PrintApril 28, 2011
No time for 'this kind of silliness'?
Mr. Obama holds the highest office in the land and promotes himself as a constitutional lawyer yet views the eligibility of his elected position as "silly". What else does he view as silly and simply not worthy of his time to consider as serious? Perhaps the Constitution itself? Perhaps even his oath of office?
When Mr. Obama came before the cameras (yet again) to make a momentous announcement, it was not that he had made headway into solving the horrific problem of our national debt. It was not to give honor to our nine citizens fallen in battle in Afghanistan or to offer condolences to the victims of multiple tornadoes. It was not even to promote his already launched second term campaign. Mr. Obama stood before the camera and the gathered press to inform them that he views the requirements of a presidential candidate as a thing not to be taken solemnly.
Webster defines "silly" in two ways: 1) as happy, guileless or inoffensive or 2) as foolish, intellectually weak, witless, simple, showing folly, unwise and stupid.
There is no doubt in which way our nation's elected leader regards the requirements of office that were set forth by our Founding Fathers. Or does he consider them silly as well? As an educator of both children and non-English speaking adults, whenever such a phrasing style is used, it is natural for me to break it down into various perspectives as would come from my students. The remark "we do not have time for this kind of silliness..." (ie: confirming the existence and status of a president's birth certificate) leads me to contemplate "for just what kind of silliness do we have time, Mr. Obama?"
Is there time for the foolish and intellectually weak actions of cross-country campaign jaunts or the witless and simple lecturing to world famous FaceBook employees and their young billionaire founder on how to be successful and work as a team? Really, should we make time for showing folly with regards to our national debt and its path to ruination? Why not take true quality time for unwise and stupid embracing of confirmed terrorists and threats to our very Homeland?
For many other kinds of silliness, it seems we do indeed have much time. In fact, all the time in the world to kill as the calendar turns into another month and then another. If enough time passes in our current daily mode of "moving forward" and "going forward" vocabulary, then it will be too late to attend to our "complaints" of birth location or even citizenship. Pesky problems will often settle themselves or simply go away of their own exhaustion if worn down by time. So, for other kinds of silliness there is plenty of time.
But we now must get serious to deal with the many problems of our country. No one was really serious before because they dared to be silly about such silly things...like the law of the land. At least that is the opinion of the lawyer-in-chief. So, let's all work together and move forward and keep on moving real fast so no one notices that the clock is ticking, the calendar pages are turning, and the law no longer matters in the oval office.
Oh, and those pesky problem folks called Tax-Paying Citizens, they will have to find something else to be silly about now. I suggest the "silliness" of the 2012 presidential campaign. But let's follow Webster's #1 definition for a campaign that is silly with happy, guileless, inoffensive candidates and management in order to avoid a #2 silliness this time around.
Silly president, tricks are for kids...not Patriots.
