Obamacare, Gruber, amnesty, Benghazi, IRS, Fast and Furious, scandal after scandal. The list goes on and on, yet we do nothing. Congratulations. Republicans won in overwhelming numbers, and yet we do nothing!

Our Founders were willing to die for the rights espoused in the declaration they crafted and signed at their own peril. Their document boldly proclaimed our right to live in freedom, a freedom to be protected, not threatened, by the rule of the government. The basic rights and freedoms enumerated in the Declaration of Independence included the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These rights were God-given and could not be eliminated even by a king or a government. It is startling to many people today that the same types of injustices that led to the Revolution are reoccurring in America today. It was heavy-handed authoritarian control and unfair laws our founders were against. There are many similarities between today’s issues in the United States and the issues the colonies experienced leading up to the Declaration. Our founders were called “traitors and radicals” and then the people rebelled.

The oath of office of the president of the United States requires him to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. This obviously includes what may be the most important part of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights. Barack Hussein Obama has repeatedly violated his oath of office by seeking to limit both the individual rights and the rights of the states guaranteed in the first ten amendments to the Constitution.

Obama has undermined the integrity of his office, has brought disrepute on the presidency, has betrayed his trust as president and has acted in a manner subversive of the rule of law and justice, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.

What is going on in Washington, D.C., today make no mistake is tyranny at the highest level. Wake up, my fellow Americans. Freedom is under assault. Our Constitution is under assault. Our way of life is under assault. Will you continue to sit idly by and do nothing? I fear as long as most Americans have their dancing, football, singing and live comfortably, most will continue to do nothing and look the other way.

Many presidents have done damage to our Constitution. Obama has taken it to a new level and believes he is now king. Liberty is to be jealously guarded, and I’m afraid we as Americans are looking the other way due to the fact most of us live comfortably. If you continue to remain silent, it could cost us everything.

A king without subjects is not a king. Obama is not my king nor is he my president. He does not believe in our country or our founding and the Constitution. One voice is not enough. I implore you to stand and speak out along with me.

When it comes down to it, many Americans simply don’t have the spine or fortitude to stand up and fight, even with liberty on the line. But self-government requires the people to engage and take action. Otherwise the system begins to run on its own accord, growing ever larger, more powerful and less responsive to those it was meant to serve. Soon the servant becomes the master. Sometimes, we have to stand up and cut the monster back down to size. It’s hard. It’s messy. And sometimes, it’s downright scary. But stand up we must.

Wes Rhinier lives in Rowan County. 

My Turn submissions should be 500-700 words. Send to ecook@salisburypost.com with “My Turn” in the subject line. Please include name, address, phone number and a digital photo of yourself, if possible.