[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 5 (Monday, January 31, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E35]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              THE EVIL PEN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACK METCALF

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 31, 2000

  Mr. METCALF. Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record the following 
article:

                              The Evil Pen

                          (By Balint Vazsonyi)

 [First published August 31, 1999, in The Washington Times, under the 
                      title ``Guiding the pen.'']

       On August 23, Frank J. Murray presented an exhaustive 
     special report in the Washington Times on the subject of 
     executive orders. Early on, he quotes Paul Begala, 5-star 
     general in President Clinton's personal army. ``Stroke of the 
     pen, law of the land. Kind of cool,'' says Mr. Begala.
       Indeed.
       During the early 1980's, on a concert tour of Hungary, I 
     found myself commenting to a friend about the general easing 
     of the political atmosphere, plenty of food, people saying 
     more frequently what they really thought--all in stark 
     contrast to other colonies of the Soviet Socialist Russian 
     Empire, such as East Germany or Czechoslovakia.
       ``Don't be fooled,'' my friend retorted, ``the pen that can 
     wipe out a man's very existence is still there. Right now, 
     the pen is held by a more decent hand, that's all.''
       One of the many ways of defining fundamental differences 
     between socialism and America is to point out that the U.S. 
     Constitution does not provide such a pen to any individual.
       Nevertheless, Mr. Murray's research shows generous use of 
     just such a pen by all recent presidents. While Presidents 
     Kennedy and Carter hold a comfortable lead, President Ford is 
     not far behind, and Bill Clinton's average falls between 
     those of Presidents Reagan and Bush.
       So why the sudden concern?
       Because the pen is now held by a hand that is unrestrained 
     by any of the considerations which informed and guided 
     American presidents since George Washington. The hand is 
     attached to a body whose heart, brain, and other parts have 
     made mockery of the oath the mouth had recited--not once but 
     twice--before taking office.
       A review of executive orders currently in force cannot fail 
     to alarm the most placid and trusting soul among us. ``They 
     include,'' writes Mr. Murray, ``vast powers to seize 
     property, commodities, fuel and minerals; organize and 
     control the means of production, including compulsory job 
     assignments for civilians; assign military forces abroad; 
     institute martial law and force civilian relocation; seize 
     and control all forms of transportation and restrict travel; 
     seize communications and health facilities; regulate 
     operation of private enterprise; require national 
     registration through the postal service, or otherwise control 
     citizens' lives.''
       True--many of these were first issued by others and only 
     confirmed, renewed and consolidated by Mr. Clinton. But the 
     end result is that, for all practical intents and purposes, 
     Mr. Clinton can declare himself dictator of America with yet 
     another stroke of the pen. He can choose to do so at, say, 
     3:00 a.m. so that we wake up to a country of which we are not 
     longer citizens, but prisoners.
       The reality, of course, is that no sane person would have 
     thought past presidents--such as Carter, Reagan or Bush--
     capable of imposing their personal rule upon the United 
     States of America.
       But it is also a reality that no sane person could think 
     Mr. and Mrs. Clinton incapable of imposing their personal 
     rule upon the United States of America.
       No one before presumed to say that the American people 
     cannot be trusted to make proper use of the money they had 
     earned.
       No one before has placed an ever-growing circle of 
     fortifications between the People and the People's House.
       No one before has populated an entire administration with 
     purely political appointees. Unlike the age-old system of 
     patronage, as practiced by both major parties, a cadre of 
     operatives now runs the executive branch. Their primary 
     qualification is the contempt they share with the 
     presidential pair--contempt for the American People and their 
     Constitution. Previous administrations expected loyalty. The 
     present one requires obedience, even from legislators.
       The practice of giving police powers to one citizen over 
     another is an import from the worst regimes in this, or any 
     other, century. In a heartbeat, it can turn decent, ordinary 
     Americans into commissars.
       All of the above is happening because we are letting it 
     happen. Congress lets it happen. The courts let it happen. 
     The Founders knew better.
       Yet many in our midst will recite the mantra according to 
     which ``a lot of time has passed since the Founding . . .'' 
     ``They didn't even have electric light, knew nothing about 
     moon shots--how could they have foreseen the world for which 
     they were providing guidance . . .'' ``We must treat the 
     Constitution as a living-breathing document and change it as 
     needed . . .``''
       But the miracle of the American Founding was precisely that 
     they knew. Without electricity, without computers and space 
     flights, they knew. They wrote provisions so one person could 
     not dictate. They made certain America's future would not 
     depend on whether ``the hand'' was decent or not. They had 
     seen how quickly rulers become corrupted.
       They knew the mortal danger of the evil pen.
       Apparantly, we don't.

       

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