The Matter of Law and Protocol
SOTUA
Unaccommodating House
By Stephen L. Wilmeth
The lights
of home or at least the lights of a welcome house have always been a point of
reference.
Aunt Mary
and Uncle Hap’s at the mouth of the Mangus, Blue and Minnie’s at the bottom of
Sacaton, and Jupe and Genie’s at the head of Buckhorn are examples. They were
destinations that signaled friendly confines in big and empty space. Up to the
moment of witnessing them, the only illumination came from the pickup lights,
the stars, or the moon.
They were
always met with great anticipation.
For one
thing, your arrival was expected and welcome. You had been invited and the
occasion was invariably highly anticipated.
A renewal
in practice and in formality took place. Relationships were strengthened.
Ceremony and practice were important parts of life, tended to resolve matters
of differences, and … kept us together.
The Matter of Law and Protocol
George
Washington delivered his first presidential message before a joint session of
Congress on January 8, 1790 in New York City. His notes remain a thing of
beauty extended in his personalized calligraphy.
History
suggests he dreaded the process based on his speech and his personal
appearance, but he was resolved, like he was in all matters of state, to follow
the dictates of the Constitution that he had pledged his life time and again.
Thomas
Jefferson so dreaded the process that in 1801 he sent his written report to
Congress to be read to the joint session by a clerk. That approach became the
practice followed until the Twentieth Century when Woodrow Wilson again began
presenting the nation’s annual update in speech form.
In all
cases, though, it was a formal summary of the president’s view of the
disposition of our nation’s status. The Constitution, Article II, Section 3
demanded it.
He shall from time to
time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to
them Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.
President Roosevelt (the FDR
version) started the reference to the “State of the Union” and, since the ‘40s,
that term has become the official title of the President’s annual message not
just to Congress, but to the Nation.
The 20th
Amendment changing the opening of Congress from early March to early January forced
the timing of the report to take place in January or February of the new year
rather than the final days of the previous calendar year. The date has been a
function of the Speaker of the House who extends a formal invitation to the
President welcoming him to the People’s House, the chamber of the House of
Representatives, where there is adequate room for the joint session of Congress
with their guests and other dignitaries.
As it
should be, the protocol has become very formal. Just after 9 PM EST, the House
Sergeant at Arms stands just inside the Chamber’s door, faces the Speaker of
the House, and, when the President is ready, loudly announces, “Madam Speaker,
the President of the United States!”
The problem
is … the President of these United States has not yet been extended the
courtesy of an invitation to the People’s Chamber in this, the Year of our
Lord, 2019.
Unaccommodating House
After the
greetings and the normal applause, the Speaker has become expected to introduce
the President to those assembled with, Members
of Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor to presenting to you
the President of the United States.
The
question today is, “Will we hear those words?” or will precedent and protocol
be unilaterally dismissed by the current and temporal holder of the position of
Speaker of the House.
Using
history as a guide, the presentation of SOTUA has obviously changed. From
Washington’s speech to the simple practice of the 19th Century of
sending a written report to the modern expansion of speaking not just to
Congress but the People in the various forms of electronic communication, there
is nothing in stone except the demand by The Constitution to report the status
of the nation to the Congress.
If the
President is not welcome in the People’s Chamber, perhaps it is time for him to
come to the People. He can certainly be hooked up to the big screen in that
Chamber where his haters can gather and hiss and jeer. They could even eat
popcorn, peanuts and drink beer for the janitors that serve them to clean up.
For that matter, maybe they want to change their own practice of some degree of
civilized decorum, come out of their closets, and smoke the preferred dope of
their pledged support.
But,
seriously, maybe it is time for the President to select a special place of high
interest and need and come to the people.
There could
be no better place in this nation that would be more appropriate for such a
visit this year than New Mexico’s Bootheel and the tiny port of entry at
Antelope Wells. The entire population of
the Playas Valley would and could turn out to greet him … all 40 or so of them.
SOTUA
Regardless
of the words used to couch reassurance, the state of our nation is not good.
Half of us
know, that, if push came to shove, we don’t have the support of the other half
on the basis of common defense and reasonableness. Antelope Wells is a supreme
feature of the plight of our status in rural America. It is where a few days
ago more than 200 illegals arrived to have their group picture taken as the
daily reporting class of largely anti-Americans arriving to assume their rights
and privileges within our system.
Crisis?
There is no
current crisis! Chaos and lawlessness have been going on here for 100 years!
Stephen L. Wilmeth is a rancher from southern New
Mexico. “President Trump, you are welcome in our camp, this outpost of
America’s wildest frontier!”
No comments:
Post a Comment