As one travels around the world, the legacy of the British Empire can be felt far and wide. There is a reason a majority of the world speaks English, even if it is a second language. Great Britain ruled on almost every continent and installed their customs and traditions in their conquered lands. This included their court system and respect and adherence to the rule of law.
Obviously, not everyone benefited from English rule. Great Britain was the major colonial propagator of the human slave trade in which Africans were carried to mainly the Caribbean and North America to work in the sugar fields. The English masters were brutal child molesters and murderers. There can be no way around that conclusion. The Africans suffered greatly, along with the Indians to a lesser extent. However, looking at the situation in an unemotional, clinical sense, one comes to the conclusion that some good things came out of British domination.
It is no secret that President Obama does not like the English. Supposedly, he harbors a grudge against the British people for their treatment of his ancestors and even closer relatives in Africa. He has shown this contempt publicly. Upon moving into the White House, Obama returned the bust of Winston Churchill to the United Kingdom, which had been in the Oval Office for quite some time. When called on this behavior by the press some years ago, the White House denied it, showing another bust that had been in an open hallway as proof. Soon, it came out that this bust was not the correct item; and indeed, the original bust had been returned to England with extreme prejudice (as they say in the James Bond movies.) A president does not lie about his actions if he is not embarrassed of them.
The rule of law is critical to any prosperous country. A modern developed state cannot exist and thrive without a system of resolving disputes, controlling crime, and attacking corruption. Perhaps these aspects of the English system are what Obama hates most. President Obama has not been a transparent, fair, or even honest leader. He has used agencies of the Federal government to attack his rivals. His administration has repeatedly lied to the American people about his intentions in order to push through a radical, left wing, socialist agenda. He refused to enforce the law when it came to black voter intimidation, illegal immigration, or just plain old laws he doesn’t agree with. The scary fact is that he has not been held accountable for these actions and has basically gotten away with it. This is due to a corrupt, compliant press and the fact that a large section of the American public is just plain apathetic. They have been pacified by goodies from Uncle Sam.
Unfortunately, a society that loses respect for the rule of law in favor of corruption, or in our case some nebulous concept of “social justice,” cannot last for very long. It will crumble. It has happened over and over in history. The prime example is the Roman Empire. When the Emperor became a dictator and seized power from the Senate, Rome became a cesspool of corruption that stole from resources needed to defend herself as the barbarians advanced to the north. The rest was history.
Again, if you look at the situation objectively, without political bias or agenda, I don’t see how you can argue that the behavior of the president or his administration has been good for America. On the contrary, it shows a contempt for America and all she has ever stood for. Making disregard for the rule of law “okay” in our society will have immediate, detrimental effects to the segment of the population on the losing end. However, it will have drastic consequences for our children and their children as they grow up in a system where who you know is more important than how hard you work. I fear for my country. This election coming up is the most important in my lifetime. One hopes the next President of the United States will graciously ask England to return Churchill’s bust to its rightful home in the Oval Office.
Photo credit: SS&SS (Flickr)
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This post originally appeared on Western Journalism – Informing And Equipping Americans Who Love Freedom