In the category of Important History that is never studied in Public School…
For my 65th birthday last week, my beautiful bride of 41 years gave me Brett Baier’s
To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment
This was our first Constitutional crises, and our nation almost did not get off the ground. From the intro:
George Washington rescued the nation three times: first by leading the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War, second by presiding over the Constitutional Convention that set the blueprint for the United States and ushering the Constitution through a fractious ratification process, and third by leading the nation as its first president. There is no doubt that the struggling new nation needed to be rescued—and that Washington was the only American who could bring them together.
Setting aside his plan to retire to Mount Vernon, Washington agreed to be a delegate at Philadelphia. There he was unanimously elected president of the convention. After successfully bringing the Constitution into being, Washington then sacrificed any hope of returning to private life by accepting the unanimous election to be the nation’s first president. Washington was not known for brilliant oratory or prose, but his quiet, steady leadership gave life to the Constitution by showing how it should be enacted.
Quiet steady Leadership wrapped by incredible wisdom. Washington was a damn fine combat Infantryman.
Our second Constitutional crises in 1876 was behind closed doors, but almost sent our nation reeling into a second Civil War. Brett Baier covered this crises in:
To Rescue the Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the Crisis of 1876
From the Intro -
In his final weeks in the White House, Grant faced a crisis that threatened to undo his life’s work. The contested presidential election of 1876 produced no clear victory for either Republican Rutherford B. Hayes or Democrat Samuel Tilden, who carried most of the former Confederacy. Soon Southern states vowed to revolt if Tilden was not declared the victor. Grant was determined to use his influence to preserve the Union, establishing an electoral commission to peaceably settle the issue. Grant brokered a grand bargain: the installation of Republican Hayes to the presidency, with concessions to the Democrats that effectively ended Reconstruction. This painful compromise saved the nation, but tragically condemned the South to another century of civil-rights oppression.
The key is that by 1876, the Democratic Party successfully used political terrorism to reestablish political hegemony in the south and stop African Americans from voting. It was Hamas style bombs and firing rifles into crowds of African Americans lined up to vote. Up to that point, the African American vote put Grant in the White House for two terms. Grant’s costly compromise kept the constitution intact and stopped another civil war.
It was Grant’s quiet, steady leadership wrapped in pragmatism. Grant was also a damn fine combat infantryman.
Our third Constitutional crises happened after the Bay of Pigs. Brett Baier wrote:
Three Days in January: Dwight Eisenhower's Final Mission
Invited to Camp David after the Bay of Pigs, Eisenhower spent three days with President Kennedy. Among many conversations, they wrestled with the growing Military-Industrial-Espionage complex and its Constitution shattering tyranny revealed in the Bay of Pigs fiasco. After three days with Eisenhower, Kennedy wrestled with that beast the rest of his presidency. Before departing for Dallas, Kennedy signed the executive order withdrawing forces from Viet Nam. Johnson later cancelled that with his own executive order. A piece of legislation sat on Kennedy’s desk in the Oval Office unsigned, pending further review upon return from Dallas. That Legislation would have dissolved the Federal Reserve, a major component of the power and money feeding the Military-Industrial complex. An excellent book that studies the possibility of JFK being assassinated by the Military-Industrial complex is, JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, by James Douglass
Eisenhower was a calm, steady mentor for JFK, and another damn fine combat Infantryman. JFK was a damn fine combat sailor and commander. Together, they were a hell of a team.
We are now in our fourth Constitutional crises.
The Military-Industrial-Espionage-Political complex is now firmly in a place where they grind out continuous war for power and money. Meanwhile, Republicans stumble around in their pup tents, engaging in friendly fire, failing to a build a Lincoln or Regan style Big Tent to elect a new Speaker. For three weeks, nothing’s happened in Congress and important - some critical to our world situation - legislation is stacking up. At the same time, our worthless president appeases Hamas and Iran while rattling rusty sabers for still another proxy war. On the horizon is China and its invasion of Taiwan... That could be followed by the war for the Western Pacific. There are a lot of complexities to our current predicament, but division, that is close to shredding our Constitution, is the main theme.
We need a Washington, or a Grant, or an Eisenhower… It might even be another Kennedy… But our Constitution is sinking in perilous waters. You see, our Constitution comes from the Declaration of Independence. That is the only national founding document in history that has Creator in its words. It should be no surprise that our Constitution has so many evil enemies.
In a recent Tucker interview on X (Twitter) with Victor Davis Hanson, Tucker asked Hanson for his forecast of what happens after a possible Biden reelection in 2024, or if a lefty socialist Democrat replacement lands in the White House. Hanson said,
“Insurrection.”
I think that means Civil War, but the Constitution as we know it would be up for grabs. Or cancelled.
Jay
- Praying for a leader to peacefully and shrewdly save our Constitution and lead us out of this mess. And for the gift of Ninevah… You see, at the 250-year point in Nineveh’s history (2026 for us), Nineveh received an unprecedented additional hundred years after responding well to Jonah’s fine preaching, “Repent, or in 40 days, you get yours.”
- Ass, Damn, Hell, and Piss are in the Bible, so don’t complain when I use those words because I’m merely being Biblical (Though I still get soap in my mouth).