The Presidential Monarch

Under monarchies, the crown was the state. As such, they embodied the law and could technically do no wrong. They determined what the law was, and at a whim, what it wasn't. That is the nature of fiat rule. America is a nation of laws, not of men. This ideal was articulated by no less than the second president of the United States, John Adams. President Obama has consistently shown his belief that he is a monarch, not a president.

Recently, the President waived enforcement of immigration laws against a class of 800,000 illegal immigrants in the United States. The excuse for this is "prosecutorial discretion". Prosecutorial discretion is not meant to waive enforcement of laws against a class of people, rather it is meant to be used on a case by case basis to accommodate for extraordinary circumstances. So that excuse is utter nonsense. It is instructive, however, to note that President Obama claimed he had done so because it was the "right thing to do" (more on that in a moment). Left unsaid, is that it was the right thing for him to do to ensure the Latino vote and shore up swing states in his rapidly flagging campaign. It is a bit curious that he had consistently said he didn't have the power to do exactly what he did.

Today, the United States Supreme Court ruled on the controversial Arizona immigration law. The most controversial tenet of the law was a provision that, if, during a lawful stop made for other reasons, an officer developed probable cause to believe that the person was not legally in the United States (i.e. no driver's license or insurance, doesn't speak English, has Mexican identification) was entitled to look into that persons immigration status and take appropriate action. While the Court struck down several provisions of the law, it unanimously upheld this provision. So, the Court unanimously said that police could investigate immigration status and report to federal immigration officials. However, President Obama instructed federal agencies to not cooperate with Arizona officials on immigration law. So the President, the man at the head of the branch responsible for enforcing the laws of the United States, has explicitly decided he will not do so on a law that has been expressly upheld by the United States Supreme Court. I cannot overstate the significance of this. Not since the FDR court packing scandal has a President shown such disrespect for the Supreme Court and the laws of the United States.

What effect does law have when the man meant to enforce the law believes he is above it? That he rules by fiat and whim? President Barack Obama is now the most dangerous threat to our Constitution which he swore to uphold. I warned about this man before he was President and those that listened, heard and understood. But my voice did not reach far, and it still doesn't. I can only hope someday it will.