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I'm sure you're aware that the United States is the only government that has ever lasted more than 200 years. All but
ours has fallen sooner or later because of flaws in the basics, or through a longing for power, or other feelings of superiority
which leaders felt the need to flaunt. Napoleon, Hitler and a long list of others have led their nations into oblivion.
Our nation has held together in spite of politics because rather than have one person, a dictator in direct charge, like
Hitler, our forefathers, Thomas Jefferson and others during George Washington's time, set up this country under three separate
branches: The Executive, the Legislative, and the Judicial. Those are the President, the Congress and the Supreme Court.
One may come up with what it thinks is a grand idea, but the other two must agree. And even in the Congress, which is composed
of the Senate and the House of Representatives. And to keep as much fairness as possible among these people who represent
us, each and every state, no matter how small or how large, has two senators, while in the House of Representatives, these
are numbered according to the population of the state the represent. And when these two bodies disagree on a thing, it doesn't
become law. And even if they do agree, but the President of the United States feels the idea is wrong, he can veto it. After
that, it can become law only if both the House and the Senate pass it by two-thirds majorities.
All this is called a "Checks and balances" system. It takes a lot of people for a law, bad or good, to be
enacted. After that, if a thing seems wrong to the population, it can be brought before the Supreme Court, which is made
up of nine persons; a chief justice and eight associate justices. These people are chosen by the president for life.
And herein lies a problem, to my way of thinking. Chosen for life can be a long time for the wrong person to be interpreting
our laws, and that is showing up now, as bad things are happening, often by close votes, like five to four. Personal feelings
seem to be sneaking into earth-shaking decisions, including the religious beliefs on which our country is built.
Two things form the foundation of this nation: Our Constitution and the Holy Bible. The first was modeled upon the
second, and we have proof in the quotations from those men who wrote that Constitution. They believed in God, in right and
wrong, and how those things make a great nation through following those principles.
Include our leaders in your prayers, that they will ask God for guidance, and then will obey that Highest Authority.
37BT Bill Thornton October 18, 2004
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