Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Charles Jenkins Did Not Violate His Oath of Office

Of all the charges thrown about regarding the Frederick County immigration proposal by Commissioner Charles Jenkins, the most irresposible is the charge that Jenkins somehow violated his oath of office. Local NAACP chapter president Guy Djoken is one culprit.
"Without any actual data sustaining his view, (Jenkins) is embarking on a campaign at odds with the current laws and his oath of office," said Guy Djoken, branch president for the Frederick County branch of the NAACP.
County Commission President Jan Gardner is another:
Gardner has said all along she opposes Jenkins' proposal, primarily because the federal government should craft immigration policy, but also because she does not believe school children should be targeted.

She has accused Jenkins of wanting to willingly break the law and violating his oath of office to the constitution.
To accuse Commissioner Jenkins of violating his oath of office is ludicrous on its face and Jenkins would be well within his rights to demand an apology from Gardner at least.

If proposing a law that would change existing law is a violation of one's oath to uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States, then every time a Congressmen went to the well of the House to drop a bill in the hopper, she would be violating her oath. The same holds true with any other legislator or elected official.

Jenkins did not violate his oath of office by proposing a change in the law or by proposing that a 25 year old court precedent be challenged. Had laws challenging court precedents never been passed, we would not have the nation we have. We could possibly still have slavery as a legal institution and we certainly would have segregation. Laws that are proposed and debated that seek to change existing law is how our nation grows and develops. We cannot have changes to the law without proposing changes, and proposing changes to the law is at the very heart of a legislators and County Commissioners duty.

Jan Gardner and Guy Djoken, you owe Charles Jenkins and apology and until you give him one, you can bet that neither of you will receive any support from me for anything, no matter how right you might be.

While Charles Jenkins may not be in the same position, I can afford to be vindictive.

Crossposted

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