I’ve seen plenty of statements recently (here, here, here, here and here) about President Obama and the current administration’s lack of leadership and/or absence of leadership. On the surface of it, this seems to be true, but it isn’t the whole truth. The whole truth is that there is never a complete absence or lack of leadership. There are only different kinds of leadership.

Actions speak louder than words.

Our nation has long been sustained within the Rule of Law. The parameters for the Rule of Law within our nation were established by our founding fathers in the Constitution of the United States and in the Bill of Rights.

Suppose for a moment that an individual or group of individuals wanted to usurp the Rule of Law and replace it with the Rule of Men. If this is indeed a goal that this individual or group of individuals is hoping to accomplish, would it be unnatural to see them act in such a way that reflects putting themselves above the Rule of Law?

Regarding the current administration, there is ample evidence to indicate a very low respect to the point of disdain for the Rule of Law, as displayed through  violation of due process, public ridicule for SCOTUS, contempt of the court in Louisiana, failure to abide by the ruling of a judge, refusal to abide by the law regarding FOIAs, allowing federal agencies to obstruct justice by refusing to meet FOIA requests, etc.  

The Process of Acclimation

By definition, acclimation is the process of becoming accustomed to a new environment. Acclimation is also a step in the process of behavior modification, along with systematic desensitization. There are many ways in which these processes could be used for a positive purpose. There are also ways that these processes could be used to decrease conscious objections to what is taking place within someone’s environment.

It’s much like the old experiment of the frog and boiling water. As the temperature is slowly increased, the frog becomes acclimated to the change in temperature, desensitized to the increase in temperature, and totally unaware of the dangers that exist in that environment. At each point along the way, as the environment changes, the frog become less resistant to those changes and simply accepts those changes as part of the new “normal” in its environment.

What kind of leadership is being provided for us?

One of the basic principles of leadership is leading by example, and within the context of this principle, actions speak louder than words.

The kind of leadership that is being provided for us is such that it pits lawlessness against lawful, personal “rights” against “freedom for all”, etc.  Little by little, inch by inch, we are being led in the direction of becoming acclimated to the Rule of Men.

For law-abiding and self-respecting citizens who possess any sense of patriotism and love for this nation, this usurpation of the Rule of Law is something that we find intolerable and rightly so.

The cost of losing the Rule of Law will be high.  It will cost us the loss of Justice as a virtue in the environment in which we live.

Along with all the rights that individuals may expect to receive in this country come responsibilities, and one of the greatest of all responsibilities is to protect and preserve “liberty and justice for all”.

Where others may not provide the kind of leadership that allows us as a nation to succeed in this, the responsibility falls to the citizens, to we the people, to ensure for the sake of our nation’s sovereignty and for the sake of future Americans that Justice prevails.