President Explains “The American Agenda”

(Editor’s Note: WikiLeaks has leaked a draft copy of President Obama’s annual Independence Day speech.)

NSA

The NSA comes
on little wire cables

It sits listening
over city and town
at silent posts
and then records…everything.

(With Apologies to Carl Sandburg’s Fog)

The American Agenda

Today ladies and gentlemen, fellow Americans, Senators and Representatives,
I have come before you to address new realities in a changed world. We can do little about the past but memorialize the struggle to build a democratic republic, two hundred and thirty-nine years of civil liberties enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, ideals based on the vision enacted in the Declaration of Independence. But Paul Revere’s famous ride and warning, “One, if by land, and two, if by sea,” refers to a bygone era when the enemy arrived in sailing vessels and marched two-by-two through town and over dale.

Now foreign and domestic terrorists prey on our open borders and our traditions. As the tribune of the people I can no longer tolerate leaks and disingenuous dissenters, who claim they know more about justice and liberty than our duly elected representatives or the appointed guardians of our security. Subversives like Bradley Manning, Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, and others who would harm this country will and must be sequestered (not without a fair trial).

Nobody who wishes to do America harm will escape the reach of our security agents and the brave soldiers, who bring justice to our enemies as Delta Force did with Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan. Just as President Lincoln, during the Civil War, and Franklin Roosevelt during World War II found justification, I, too, have tonight suspended some laws governing civil liberties. If you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear.

In domestic matters, whether civil or criminal, the U.S. Constitution will continue to apply in the cities, towns, and counties. But where the security of the country is threatened by either natives or foreign born–the force of justice will be swift, coming down hard on miscreants, the way the World Trade Center toppled to the street.

Though we have a tradition of dissent and free speech, the right to protest in this country, in some matters too much liberty, like too much hate, can threaten the security of our borders or the domestic tranquility. Too, a certain lassitude exhibited by elected representatives, the products of degenerate factionalism, threaten the great American economic system, a system which has produced the quality of life we enjoy–unparalleled in the history of the civilized world—culminating in the force that makes us a free nation–giving everyone a chance at a better life, as it did my grandfather and grandmother from Kansas.

As many of you know, I have tried to work with the opposition in the Senate and the House, adopting their own principles at times, patiently compromising and promoting a “grand bargain” during the legislative process. But, apparently, “if I’m for it, they’re agin it.” So, the two party system, like the U.S. Constitution, though a tradition is not an imperative when it comes to public safety. I am not dissolving Congress but, according to provisions found in the Patriot Act, the National Defense Authorization Act, and a myriad of other provisions passed by this same congress, I am forced to issue orders to protect American lives abroad and at home, suspending some parts of the legislative process that threaten national security.

Former President Bush and former President Bill Clinton both agree with me that the nature of the current emergency takes priority over the practice of “childish politics.” For the security and safety of all Americans, I have issued the following executive orders to implement the new American Agenda.

As part of the new American Agenda, I am going to insist on a stable domestic economy and balanced budget, universal health care and the opportunity for all to attend community college. We are no longer going to quibble with congress over issues of immigration and issues regarding LGBT, or sensible background checks for gun owners. A woman’s right to choose has been enshrined in case law.

I fundamentally disagree with the code words of the opposition: regardless of ethnic background, creed, or color, we, who live and work for the American Dream, are all Americans today and we will honor as a divine gift, our human rights, rights enabled by the principles in our founding documents as well as the rights to full fledged citizenship. Bienvenidos, mis amigos.

In the interests of fairness, it is time for wealthy Americans and corporate profiteers to pay their share of taxes just as it is the right thing to do for banks and the government to forgive student debt and mortgage debt that exceeds 80% of the real equity of a home. Banks are chartered to loan money, not save it or gamble it away on Wall Street. It’s time to get back to business, the business of American reinvestment in self-sustaining businesses.

As you know, I have been called a “constitutional lawyer.” The U.S. Supreme Court has failed to interpret that historic document in the spirit of the founders of this democratic republic. By transforming a legal and paper entity, known as a corporation, into the equivalent of a “flesh and blood” person, even I, a Harvard graduate can’t follow the court’s reasoning. As Michelle said in a lighter moment, “What were they thinking?”

The Court gets the constitution arguably right much of the time and we can live with decisions that support the security of the country. But we cannot let corporations rule over democracy. When public safety is threatened by the court’s mid-20th Century notion of French absurdity or late 20th Century deconstruction, your President must act to preserve and protect.

Some will be shocked by tonight’s announcements. But once the people see how the security of the individual leads in a reasonably debt free society to public safety, the majority of citizens in America will understand that financial security fulfills the promise of happiness promoted by the Declaration of Independence.

We must use every means necessary to defend our suburbs, municipalities, and our cities against twisted terrorists, whether foreign or homegrown. National Security Administrative (NSA) vigilance—the eye in the sky–is the price of liberty. You, the enemies of the people, know who you are. I have Delta Force on the phone.

Thank you and God Bless America.

(Early polls show a majority of democrats support the President, as well as students, homeowners, seniors, government employees, and elitist pundits in New York City. Republicans, fellow travelers on the left, white men, and the 1% oppose what extremists call Obama’s “coup.”)