I heard the Liz Cheney speech excerpts this morning on MSNBC. Much of what I included in this post, I agree with. It’s in all caps because it was digitized as she spoke. I corrected many of the errors that occurred in the digitizing…
I left the last few paragraphs because she speaks of the need to teach our children a history of America and we are failing now to do so. I found it interesting as she list out all the events of history that need be taught, she doesn’t include a history of slavery… one of the most defining historical moments in American history.
Republican Trump supporters have made a mockery of what it is to be in congress, the house of representatives and the senate, the supreme court and many other areas of government.
-https://www.c-span.org/video/?515829-1/representative-liz-cheney-president-trump-is-war-rule-law-constitution
https://www.c-span.org/video/standalone/?515829-1/
… BUT FOR EVERY ONE OF US — IN THIS TIME OF TESTING, WILL WE DO OUR DUTY? WILL WE DO WHAT WE MUST? WILL WE DEFEND OUR CONSTITUTION? WILL WE STAND FOR TRUTH? WILL WE PUT DUTY TO OUR OATH ABOVE PARTISAN POLITICS? OR WILL WE LOOK AWAY FROM THE DANGER, IGNORE THE THREAT, EMBRACE THE LIES, AND ENABLE THE LIAR? THERE IS NO GRAY AREA WHEN IT COMES TO THAT QUESTION WHEN IT COMES TO THIS MOMENT. THERE IS NO MIDDLE GROUND.
OUR FOUNDERS PROVIDED THAT EVERY ELECTED OFFICIAL WOULD SWEAR AN OATH, AND IT IS NOT AN OATH TO A PARTY, IT IS NOT AN OATH TO AN INDIVIDUAL. IT IS A SOLEMN OATH THAT WE SWEAR BEFORE GOD. TO SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. THE FOUNDERS ESTABLISHED THIS OATH BECAUSE THEY KNEW THE DANGER OF FACTIONS. THEY KNEW THAT THE SURVIVAL OF THIS GREAT AMERICAN EXPERIMENT, THE SURVIVAL OF OUR REPUBLIC, DEPENDENT UPON PUBLIC SERVANTS OF GOODWILL DOING THEIR DUTY TO THE CONSTITUTION, PUTTING LOYALTY TO THE NATION
AND ITS FOUNDING IDEALS ABOVE SELF-INTEREST.
THIS IS NO SMALL THING. IN FACT, IT IS EVERYTHING. TODAY, TOO MANY POLITICAL LEADERS SEEM TO HAVE FORGOTTEN THE SACRED NATURE OF THAT OATH. AT PRECISELY THIS MOMENT WHEN IT MATTERS MOST…
AND AT THIS MOMENT WHEN IT MATTERS MOST.
WE ARE ALSO CONFRONTING A DOMESTIC THREAT THAT WE HAVE NEVER FACED BEFORE. A FORMER PRESIDENT WHO IS ATTEMPTING TO UNRAVEL THE FOUNDATIONS OF OUR CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC, AIDED BY POLITICAL LEADERS WHO HAVE MADE THEMSELVES WILLING HOSTAGES TO THIS DANGEROUS AND IRRATIONAL MAN. JUST LAST NIGHT, FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS INVITED BY HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADERS TO BE THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT OUR ANNUAL LARGE FUNDRAISING DINNER. AT THE DINNER, HE REPORTEDLY SAID ONCE AGAIN THAT THE INSURRECTION WAS ON NOVEMBER 3, AND THAT THE EVENTS OF JANUARY 6, WHEN A VIOLENT MOB INVADED THE CAPITOL IN AN EFFORT TO OVERTURN THE WILL OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND STOP THE CONSTITUTIONAL PROCESS OF THE COUNTING OF ELECTORAL VOTES, THAT THOSE EVENTS WERE A PROTEST, THAT THEY WERE JUSTIFIED. POLITICAL LEADERS WHO SIT SILENT IN THE FACE OF THESE FALSE AND DANGEROUS CLAIMS ARE AIDING A FORMER PRESIDENT WHO IS AT WAR WITH THE RULE OF LAW AND THE CONSTITUTION. WHEN OUR CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER IS THREATENED, AS IT IS NOW, RISING ABOVE PARTISANSHIP IS NOT SIMPLY AN ASPIRATION, IT IS AN OBLIGATION, AND OBLIGATION OF EVERY ONE OF US. NOW, I AM A CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN. I DISAGREE STRONGLY WITH NEARLY EVERYTHING PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS DONE SINCE HE HAS BEEN IN OFFICE. HIS POLICIES ARE BAD FOR THIS COUNTRY. I BELIEVE DEEPLY THAT CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLES, LIMITED GOVERNMENT, LOW TAXES, A STRONG NATIONAL DEFENSE, THE FAMILY, THE FAMILY IS THE ESSENTIAL BUILDING BLOCK OF OUR NATION AND OUR SOCIETY, THOSE ARE THE RIGHT IDEALS FOR THIS COUNTRY. I LOVE MY PARTY. I LOVE ITS HISTORY, I LOVE ITS PRINCIPLES. BUT I LOVE MY COUNTRY MORE. I KNOW THIS NATION NEEDS A REPUBLICAN PARTY THAT IS BASED ON TRUTH, ONE THAT PUTS FORWARD OUR IDEALS AND OUR POLICIES BASED ON SUBSTANCE, ONE THAT IS WILLING TO REJECT THE FORMER PRESIDENT’S LIES, ONE THAT IS WILLING TO TELL THE TRUTH, THAT MILLIONS OF AMERICANS HAVE BEEN TRAGICALLY MISLED BY FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP, WHO CONTINUES TO THIS DAY TO USE LANGUAGE THAT HE KNOWS PROVOKED VIOLENCE ON JANUARY 6. WE NEED A REPUBLICAN PARTY THAT IS LED BY PEOPLE WHO REMEMBER THAT THE PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWER IS THE SACRED, AND IT UNDERGIRDS THE VERY FOUNDATIONS OF OUR REPUBLIC. WE NEED REPUBLICAN LEADERS WHO REMEMBER THAT FIDELITY TO THE CONSTITUTION, FIDELITY TO THE RULE OF LAW, THOSE ARE THE MOST CONSERVATIVE OF CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLES. IN THE MONTHS SINCE JANUARY 6, I HAVE SOMETIMES HEARD PEOPLE SAY SOMETHING LIKE, WELL, WHAT HAPPENED WAS BAD, BUT IT WASN’T THAT BIG A DEAL BECAUSE OUR INSTITUTIONS HELD. TO THOSE PEOPLE, I SAY OUT INSTITUTIONS DO NOT DEFEND THEMSELVES. WE THE PEOPLE DEFEND THEM. OUR INSTITUTIONS HELD ON JANUARY 6 BECAUSE THERE WERE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN, ELECTED OFFICIALS AT EVERY LEVEL OF OUR GOVERNMENT WHO DID THEIR DUTY, WHO STOOD UP FOR WHAT WAS RIGHT, WHO RESISTED PRESSURE TO DO OTHERWISE. AND OUR INSTITUTIONS HELD BECAUSE OF THE BRAVERY OF THE MEN AND WOMEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND IN OUR MILITARY, OUR CAPITOL POLICE, SOME OF WHOM ARE HERE WITH US TODAY, OUR METROPOLITAN POLICE, THE ATF, MEN AND WOMEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT WHO DEFENDED THE MOST SACRED SPACE IN OUR REPUBLIC, OUR CAPITOL BUILDING. OUR INSTITUTIONS HELD BECAUSE THERE WERE 140 LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO FOUGHT FOR HOURS AND HELD THE TUNNEL ON THE WEST FRONT OF THE CAPITOL, PREVENTING A VIOLENT MOB OF EVEN MORE, THOUSANDS MORE, FROM ENTERING OUR BUILDING. BECAUSE OF THOSE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN, CONGRESS WAS SAFE AND WE CARRIED OUT OUR CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY TO COUNT ELECTORAL VOTES. THAT IS WHY OUR INSTITUTIONS HELD. BECAUSE MEN AND WOMEN OF COURAGE AND HONOR RECOGNIZED ONE OF THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES IN A REPUBLIC, AND THAT IS THE PRINCIPLE THAT NO CITIZEN IN A REPUBLIC IS A BYSTANDER. NO ONE IS. EVERY ONE OF US IS CALLED TO DEFEND THIS GREAT EXPERIMENT, GOVERNMENT OF, BY, AND FOR THE PEOPLE. IN ALL THE HISTORY OF MANKIND, THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A PLACE LIKE AMERICA. OUR NATION IS FAR FROM PERFECT, BUT WE KNOW THAT IT IS OUR FOUNDING DOCUMENT, OUR FOUNDING PRINCIPLES, THE CONSTITUTION, OUR BILL OF RIGHTS, THAT PROVIDE THE PATH FORWARD FOR FREEDOM AND FOR JUSTICE FOR EVERY ONE OF US. AND NOT JUST FOR US, BUT FOR ALL MANKIND. WE’VE BEEN ENTRUSTED WITH THIS NATION BY GOD AND BY EVERY GENERATION THAT HAS CHERISHED AND PROTECTED HER SINCE OUR FOUNDING. AND WE HAVE A DUTY NOT JUST TO PROTECT AND DEFEND THE NATION, BUT WE HAVE A DUTY TO PROTECT OUR IDEALS AND OUR FREEDOMS BY SAFEGUARDING OUR HISTORY.
Here's A Thing... 