376. We The People

We the People” are perhaps the three most radical words in the political history of the world.  Why?  Because until the framers of the U.S. Constitution vested the power to govern in the people, the right to govern had always come from God.  From time immemorial, leaders had routinely claimed a divine right to rule.  Often, in fact, from at least the time of the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs, rulers have claimed to be gods themselves.  Until America forbade it at the end of WWII, the Japanese Emperor was believed by his subjects to be a direct descendant of the Sun Goddess.

There are, of course, those who believe government should be a theocracy.  While not claiming their leaders are divine, conservative Muslims try to follow the strict tenets of Sharia or “God’s Immutable Law.”  There are many Christians who believe that the Bible trumps the Constitution and there’s often an attempt being made somewhere to put the Ten Commandments on public property.

One of the many problems that arise when combining religious and political leadership is that only those in power are allowed to determine God’s will.  Theocrats have a long history of interpreting religion in a way that bolsters their worldly ambitions yet their edicts carry divine sanction.

King George III, the British monarch the American colonies rebelled against, was believed to “rule by the grace of God.”  Thus the colonists’ act of rebellion wasn’t just political – they were deliberately defying God’s will.

And it wasn’t just the British – until modern times all European regents were believed to have been selected by God.  Though some of our founders wanted America to be a theocracy, the danger for abuse was too well known.  So rather than place government in the hands of God, our founders gave it to the people instead.

It wouldn’t surprise me if today some people are questioning the wisdom of allowing the people to choose our leaders.  Nebraska’s governor is using his personal wealth to elect state senators who will blindly support his agenda.  And nationally one need only scan the headlines to question the choices our nation made last November.

But that’s the risk of democracy.  Individuals sometimes make poor decisions, and sometimes our nation does too.  This shouldn’t serve as a condemnation of democracy; it is instead a stark reminder of how serious the business of selecting our leaders is.

Yet even as we struggle with the consequences of our electoral choices, events this past Saturday serve to illustrate what I believe is the true character of “we the people.”  I’m speaking of the way people came together to honor the memory of Sheriff Lawrence Smoyer and Constable William Wathen, two Boone County law officers who were killed 80 years ago by unknown gunmen.

As a member of the group organizing this project, I witnessed a variety of people gather voluntarily, starting many months before Saturday’s events, to design the monument, select its location, raise funds, publicize the event and plan a series of activities to honor the memory of these two lawmen.

At the dedication ceremony I witnessed friends and neighbors speak sincerely of courage, responsibility and respect.  I saw hundreds of people arrive, some from many states away, to be a part of this event.  And I saw a lot of volunteers working very hard behind the scenes to make sure everything went well.

This simple, small town event was “we the people” at its finest and reaffirmed our founders’ faith in our ability to work together.  The challenge now is how do we accomplish this as a diverse and increasingly divided nation?

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