A Peaceful Transfer Of Power

Today is a historic day in American history, an event that occurs every four years. According to the Constitution of the United States, under the XX Amendment, the inauguration of the president must take place at 12 noon eastern time.

Barack Obama, who was elected president this past November and confirmed by the Electoral College in December, is poised to become the 44th president of these United States. He is also the first person of African descent to ascend to the presidency.

America is a rarity among nations, a country where the peaceful transfer of power takes place in orderly fashion without fear of coup, war, political strife, etc. I say this to counter some of the silliness that has taken place over the past several months from some on the far left who suggest that our 43rd president, George W. Bush, will not relinquish power.

For more than 232 years, an orderly transition from president to president has taken place and, yes, I most certainly recall the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon who was replaced by Gerald R. Ford, one of the most tumultuous times in American history.

To that end, I will share with you the XX Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which outlines the transfer of power that we Americans hold so dear:

AMENDMENT XX

Passed by Congress March 2, 1932. Ratified January 23, 1933.

Note: Article I, section 4, of the Constitution was modified by section 2 of this amendment. In addition, a portion of the 12th amendment was superseded by section 3.

Section 1.
The terms of the President and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

Section 2.
The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.

Section 3.
If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.

Section 4.
The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.

Section 5.
Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the ratification of this article.

Section 6.
This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission.

Source: Charters of Freedom: The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights

A Communist By Any Other Name…

…Is A Repressed Capitalist!

Seeing Red In The People’s Republic Of China

I’m about to violate at least two precepts related to blogging today: I’m going to be a bit “off topic” and I will cross the great political divide. As this is the most personal of my blogs, I am hoping that you will indulge me just this once. At least for the next five minutes or so.

Search Engine Redirects — Government Retaliation?

In the news today there are reports that three U.S.-based search engines — Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft — are currently being hijacked in China and users there are being redirected to Baidu, a search engine owned by the Chinese government. According to a published report, this activity began soon after President Bush awarded the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award offered by lawmakers.

Calling For An End To Religious Repression

In a highly symbolic ceremony held in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building, President Bush praised the Dalai Lama while calling for an end to religious repression. Certainly, the meeting with the Dalai Lama and the words the president used were considered provocative by the Chinese government, thus the apparent retaliation against the search engines.

What Is Really Going On

I’m certain that many people are dismissing what President Bush did as yet another of his political missteps. This isn’t about Iraq, the war on terror, or illegal immigration, rather the president’s action underscores two things related to China:

1. We in the west are highly ignorant to what is going on in China. Thousands of people are imprisoned even executed for their religious beliefs, whether they are called Buddhist, Falun Gong1, Christian, or Muslim. Religious intolerance is unwritten government policy and has been in place since the communists took power in 1949.
2. Doing business with China means doing business on their terms. You may gain the right to offer your products or services in China, but it must be done according to their laws.2 I’m not saying that a company shouldn’t do business in and with the People’s Republic of China, but it is clear that you are expected to behave in a way you wouldn’t in a democratic society.

Am I being anti-Chinese? No, but as a Christian I am against religious persecution no matter what the belief. I know that the “little red book” pictured above isn’t the backbone of Chinese politics today, but state control is.

My Google Analytic stats for this site are telling — while the number of visitors from Pacific Rim countries is good, e.g. the Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea and Japan, I receive no traffic from mainland China. Other webmasters have observed the same giving support to what is widely known, but rarely discussed: China continues to repress her people.

Photo Credit: Meghan Anderson-Colangelo; Albuquerque, New Mexico