Every elected official swears an oath to defend the Constitution. Not a party. Not a President, nor any individual. Not a social media following. They swear an oath to the Constitution. They take these oaths of their own free will. No one pointed a gun at their head to seek the office that requires obedience not to a leader but to a document that is our Constitution. What I wonder all the time is how someone can take that oath and then so easily break it. The saddest thing is that it is just all too common. So common that many people don’t notice, and so common that many people don’t care. Here are some very common things that elected officials have done that are actually a violation of their oath. Trying to overturn an election. Pressuring state officials to change election results. Voting to throw out certified votes without evidence. Lying to the public about things they know are not true and using their office to help themselves instead of the country. You don’t need a law de...
It is really a simple concept: the people who enforce the law must follow the law. I believe that most Americans feel that way. The principle is not controversial. It is not partisan. It is the very foundation of public trust. When an officer pulls someone over, knocks on a door, or makes an arrest, the legitimacy of that action depends on the belief that the officer is acting within the law and not above it. In recent years, a troubling pattern has emerged involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Across the country, journalists, civil rights groups, and even federal judges have documented cases in which ICE agents have violated constitutional rights, ignored established procedures, or used force in ways that raise serious legal questions. These incidents are not just isolated to Minnesota. They are happening all over the country, and the pattern demands investigation. I don’t argue against immigration enforcement. Most favor immigration enforcement. The basic issue is acco...