid by the taxpayer for these judges are $150,000 a year and then they have the audacity to pontificate, lecture, browbeat and threaten and demand apologies from someone for wanting to actually go back to work.

It doesn’t say, “We the legal profession” who think they are the only ones who are entitled to interpret or define what is contained within that “sacred document” and assume that we are too stupid to understand what it means.  Our founding fathers wrote it in such a way so the average person who has a reasonable knowledge of the English language could understand what is contained therein.

It doesn’t say, “We the Hollywood elites and others on top of the financial or social ladder.”  It’s easy for those individuals to shelter in place when they have multimillion-dollar homes with indoor swimming pools, tennis courts, and fully equipped home theaters and gyms along with a well-stocked liqueur cabinet.  They also have their “nannies,” household servants, and others to cater to their every need. The rest of us in this country have to make do with making a food and toilet paper run from time to time.  And don’t even think about going to church or other house of worship because if you do then someone like the mayor of Kansas City may demand that you register with the authorities so they can keep track of your whereabouts. Most churches have gone over to holding web services anyway.  We also have a Speaker who shows off her kitchen with a huge refrigerator boasting about all the ice cream she has on hand

The best example that falls in the category of overstepping their authority is the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  The budgets of these two departments are larger than the gross domestic product of many different countries and the control that they have over all aspects of our lives is just as large.  Of course, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is part of HHS. I still wonder why they weren’t on top of this virus when it first appeared in this country? I remember when E.Coli appeared in beef products. They were all over that within hours.  They pinpointed the source and immediately shut down the outbreak. After this failure to respond in a timely manner, they act as if they are the experts and as such can dictate our response to it.  We didn’t elect any of these people yet they issue orders that we must follow like some tyrannical potentate.  King George III never wielded as much power over the “rebellious” American colonies as these two bureaucratic entities do over us now.

And how about the different government departments like OSHA, and the EPA?!  These people think that they can go on a fishing expedition within a business establishment looking for things that they can claim as violations of some code or standards that they have set and then fine the owner for said infraction.  They exercise more powers than law enforcement officers.  I am not talking about standard safety rules or codes that have been in place for ages but here is an example.  If there is a suspicion that a crime or certain illegal activity has or is taking place at a particular location, a warrant must be obtained by a judge and that warrant must specify why that warrant is being served.  In other words, police cannot enter an establishment or premises looking for something based on a tip or in hopes of finding something that they can arrest someone for.  They have no right to enter certain areas marked employees only or other parts marked private or off-limits to the public without a specific reason given. In short, they need a search warrant just like anyone else.

The reason why the illegal search and seizure clause was put in our “sacred document” in the first place was the result of abuses that were perpetrated against honest shipping and warehouse owners.  A British magistrate would grab a squad of His Majesties solders and inter a warehouse and compel the owner to escort him through his establishment looking for any “illegal” contraband and then arrest or fine said owner for what he himself helped the magistrate find.  

I don’t need to name names because those who are guilty of these things know who they are.  The readers of this article also know who they are.  One thing is for sure, we need to hold all of these people accountable by any lawful means possible and return this country to work so we can regain the self- respect that we have of our abilities and the prosperity that we enjoyed before this whole thing started. That means restoring and enforcing all the protections and liberties that our “sacred document” prescribes and that we all enjoy.

Just like the character in the Star Trek episode, the words in our “sacred document” have been so twisted that they are as intelligible as his words were then.  I am not espousing a war with China that was alluded to in this particular Star Trek episode because the danger that we face is a lot closer to home. It is called apathy, complacency, and ignorance.  

Please, I beg you, find a copy of our “sacred document” or if you have a copy, get it out and read it over again and again and familiarize yourself with its contents. Unlike the Star Trek episode, it is not just some piece of paper that has been put in a box and held as sacred and not allowed to be read.  Even though it is a “sacred document” it also is a document that should be continually read just as we are admonished to read the Holy Bible.  All of us need and should demand the same thing.

 “That which what was once ours is now ours once again!”

Mark E. Pearson