Political bullies must be stopped

by Donald Gardner, Corvallis

Most folks I know don’t like bullies or being bullied. Bullies feel important when they can induce fear in the vulnerable. This is the case from the schoolyard to the halls of political power. Political bullies have titles (king, cabinet secretary, agency directors, etc.) which, if they choose to misuse them, can allow abuse of power to go unchecked for a time.  

Two hundred and fifty years ago, our country was born after a bitter revolution against a king. The colonist rebels who fought for independence against this authoritarian rule had grown tired of being bullied, so they fought to build a country which would no longer be ruled by political bullies.  Citizens without power fought and died in a bloody war and founded a new country with a constitution to check the power of those who would bully the less powerful and which granted power to the citizens of the new republic.  Our country has flourished under this form of government, and our constitution has provided a check on abuses of power since its founding.  

But lawless bullies are now in power. They abuse power and openly, shamelessly disregard laws and the constitution daily. Constitutional checks on tyranny are not functioning. The US Supreme Court has given the president almost complete immunity from prosecution. The US Congress has shown very little ability to check the lawlessness of the executive branch.  Our elected US congressmen took an oath to protect and defend the constitution. They are not exercising their duties to provide a check on this lawless and corrupt president and his administration. Call your elected representatives and demand that they do their constitutional duty.