Almost every day America’s airwaves and editorial pages are
filled with charges and counter-charges of treason. For a while congressional
Democrats were the targets of the accusations. Then it was Chief Justice John
Roberts. These days it’s Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and millions of members of the
Tea Party.
The more I hear the shrill talk or read the vitriolic
commentary, the more I feel like I want to puke.
Treason? Do those bandying the word about so casually really
understand what it means? Maybe it would help if they would actually read
article 3, section 3 of our Constitution, which defines it very precisely - “Treason against the United States shall
consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies,
giving them aid. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the
testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.”
This current war
of words and accusations has nothing to do with treason. Those leveling the
outrageous accusations know it. The controversy may have something to do with a
badly crafted and executed law or it may have something to do with a
philosophical disagreement with our current Chief Justice. It may even have
something to do with visceral hatred for a political insurgency like the Tea
Party or differences of political opinion. But, it has absolutely nothing to do
with treason.
The current
epicenter for the accusations is Tea Party members or anyone who associates
with them. The broadsides are coming from all directions, even small red state
hamlets like Emporia, Kansas. Tea Partiers and those who associate with them
are being portrayed as merciless traitors, bent on the destruction of the
Republic. Their accusers portray themselves as loving, merciful defenders of
all that is good and noble.
Is it really all
that simple?
Tea Partiers are
our fellow citizens and neighbors. Many of them have served honorably in our
armed services. Some have “fought and bled” to defend the freedoms their
accusers say they cherish. The vast majority of them are every bit as kind and
compassionate as their accusers. In fact, I’d be willing to match their
charitable giving and community service against their accusers’ any time. The
truth is, their accusers haven’t cornered the market on kindness, compassion,
service, or bleeding.
I’m not a Tea
Party member, but I have friends who are. I’ve even been known to openly
associate with them. As I was lobbying my fellow citizens to get the Lyon
County extension issue placed on the ballot a while back, I met twice with
members of the Tea Party. They showed me nothing but respect and kindness. I
never heard any talk of sedition or revolution. They listened respectfully to
me. Some supported me. They were even kind enough to give me a copy of our
Constitution and Bill of Rights. Now, if becoming acquainted with our founding
documents amounts to treason, I plead guilty. If the time ever comes that I’m
convicted of such a crime, I’ll gladly walk the steps of the gallows.
I do have quite a
few things in common politically with Tea Partiers. Like them, I’m troubled
when I see our fundamental rights under the first, second, fourth, and tenth
amendments being slowly eroded by government edict and action. But, there are
places where we part philosophical ways. In the current crisis, I believe Tea
Partiers have made some serious tactical errors, particularly their misguided
attempt to defund Obamacare. There are times when the door to disaster has to
open and the chaos at its root is allowed to march through for all to see.
Economist Thomas
Sowell recently cited Irish statesman Edmund Burke’s wisdom when matters of conscience
and tactics collide. In 1769 Burke spoke against a bill that was weaving its
way through Parliament. The long and the short of the legislation was that it
would have subjected American colonists to charges of treason in Great Britain.
Burke found the legislation extremely troubling, but didn’t attempt to block it
because he knew its passage was certain. As he put it, “I cannot support what is conscientiously against my
opinion, nor prudently contend with what I know is irresistible. Preserving my
principles unshaken, I reserve my activity for rational endeavours.”
The Tea Party would have better
served their interests to get out of the way of the runaway train and wait for
the mid-term elections. That would have been the rational choice.
Unfortunately, they didn’t. But tactical misjudgment hardly constitutes
treason.
Under our law,
treason is punishable by death (see 18 U.S.C. 2381). Are the Tea Party’s accusers so convinced of
their political correctness that they’d be willing to personally cast the final
stone of retribution? If they are, then all I can say is “God help anyone who
will eventually become their targets!”
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