Thanks Ralph!
Wilson vs. Obama -- Who Spoke The Truth?
By Doug Patton
September 14, 2009
"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - Jesus of
Nazareth, John 8:32, KJV
"Congress shall make no law respecting..." Do those words sound familiar?
They are, of course, familiar to any and all of us who have received even a
cursory education in the founding documents of this nation. The Constitution
of the United States of America is a document of enumerated rights and
restrictions -- rights of the people and restrictions on government. It
clearly spells out the rights of individuals, such as freedom of speech,
religion, assembly, the right to keep and bear arms, etc.
It also clearly spells out, in no uncertain terms, the restrictions on the
federal government, including the 10th Amendment, which states that any
authority not expressly granted to the federal government is reserved to the
states and to the people. Hence, the phrase "Congress shall make no law
regarding..."
Barack Obama's health care "plan" does not exist anywhere outside his
ideologically driven cranium and his vague, hopey-changey campaign rhetoric.
The only "plan" on the table at the moment is a thousand-plus page
monstrosity known as House Resolution 3200. Yet, in his latest address to a
joint session of Congress, the president lied through his pearly whites --
again -- to the American people and their elected representatives when he
said that the "plan" would not cover illegal aliens.
At which point U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-SC, called him on it in very direct
language: "You lie!"
"That's not true," Obama shot back from the podium. Setting aside the
decorum of the congressman's remark for a moment, let's examine which of
them, Wilson or the president, told the truth.
The Founders understood clearly that government will always take as much
authority as it is allowed to have, which explains the restrictive language
of the Constitution. In HR3200, covering illegal aliens was not mentioned.
Neither was abortion funding. Congressional Republicans rightly feared that
if the bill's language remained neutral on those two issues, it could be
assumed that they are permitted. So they proposed specific amendments to
prohibit coverage of illegal aliens and funding for abortion. Democrats
overwhelmingly voted both amendments down, thus showing us their true colors
yet again.
After the speech, Rep. Wilson called the White House to apologize to the
president, who has wisely accepted the apology, knowing that dragging the
issue out will only serve to emphasize the veracity of Wilson's point that
Obama was, in fact, lying.
No such wisdom resides in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who wants to pillory
Wilson in front of his House colleagues. She is insisting that he apologize
again, this time on the floor of the House of Representatives, a humiliating
act of forced contrition with which Wilson is refusing to cooperate. Good
for him.
There are times in history when the truth trumps decorum and tradition.
Jesus of Nazareth was furious when He encountered liars and thieves cheating
people who had simply come to worship and to offer a sacrifice to their
Lord. "My Father's house is a house of prayer," he roared as he flipped over
the tables of the money changers and drove them out of the temple. "You have
turned it into a den of thieves!"
Similarly, Joe Wilson's righteous indignation rises up from the depths of
his soul as he listens to his president commit one mendacity after another.
Wilson loves the institution of the Congress, the body of the House of
Representatives and the people he serves. He has watched as his constituents
have been disrespected by their president and his supporters at town hall
meetings throughout the summer recess.
Joe Wilson sits on one of the House committees dealing with this issue, so
he knows the truth is not in Barack Obama as he speaks to the Congress that
night. As he sits and listens to lie after lie from the president, Wilson's
righteous anger rises up against the liars and thieves who are trying to
cheat the American people out of their birthright to freedom.
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Doug Patton is a freelance columnist who has served as a political
speechwriter and policy advisor to conservative candidates, elected
officials and public policy organizations. His weekly columns are published
in newspapers across the country and on selected Internet web sites,
including Human Events Online and GOPUSA.com, where he is a senior writer
and state editor. Readers may e-mail him at dougpatton@cox.net.
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