Justice delayed is justice denied. -- William Gladstone

I don't usually get political on here, but in reality, I am political.  I love reading about politics.  I am that nerd that pays attention to bills in Congress and the state legislature.  Of course, I did used to teach government, but it is also just one of my interests.  In the future, i would love to go to law school.  Not so much to be a lawyer, but to learn more about the law.  My special interest is Constitutional law.

Which brings me to my thoughts this week.  What the hell is going on with our government?  Have they completely lost their minds?

For full disclosure: I voted for Obama, but don't agree with everything he does.  I tend to lean left on the political spectrum.  I am disgusted by extremists, but especially extreme right wingers like Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly.  I listen to NPR.  I read Mother Jones. I love watching The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. I find the (depressing) humor in the ridiculousness of our government and entities like Fox News.

Even with all this, I am wondering if any of lawmakers have bothered to ever read the Constitution.  Bills that are being discussed and past aren't following the letter of the law.  I am definitely not a strict constructionalist (I don't read the Constitution in a strictly literal sense), but I'm also not a flexible reader either.  The Constitution changes withe the times, but the basic structure shouldn't.  So why does our government now think they can do whatever they want without consulting our founding document?

Two big developments come to mind: the issues in Wisconsin and Libya (and by extension, all "non-wars").

While I don't agree with the recent Wisconsin laws denying collective bargaining rights to state employees, such as teachers, I have a bigger issue with how the law was passed.  The Republicans and governor used sneaky underhanded deception to force a vote.  The Democrats are definitely not in the clear as they fled the state to delay the vote.  But the Republicans decided to vote and pass the law without the Dems in the statehouse.  The way they went about passing the law is now under fire from the judge of the county.  They didn't follow the Wisconsin constitution in regard to the procedure.  We have state constitution to protect rights, lay out basic government structures, and annotate procedures to follow.  Wisconsin republicans completely forget that last part.  What's the point of having a constitution if we don't adhere to it?

On to Libya and all the other "non-wars" in our history (every military action since World War II).  Did you know that to declare war the President needs a 2/3 vote of Congress?  Because of this Constitutional imperative, the United States hasn't actually declared war since World War II.  Vietnam, Korea, and Iraq were all "military operations" not wars.  I am not going to get into war vs. pacifism here, but I will say that I tend to err on the side of diplomacy.  The more concerning issue is the loopholes around a declaration of war.  During Vietnam, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution Act which gives the President power to pursue military action without Congressional approval when the safety and security of the United States is threatened.  It was meant to be a protection in the event of an attack.  If the U.S. is invaded, the President can deploy the military without waiting for Congressional approval.  Yet even under the War Powers Act, the President must get Congressional approval after 30 days to continue military action.  We need to take a hard look at our foreign relations and military action.  Is this authorized?  Are the threats only perceived threats and not realistic?  Do we need to jump to military action?  Is our involvement in Libya truly justified?  I am concerned that people aren't asking this questions.  If that is the way we want to live, why bother with a Constitution and a republic.  Why not just have a dictator?

Related note: Odyssey Dawn, the current operation in Libya, is being classified as a military engagement authorized by a United Nations Security Council Resolution.  Okay, but who's the main funder and supplier of UN operations?  The United States, of course.

Some days I want to be an apathetic citizen.  I want to watch the news and not care.  I want to be ignorant of our government and the Constitution.  But I'm not.  So when I see things on the news, I get angry and depressed.  I see the faults of Congress, state legislatures, and our President.  I want others to see them too.  Hopefully awareness leads to positive change and a strengthening of our country.