Tondeleo: The other night I was in the Washington area and drove to the backwoods of Nanjemoy, MD to visit Doc and Marilyn. They had been at Bruce's house watching the presidential debates on Bruce's satellite TV ("It shoots them pictures all the way from America to outer space and back to a tv set, Tondy"). Doc and Bruce were educating Marilyn on how it has all changed in America the last several years. Every now and then I would try to correct them, and of course, I was wrong because I am not American. Fortunately I had my recording stick to catch Doc's summary of American Government and how it works. Here are some pertinent excerpts.
Doc: Tondy, you ain't no American so you don't understand what they is doin' up there in the government. See, America was found on the idea that the people give rights to the government. The government don't give rights to the people. I learnt that in 8th grade.
Here's how America is put together. It was God on top, then the people and then the government. The government is s'posed to answer to the people, not the other way around. That's why they's called public servants.
When the government tries to take the place of God, we got problems. In all them other countries, the government is in the place of God an' everyone loses.
We learnt in 8th grade one nation under God. They could talk about God back then in school. The people is in the middle and the government on bottom is why we have free speech. The government can't tell no American what he can say or not say. We have freedom of the press which means we can write what we want and the government cain't stop us.
Freedom of religion is the same thing. They cain't tell us to have religion or not, and we don't want no government to join up with religion. Nope, you let 'em in an' they'll take over an' make the church part of the government. That's what they did in England what set the people off an' I don't blame them. The government's job ain't to tell us when and where we can worship the Lord.
They's other rights. Like to own a gun, not just for huntin but to protect your property an family. Cops cain't get there on time, so a man or woman has to protect they's own selfs and then the cops get there and do the paperwork. You also need a gun to keep the government from getting out of control like it did in England afore they came to America. People what caint protect themselves will be victims of government.
They's more rights, too but I can't remember 'em all.
They don't give us freedoms, the Lord does and then we give some power to the government.
Here's another thing about America. I count on this one and so do you. Well I do, you cain't cause you ain't no American. They cain't throw a American in jail. Even the president cain't put you in jail. To put a American in jail, you got to bring up twelve people like him or like her if it's a woman American, and only if everyone of them says the person is guilty can they be put in jail. If you don't agree with that, then you can appeal and ask for a new trial. And they don't try the PERSON, Tondy, they tries the EVIDENCE. Evidence don't lie, people do. If the evidence aint there, nobody's going to jail. It is important to put an American in jail.
Here's the last thing I can remember about the government. Has to do with presidents. He can only be there for four years, and if he does a good job, another four but that's it. He needs to go. That way he cain't mess us up too bad. Look at what George Bush done and then thank God the president aint serving 6 years at a time.
If the President is wrong and breaks the law, the American people can peach him. Throw him out and let the vice president finish out. That's the way it was set up for over here Tondy, not like England where you come from, but we are getting worse and worse.
The government wants to say the Lord don't exist, so they can be on top over the people and become what's it dictators? But not that, just controlling the people and takin' everything the people earn and spending it how they want, which is why they used to teach us that Russia was so bad. It was a atheist country where the government is in the place of the Lord. America is trying to do that, and it will go broke just like Russia did. That's your history lesson, Tondy. But it aint like that in America anymore.
