I've got to relate to you what
just happened to me when I tried to call the Governors office this
afternoon.
While watching a local news
broadcast, I saw a video of Alabama Governor Bentley saying that he
thought anyone who participated in the Secession Petitions were "silly."
This struck me as rather shallow, rude, arrogant and out-of-touch with his own
constituency as the Alabama petition garnered the required 25,000 signatures
rather quickly. One of those signatures was mine. I also thought his immediate
distancing of himself from this issue in such a fashion showed that
1. He possesses little or no understanding of the founding of this country or
it's principles and 2. He wanted to make it perfectly clear to those in
power that he was not willing to stand up for the citizens of Alabama, even if
it was only symbolic in nature. He left no wiggle room...he was in total
disagreement with the Declaration of Independence and would not support those
who do believe in the undeniable truths found in that
document.
I didn't sign the petition
really believing that anything meaningful would come from it. But I did sign it,
and did so for several reasons. 1. I wanted to see if the Obama administration
would honor their pledge to respond to any petition that had at least 25,000
signatures. 2. If they responded, I was very interested in HOW they would
respond. Would they too ignore the Declaration of Independence and the
Constitution? 3. I thought it might serve as a reminder to big government that
"We the People" are still rightly in charge of this country despite what
politicians of both parties might think. 4. I signed the petition to remind the
people of this country that "freedom of self-determination", freedom of
secession, is still an inalienable right granted by God and though it may be
DENIED by government, it can NEVER be abolished by man.
I called Governor Bentley's
office to let him know that there were Alabama residents who considered his
remark, our being "silly", as offensive as the remark made by President Obama;
that remark referring to us as backward for "clinging to our guns and
Bibles."
A secretary answered the phone
and I introduced myself by name and added that I was 65 years old and a lifelong
resident of the State of Alabama. I asked the secretary if she would give the
Governor a message for me. She agreed. I told her I was offended by the
Governor's remark that we who signed the Secession Petition were "silly."
Immediately the secretary became combative and began telling me that
Bentley believed in the United States of America. I reminded her that if
self-determination, secession in this particular instance, was not a
God-given inalienable right of all people, the United States of
America would not even exist; we would all still be a part of the British
Empire. I quoted the Declaration of Independence to her as she tried to
talk over my voice. She kept re-iterating that Bentley believed in the United
States. When she stopped talking over me, I told her again that this country was
founded on the right of self-determination. She launched into another tirade of
nationalistic propaganda to which I replied, "Oh, so if we all find
ourselves members of the Third Reich, whether we wanted it or not, we have
no alternative but to salute Hitler and shout "Sig Heil!" This set her off
again.
At this point I told her, "Look,
I didn't call here to have you validate my opinions or to engage in debate. I
called for you to pass along to Governor Bentley for me, an Alabama citizen, a
point of view. I don't care if he agrees with me or not." She would not let go
of the nationalistic propaganda or defending Bentley. She told me that we
were all a part of the United States and that's the way the Founders wanted it. I
reminded her of the Ninth and Tenth Amendments to the Constitution. I also told her
that the Founders gave us a democratic republic and wished us good luck in
keeping it. I told her that we had failed in keeping it, and that the government
they gave us died in 1865. I told her that she apparently had little
understanding of American history or of government. At some point during my
last remarks, she hung up on me. A state employee, paid by my tax dollars to
pass on to Governor Bentley the opinions of the citizens of the State of
Alabama, hung up on me.
I started to call back but
decided it would be useless, counter-productive and might get me arrested for
harassment. But I see this is part of the big overall problem. We elect them and
pay them with our tax dollars...rather nicely too, I might add. They in turn
isolate themselves in their towers of government, free from hearing or dealing
with any opinion they do not wish to acknowledge. They are the ruling elite
much like in the feudal days...and if we displease them or disagree with them
too vehemently, they will throw us and our families from their land to starve.
Sig Heil.
Greg
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