On June 16, 1858, in the Springfield, Illinois, statehouse, Republicans met for their state convention. The delegates chose Abraham Lincoln as their candidate for the U.S. Senate, running against Democrat Stephen A. Douglas.
Later that evening, Lincoln delivered an address to his Republican colleagues. This very famous speech was called, "A house divided against itself cannot stand."
Lincoln's audiences had heard the context of the speech many times before. Lincoln used the words Jesus used in all three synoptic gospels of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke).
In 1863 for the dedication of the Civil War cemetery in Gettysburg, he uttered another great speech and said, “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure.”
These two speeches have great meaning today, as I believe we are now in a “New Un-Civil War.”
Today we are engaged in a conflict that has again divided us as a nation and threatens our safety and our way of life. I have given a great deal of thought about how this division came about, and I have concluded that we are no longer a representative democracy. Some may challenge me and say, “We are on the eve of one of the most significant elections in our nation's history. How can we not have a representative form of government?”
Let me illustrate two of the most divisive issues since the Civil War that separates us. The first occurred 45 years ago when the Supreme Court decided Roe vs. Wade. I believe the court took away from the American people the right to determine the moral direction of the country. I challenge anyone to show me the bill that was passed by the Congress and signed by the President making Roe vs. Wade the law of the land. Justices made that decision and determined the law of the land, not the people or their elected representatives.
The second was the definition of marriage, which in 2013 by a 5-to-4 decision the Supreme Court overturned the 1996 Clinton era law. A total of 5 judges decided to change the history of men from the beginning of time and decided, not with your consent and not by the legislative process that you, the citizen, had no say in changing the definition of marriage.
In his dissenting opinion, Chief Justice Roberts said, “that only 11 states and the District of Columbia had embraced the right to same-sex marriage democratically at voting booths and in legislatures.” If you have no say, then how can you say we have a representative form of government? These are just two examples of how the courts and the bureaucrats write laws and change things in our country without our consent. Every time this happens we lose more of our freedom and a representative form of government.
When un-civilness turns to lawlessness, it is also a time where we all lose our rights. Look at the treatment of Brett Kavanaugh before and during his hearing. Senators were saying before his confirmation hearing that they were not going to vote for him. Regardless of his qualifications and recommendations from many legal groups, a number of senators said no. Chuck Schumer, the minority leader of the Senate, said after Judge Kavanaugh was accused of sexual assault that he should recuse himself just because of the accusation by Dr. Ford.
Other senators were saying that the Judge is not entitled to be innocent until proven guilty. This is another attack on the Constitution by the Left; will the court be given an opportunity to decide if due process is unconstitutional?
The Left has now decided to ratchet up the attacks on Republicans. Eric Holder, former Attorney General, now says, “If they go low, we kick them.”
Hillary Clinton says, "You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about.” It is apparent to me that she didn’t watch Judge Kavanaugh and the uncivil attack on him and the Republicans. Does she really think her party members were civil?
Dan Perkins is an author of both thrillers and children’s books. He appears on over 1,100 radio stations. Mr. Perkins appears regularly on international TV talk shows, he is current events commentator for seven blogs, and a philanthropist with his foundation for American veterans, Songs and Stories for Soldiers, Inc. More information about him, his writings, and other works are available on his website, DanPerkins.guru. To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.
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