Op-Ed by Dr. Eric Herfert
Lies In Plain View…
Being able to believe what you want, and then being able to share those ideas with other people, and finally being able to act on what you believe are the most sacred rights that we as Americans hold dear to our hearts. What we believe is at the core of our being… who we are as a people… and why we do what we do in life. If we cannot act on our ideals, provided we don’t injure anyone else, are we really free? Our Founding Fathers understood this problem and therefore enshrined the ideals of: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, in our Declaration of Independence, and then later guaranteed to protect these “God given rights” by enshrining in the Constitution of United States of America the first ten amendments starting with, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press: or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances,” and then followed by, “The right to bear arms…” “The right to no illegal searches or seizures…” “The right of not incriminating yourself…” “The right to trial by a jury of our peers…” etc. These God given rights and their exercise thereof are fundamental to all of us being a free people.
These rights are not something new to mankind though. These rights can be found described in various ways in the Holy Bible with the law that God handed down to Moses for the children of Israel. When people speak of “COMMON LAW,” as in “common law marriage” for instance, they are referring to these laws and rights that were recorded in scripture that were “common to and ruled all men”… even kings! The history of American law (including our constitution) can be traced back to English law and eventually even farther back to “Biblical law.” The American colonists when they came to this continent brought with them their legal traditions from England, based on this common law, and incorporated these traditions into their system of government that culminated eventually with our Founding Fathers establishing our federal constitution.
The colonists had been practicing self-government for a century and a half before England tried to take away their self-government and ancient rights following the end of the “French and Indian War” in 1763. The American War for Independence was at heart a war to re-establish self-government and the protection of these ancient rights. This is why the Declaration of Independence goes to great lengths to name off “the violations of these ancient rights by the King of England” and provides the rationale of why the colonists should be free in order that they could protect these ancient rights. They acknowledged that this right to throw off oppressive government was right common to all mankind… even us, their descendants in America today! They devised a system of government that divided power between the various branches of the federal government, the states, and the people, in order to protect or God given rights. This is what is so special about these documents, our history, and why freedom has been so cherished in our country.
How Far We Have Fallen
How many times have you heard Americans say how thankful they are for these freedoms that many other peoples around the world don’t enjoy? Probably a lot! Through our government leaders, the media, our educational leaders, our religious leaders, and through other leaders of various organizations you hear at various time how thankful we should be for these rights. If only this were true! Sadly, the next time I hear someone say how thankful he or she is for these freedoms, I think I will scream or throw up. We all are living under a massive delusion when we claim to still be free. The evidence to support my statement is all around us and IN PLAIN SIGHT, but the average American citizen has become so detached from our history and so passive in standing up for their God given rights that they cannot see past the massive lies that are all around us. The average American is now willing to settle for a “few crumbs” and call that freedom. If you speak to people who have lived under repressive regimes like the former Soviet Union they understand what I am speaking about. But sadly, Americans have become like the proverbial frog that was slowly boiled so it wouldn’t jump to free himself and therefore it slowly dies. The truth is we have been living under a “police state” in our beloved United States for quite some time — especially since September 11th, 2001. Our “Bill of Rights” has been “shredded” and most Americans don’t seem to care as long as they can still “shop” and follow their “favorite television shows.”
Don’t believe me? Just try enforcing some of your God given rights. Try taking a picture of the police, a government building (especially federal), a bridge, a dam, or how about something wrong that the police or a government agent are doing and see how free you really are. You will probably end up UNDER ARREST; or at least have your camera taken away (stolen). For instance, people are regularly told when traveling by plane that it is “illegal” to take pictures of the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) doing their job, or that it is “illegal” to record your conversation with the TSA when they are doing their searches of your person and belongings. Even though the courts have repeatedly said that it is not illegal. Here is another example, try handing out anti-abortion literature in front of an abortion clinic. You will probably get “man handled” and possibly arrested. How about this, try handing out Christian literature in a high profile public place, or try to have a peaceful protest in the public square “without a permit” from the city, county, or state. You will probably end up being arrested and spending some time in jail, particularly if you try to do it more than once. What part of “MAKE NO LAW” doesn’t our government officials understand in regard to our constitutional rights? Do we have these rights, or are they now privileges that we must ask a tyrannical government for?
Recently U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky engaged in a “filibuster” holding up the conformation of the new director of the CIA. This was a rare spectacle considering the sad state of affairs with the people we send to Congress. The senator used the filibuster procedure to call attention to the fact that our current President believes he has the right to ”execute United States citizens on American soil” without “legal due process” and “trial by jury” for anyone he deems to be a threat to the country. In particular, it was the use of “aerial drones” for assassination of U.S. citizens that was called into question. Sadly, the U.S. Attorney General, the top lawyer in the federal government, wouldn’t give his opinion on the legality of this barbaric idea. Senator Paul stood his ground for 13 hours and called attention to how out of control and tyrannical the government that was created to protect our God given rights has become and how it regularly trashes our Constitution. Even more ominous, since the 2012 election, Americans have seen laws passed that take away our “right to bear arms.” When a people lose the right to defend their lives, then true tyranny has taken over the nation. And yet in spite of these over the top assaults on our cherished liberties… Americans still think they are free!
Many Americans don’t know that they have lost their rights because they have never tried to enforce them. Our courts have said time and again to our citizens engaged in legal battles with the federal and state governments that the government has no obligation to protect your God given rights and… that it is up to each American to rigorously enforce their rights. Sadly, most of our fellow citizens just go along with the “flow of things” not realizing that a dangerous cliff is coming up ahead. If a government official or the police say “jump” most people do as they are told regardless of the constitutional legality of what they have been ordered. The citizens of Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, and Communist China initially also just went along with the flow of things and then found themselves in brutal, repressive, systems of government that ended up killing millions of its citizens. History doesn’t lie, but sadly so too few Americans know any history other than who won the last Oscars or the last Super Bowl!
My Personal Experience
A number of years ago the office-building complex where I have my chiropractic practice had a fire. The fire was a smoldering electrical fire in the office next store to mine that had been going on probably all weekend. We called the fire department and soon there was a swarm of fire fighters and police in our parking lot. I had six patients waiting at the time in the reception area. All of us were told we had to immediately leave the building, even though there was no fire in my office, and a “firewall” separated us from the building next to us. I wanted first to shut down the office equipment, computers, etc. before I left the building. Because I delayed leaving the building a deputy sheriff threatened to “ARREST ME!” In response to the sheriff’s threats I said, “Isn’t this my private property and who am I endangering but myself (which was debatably)… it is my life!” None of this made any difference to the Gestapo agent I was dealing with!
As soon as I left the building, I had to endure watching complete strangers march in and out of my building without my permission. When I objected, I was threatened with arrest again. After finally being allowed to enter my office, I found that all the water had been shut off in my office. It is important to note that the electrical system, plumbing, etc. are all separate for each office in our complex. There is no connection between the various offices. If I had been asked this by any of the LITTLE DICTATORS who were marching in and out of my office, I could have told them this and saved them a lot of trouble. The sheriff who was out of control that day also threaten me with arrest because she said I was “too close to my own building” for her liking! There truly is no such thing as private property anymore… we are all just tenants of the state! When the government considers you a “tenant” they don’t have to worry about your private property rights!
Around ten years ago I sued a health insurance company for breach of contract and fraud when they tried to get me to ration care to my patients in violation of the provider agreement and the patient’s contract. And even though my case made national headlines, it didn’t stop me from experiencing corruption like I never could have imagined. My attorney was “disbarred” by a panel of attorneys, who had the same lawyer on it who was being sued for malpractice by my attorney (by another client), and this “CONFLICT OF INTEREST” was never addressed. After approximately $30,000.00 and two years of nothing happening. No discovery… no depositions… I was advised to withdraw my lawsuit. Later when our state chiropractic association took up the case, the same conflicts of interest arose again when the first judge hearing the case refused to step down from the case even though she had done a lot of legal work for the same insurance company being sued!
My father once said to me, “We have courts of law, not courts of justice, and there is a big difference between the two!” I am sad to say I learned this truth the hard way! When circumstance happen like what happened with my office, my mother, and with my lawsuit, you realize that we all are just “wards of the state” and “inmates in a prison,” and that talk of freedom is just a lot of smoke and mirrors. How can we be free if there is a different standard for corporate America and the rich than for you and I?
“My Beloved Mother”
A year ago my mother collapsed unconscious at a local restaurant. Immediately my wife and I asked someone to call 911 and we began CPR. After a minute of CPR, and a short prayer, my mother regained consciousness and was talking again. By this time the paramedics and police arrived and took over. Since my mother had been my patient for a long time, I knew her history, which is very important in an emergency situation. I tried to alert the paramedics of possible allergic reactions to medication based on my mother’s past history, but was pretty much ignored by everyone, especially the police. Probably this happened because I am a doctor of chiropractic… not a real doctor in their eyes! When I attempted to ride with my mother in the ambulance, I was told “NO,” and I ended up having a confrontation with a belligerent police officer, who was so out of control that he was literally “SHAKING WITH ANGER.” Tragically, my mother lost consciousness on the way to the emergency room and died. I was denied the opportunity to help save her and to be there with my mother in her dying moments. My rights and my mother’s rights were violated by individuals, who had no connection to my mother and were just “doing their job” in their minds. To this day I wonder if the failure to get all the relevant history and facts concerning my mother to the necessary individuals would have made a difference in saving her life.
My Conscience And My Prayer
I think you can understand why someone going on about “the freedoms that we enjoy in our country” is so insulting to my conscience and an affront to reason. I am sure that there are literally millions of similar stories that could be told by the people of this country about how oppressive our government has become. The truth is we have been conquered by a bunch of “criminals and thugs” and most Americans seem happy at the fact as long as they have their “bread and circuses” like the Romans of two thousand years ago. Yes, we vote, but how much difference does our vote make anymore when we have a “monstrous, corporate run government system” that basically attempts to control every aspect of our lives? The oath sworn to “uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution” means nothing to the criminals we have in Washington D.C. and our state capitals. These corrupt individuals rule over us as though slavery still exists… and most of us are happy at the fact because we like it that way! How can I say such a thing? Our response to our slavery is… just feed us, cloth us, put a roof over our heads, and give us our entertainment. Yes, we still sing patriotic songs that end with words like “the home of the brave and the land of the free,” and we still wave little American flags on the 4th of July, but regardless of how many patriotic songs we sing and flags we wave… our freedoms today are just a bunch of smoke and mirrors!
I pray practically every day THAT OUR CREATOR WAKES US UP as a nation, and that our people decide to be free once more and stand up for their God given rights. I also pray that Our Father In Heaven shows us His mercy, which can help us to change our ways. We were created by God to be free men and women so that we could voluntarily serve Him and treat one another how He has shown us through His Son. God gave us His laws to protect us and keep us free, but we have rejected the very laws that restrain those who would rule us unjustly. We have chosen a “shell of freedom” over the real thing and have paid the price for it! I pray to God that we all wake up and see the lies that are in plain view before us before it is too late! God have mercy on us all!
Yours In Truth,
Eric B. Herfert DC
About Tom and Ann Gendich