Commentary: A miracle from 250 years ago

One internal crisis nearly ended the union. Despite inspirational language about all being created equal, slavery was a fact of the miracle that only ended after a civil war. Another fact was that voting was limited to males, but females eventually prevailed in their commitment to a more perfect union.

There was also the matter of westward expansion and the inevitable conflicts that arose with natives and nations with previous real estate claims. And then there were two world wars, which U.S. citizens tried without success to avoid, but once in, led the way to victory over malignant leaders who sought world domination.

Leadership in war led to international leadership in peace, with structures intended to restrain future aspirants seeking domination over other nations. We went from an infant nation to world leadership in those 250 years after the miracle.

The miracle is, of course, the United States Constitution. After all of the tests it has endured and passed, what could now be going wrong?

The President of the United States is sending military troops into selected cities, among other things. So far, all of the visits from National Guard troops and active duty Marines have been in cities with Democratic majorities. He has also stated his desire to be a dictator or king, and that elections may no longer be necessary. He is calling his opponents “radical left lunatics” at a time when political leaders are witnessing the assassination (and attempted assassinations) of colleagues.

What is going wrong is that the separation of powers designed into the Constitution in 1789 is disappearing.

Legislative powers defined under Article I have become dormant, and judicial powers under Article III are being exercised with rulings that favor the Executive’s expansion of Article II powers. The “checks and balances” that three co-equal branches of government must provide are withering, but we hope, still viable.

Proof of viability must come, and soon, from the Republican members of the House and Senate. Unless it does, the president and his Project 2025 supporters will end the 250 years and the miracle.

So, what can be done? A modest but potentially powerful solution is to read “Miracle at Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention, May to September 1787,” by Catherine Drinker Bowen, Little, Brown and Company, 1966.

Proving again that the “pen is mightier than the sword,” the words in this book make clear the product of that Constitutional Convention was mighty, represented by the brief history of events and accomplishments listed above.

Actions being taken by this administration will not be accepted if its reliance is limited to its use of the pen. Proof is abundant from the results of all polls, and the recent words of the President and his chosen leaders. The sword is not a good substitute for the pen, known as it is for the many undesirable outcomes of its use.

Please suggest the book to anyone who appreciates a great story, well told. The miracle can continue, with more informed voters.

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Keith Mobley, Dufur, is a retired lawyer who was a Republican candidate for the Oregon House of Representatives in 1980. He lost, and then served as the Antelope city attorney against the Rajneeshees until late 1982, when he was hired as assistant to the president of Oregon State University. He grew up on a wheat and cattle ranch near Shaniko.