George F. Will: There's more, much more, to the Lois Lerner story

St. Paul Pioneer Press ^ | 6/12/13 | George F. Will

[rhema]

WASHINGTON -- As soon as the Constitution permitted him to run for Congress, Al Salvi did. In 1986, just 26 and fresh from the University of Illinois law school, he sank $1,000 of his own money, which was most of his money, into a campaign to unseat an incumbent Democratic congressman. Salvi studied for the bar exam during meals at campaign dinners.

[Billthedrill]

The case against the NSA is: Lois Lerner and others of her ilk.

Precisely. I am more than a little appalled at William Kristol for dismissing the linkage as irrelevant. Nothing could be less true. If we are to trust the federal government with the incredible power the NSA possesses we must be certain that it will never fall into the hands of party cheats and thugs such as Lerner. The IRS also was supposed to be safeguarded by the sort of oversight the NSA has; the abuses happened anyway, shamelessly, openly, and without consequence.

It's very simple. The corruption must be cleansed and the guilty imprisoned before we go one step further with the NSA databases. That has to be communicated to the Executive loudly, clearly, and without any compromise. Or we really are looking at a police state and this thing gets violent.

[muawiyah]

Sorry, Lerner will shortly find out what Scooter Libby found out ~ aging Jewish apparatchiks in the federal government are exceptionally expendable.

They'll toss her like yesterday's garbage ~ same as they did Scooter ~ it'll be BIPARTISAN!

[newnhdad]

the other shoe has been dropping in this IRS story for a long time.

[Standing Wolf]

Those courageous country club Republicans may—may!—go so far as to discuss this topic; taking more action than chatting, however, is absolutely out of the question for that bunch.

[mosaicwolf]

Never forget their are two enemies mentioned in the oath of office for the military, law enforcement officers, and the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government. Foreign and domestic. Need I say anything more?

[cornfedcowboy]

Love your country, question your government.

[Shery]

These people are not behind bars because the media no longer reports on corruption, especially perpetrated by the democrats. But let a conservative sneeze in public and there is a conspiracy around it. Not only that, but as right now, people are not demanding ANYTHING in light of the various scandals. If we are going to be silent, then they are going to do with us as they want without impunity. The outcry has to come from us. Until about 4 weeks ago, I was writing my senators almost daily about some issue. Then we were caring for a parent with no internet access.

My senators don’t bother responding, which tells me that I must be the “lone ranger” in letter writing so they don’t need to bother responding to me. If, on the other hand, there were a lot of letters, I thinks they’d have made it to the mics to let us know that they are listening. We need to find another way to get SOMEONE to listen to us.

[SoFloFreeper]

Liberals are dangerous. Very dangerous. This anecdote is just one more piece of evidence.

[Ditter]

bump

[loveliberty2]

Thoughts worth considering:

"Although all men are born free, and all nations might be so, yet too true it is, that slavery has been the general lot of the human race. Ignorant – they have been cheated; asleep – they have been surprised; divided – the yoke has been forced upon them. But what is the lesson?... The people ought to be enlightened, to be awakened, to be united, that after establishing a government they should watch over it." - James Madison

"A well-instructed people alone can be permanently a free people." - James Madison

"I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison

"To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea."

"Posterity! you will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven that I ever took half the pains to preserve it." - John Adams, Letter to Abigail Adams, 1777

"[Our Departed Ancestors] task (and nobly they performed it) [was] to possess themselves, and through themselves, us, of this goodly land; and to uprear upon its hills and its valleys, a political edifice of liberty and equal rights; 'tis ours only, to transmit these, the former, unprofaned by the foot of an invader; the latter, undecayed by the lapse of time and untorn by usurpation, to the latest generation that fate shall permit the world to know. This task of gratitude to our fathers, justice to ourselves, duty to posterity, and love for our species in general, all imperatively require us faithfully to perform. How then shall we perform it? At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never!--All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Buonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide." - Abraham Lincoln, January 27, 1838

"An enlightened people, and an energetic public opinion... will control and enchain the aristocratic spirit of the government." --Thomas Jefferson to Chevalier de Ouis, 1814. ME 14:130

Finally, from Thomas Jefferson's First Inaugural:

"Still one thing more, fellow-citizens—a wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities.

"About to enter, fellow-citizens, on the exercise of duties which comprehend everything dear and valuable to you, it is proper you should understand what I deem the essential principles of our Government, and consequently those which ought to shape its Administration. I will compress them within the narrowest compass they will bear, stating the general principle, but not all its limitations.
= Equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political;
- peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none;
- the support of the State governments in all their rights, as the most competent administrations for our domestic concerns and the surest bulwarks against antirepublican tendencies;
- the preservation of the General Government in its whole constitutional vigor, as the sheet anchor of our peace at home and safety abroad;
- a jealous care of the right of election by the people—a mild and safe corrective of abuses which are lopped by the sword of revolution where peaceable remedies are unprovided;
- absolute acquiescence in the decisions of the majority, the vital principle of republics, from which is no appeal but to force, the vital principle and immediate parent of despotism;
- a well disciplined militia, our best reliance in peace and for the first moments of war, till regulars may relieve them;
- the supremacy of the civil over the military authority;
- economy in the public expense, that labor may be lightly burthened;
- the honest payment of our debts and sacred preservation of the public faith;
- encouragement of agriculture, and of commerce as its handmaid;
- the diffusion of information and arraignment of all abuses at the bar of the public reason;
- freedom of religion;
- freedom of the press, and freedom of person under the protection of the habeas corpus, and
- trial by juries impartially selected.
These principles form the bright constellation which has gone before us and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation. The wisdom of our sages and blood of our heroes have been devoted to their attainment. They should be the creed of our political faith, the text of civic instruction, the touchstone by which to try the services of those we trust; and should we wander from them in moments of error or of alarm, let us hasten to retrace our steps and to regain the road which alone leads to peace, liberty, and safety." - Thomas Jefferson

[yellowhorse]

Years ago I thought that Mr. Will was about as good a writer as we conservatives had on our side. I began to have my doubts during the term of George the 1st. The last straw for me was when he attended the much touted dinner that was put on for so called “conservative journalist” just after the was coronation.

There is one thing that has always bugged me. Why is it that I can see through fake facade that liberals/progressives always present to the public and the idiots in the press? You can send a snake to the finest schools, teach him manners and dress him a in a $2000.00 3 piece suit, but he is still a snake.

How could George Will, who is a lot better educated than I am, not see that the man is snake?

After he attended that dinner, I wrote Will off completely. I have not read another article of Will’s since then and I have never watched him on the ABC Sunday show.(The fact is, I don’t even know the name of the show and really don’t care to know the name). (I feel the same about Peggy Noonan)

This is the first article of his that I’ve read since then. Maybe there is hope for him after all. We will see.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Mustangman]

I think President Obama is a thin-skinned, paranoid, intellectual light-weight and he attracks a similar type of person into his circle-Enter Lois Lerner.

Still, as a black-man, President Obama wears a teflon shield that few politicians have ever enjoyed in this country. He can get away with a lot and he does get a way with a lot. He’s damn near untouchable as his ability to survive scandal after scandal clearly indicates. He’s ‘Big Brother’ and the Dems love him.

I’ve always believed that the Dems are wrong in their political philosophy, but under Obama and in their old age, they’ve turned especially vindictive. Their arguments have not taken hold and they’ve turned mean with the realization that time is running out for their generation.

In short, the children of the 60’s—the ones who tossed Nixon out of office—have now clearly become the monster they so dispised.

40 years ago, the motto was, “Don’t trust anyone over 30.” Today, the motto should morph into, “Don’t trust anyone over 60.”

I don’t love Big Brother

[LibLieSlayer]

Hey georgie porgie... you came out of your coma!

LLS

[ModelBreaker]

Will misses the mark. The founders did not. They knew we should always distrust the government. It is made up of fallible people who will always eventually abuse their powers. The more power, the more money, the more abuse.

So Lerner is just the face of the inevitable. Anyone who thinks her sin is that she causes people to mistrust the government has completely misdiagnosed the problem.

[txhurl]

Good, no, GREAT insight.

[txhurl]

Not many will get this:

Mustang sends

[Windflier]

So many “scandals.” It’s really a bum rush, an all-out multi-front assault on the Republic.

I call it the Scandalanche.

[Cyman]

Georgie boy, using that androgen gel again I see.