Rule by Fiat

Personal freedoms are under assault. Pastor Rick Warren of Saddle Back Church in Southern California took to Twitter to voice his displeasure with the administration's contraception decision. "I'm not a Catholic, but I stand in 100% solidarity with my brothers & sisters to practice their belief against government pressure," Warren wrote. That sort of government pressure is an attempt to rule by fiat. To rule by fiat is "an arbitrary decree or pronouncement, especially by a person or group of persons having absolute authority to enforce it."

The Obama administration has launched yet another power grab in its never ending Chicago-style assault on the rights and freedoms of the American people. Other such power grabs and bullying tactics, to mention a few, are the take-over of the auto industry, General Motors in particular; the vilification of Wall Street and the banking/investment industry; and the now infamous Obamacare, which will go into full effect in 2014 unless we have a new occupant in the White House next January.

Penny Young Nance is President and CEO of Concerned Women for America. She had this to say in an article chastising the president for his attempt to muscle church organizations to accept tenets of the health care bill that violate church and personal beliefs. “President Obama violated Americans’ fundamental right to religious freedom when he signed into law a mandate forcing religious organizations (using their donor/member dues) to pay for health insurance that covers sterilization, controversial abortifacients, and contraceptives.”

The over-reach by this administration is stunningly breath-taking. Those who have fought for those freedoms must surely be rolling over in their graves. Let me point out that this is not an issue of forcing the Catholic Church to offer contraception to its employees in its hospitals and schools as a part of a health care package. It is much bigger than that.

When any government or administration exceeds the powers they were entrusted with by God and the people governed, then the people must rise up in solidarity against such tyranny. In the First Amendment to the Constitution – the Bill of Rights – it says, “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; . . .” There’s good reason for this amendment being the first one listed: The folks who came to America from England were escaping a tyrannical monarchy that forced religion and its practices on the people. This was not unique to England. Germany, France and others were under state-run religion as well. The Authors of our Constitution understood the fearsome power of an intoxicated, power-hungry government, a government that saw in itself the right to rule because it held the people in disdain, believing itself to be the repository of knowledge and wisdom in ruling the “great unwashed masses.”

President Obama said last week, "What has frustrated people is that I have not been able to force Congress to implement every aspect of what I said in 2008. Well, you know it turns out that our founders designed a system that makes it more difficult to bring about change than I would like sometimes." This comment by the president should send a chill down your spine. He can’t force Congress to implement every aspect of what he wants; our founders designed a system that makes it more difficult to bring about change than he would like! The implication is that the Constitution creates inefficient government that can't cover all your needs. Hand him power and all will be well.

          A commentator I have great respect for is Charles Krauthammer, who was recently interviewed on Fox News’ program, Special Report with Bret Baier. Here’s what Mr. Krauthammer had to say about the administration’s efforts to force its brand of health care on the church. "And the reason [pending rules requiring mandatory employer insurance coverage for contraception, sterilization and the "morning after pill"] is so damaging for Obama and the Democrats is it augments two stereotypes. One is that Obama is antireligious, the seeds of which were planted when we had the tape and he thought he wasn't being heard about how the peasantry clings to guns and to God because of its frustrations. And second, I think the larger issue is the idea of intrusive, large government. That was an issue that created and propelled the rebellion in 2010 that caused the shellacking in the election."

          There will be many arguments over this issue in the weeks to follow. But be sure to blow away the smoke and mirrors that is so much a part of the political forays within the Washington DC beltway, and recognize this for what it is – a government power-grab. It seeks to remove yet one more liberty from “We the People.”