Posted by jdeming on 06/15/10

J.M. Bernstein, you have it wrong (see The Very Angry Tea Party, New York Times, June 15, 2010). From the outside, all you hear is anger; granted, that seems to be what every politically-connected person hears. You suggest  the Tea Party "wants nothing", and the people are somehow "jilted lovers" of some phantom government. In some ways, I think you may have uncovered part of the struggle, if not the essence, of the movement. 

Posted by jdeming on 05/10/09

By Mr. John C. Deming & Mr. Lee G. Deming

This is the real audacity of hope. The most effective slogan of the 2008 presidential election still resonates. The nation waits, breathless, for the change we have dared to believe in. Little Latisha Williams is one of those caught up in this hope. She's struggling just to survive. She has been persecuted by those closest to her. She has been imprisoned for some time now, and the only certainty left for her is that nothing is certain. Latisha has been neglected and hasn't received medical care. Her captors have systematically removed her rights, which makes it easier for everyone to treat her poorly. You see, her captors' treatments of her have eroded over time. Initially, they were just indifferent to her. Over time, however, their treatments became much more troubling and violent. She is now being tortured physically, in a pattern similar to the tortures often found before a genocide event. This pattern also includes asphyxiation or near-drowning tortures. These systematically dehumanizing events make it virtually impossible for her to find someone to help her. More importantly, her rights are being withheld. She is unable to protect her own life—she has no recourse against her accusers and captors. Latisha often thinks back and wonders how her humanity was taken so quickly by otherwise loving and caring people. In the absence of any signs that her condition will improve, Latisha is still yearning for President Obama's Presidency because she thinks he will be able to protect her.
 
In a true stroke of luck, President Obama has already taken steps to protect individuals in these types of environments. After all, he identified the "moral high ground" and helped make America a better place by protecting those individuals from these persecutions and tortures. In the case of Guantanamo, the violations seem clear. Any individual detained by the United States Government has the right to due process of law. To skirt around this issue, past leaders have argued that in times of war or other crises we must tolerate these types of treatments. In effect, we must sacrifice our liberty for the sake of our safety. Men smarter than us have argued that if we make that choice, however, we will lose both. Therefore, every individual deserves protection, even those like Latisha who are unable to protect themselves. It is also important to point out that President Obama acted quickly to begin reversing some of the unconstitutional aspects of Guantanamo. Maybe he felt obligated to act so quickly because he believed it was imperative to restore the rights of the captured individuals before any further atrocities occurred.
 
Now imagine this girl is just about to be born. Can we repair America's faults quickly enough so that by the time she grows up she can be assured her liberty is safe? Maybe we already have. After all, we just elected a President who has taken swift steps to restore the rights of other individuals in similar circumstances. Too late...the rights she was losing have already been taken from her. She is scheduled to be aborted tomorrow. Even if, by some miracle, she lives through the initial abortion, she has already been classified as non-human and therefore can be terminated at the doctor's convenience (approved by this President but not Constitutional). This scenario is certainly plausible. Look at what happened to baby Shanice on July 20, 2006 in a Florida clinic. If the doctor had come into the room late, after Shanice was on the table breathing and moving her arms, would the doctor have been able to terminate this "fetus" without liability? After all, Mr. Obama, you have consistently supported this type of protection for the doctor. How long after Shanice is born do we have to wait until she is protected by the 14th Amendment?  The 14th Amendment makes the answer clear.  Section. 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
 
Mr. President, it seems as though your argument stems from the mother's decision rather than the 14th Amendment. If the mother says the "fetus" is a child, then it is protected by the 14th Amendment (see the Laci Peterson case). If the mother says the "fetus" is not human, then it can be terminated at her (or the doctor's) convenience without penalty (an apparent contradiction to the Laci Peterson case). What if the mother changes her mind? What if she is in labor and decides she doesn't want the baby? Is the baby now a "fetus"? What if she decides after the baby is born that she made a mistake and she asks the doctor to terminate the "fetus"? Under the current system that you support, Mr. President, it seems as though there is some time between when the child is born and when he or she is considered a person who is protected by the Constitution's 14th Amendment. What length of time is acceptable here, Mr. President?  On dictionary.com, audacity is defined as "boldness or daring, esp. with confident or arrogant disregard for personal safety, conventional thought, or other restrictions." When you chose that word for the title of your book, Mr. President, were you referring to your arrogant disregard for your own personal safety, or Latisha's? Latisha Williams is dying to find out.