No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.
— Article 1, Section 9, United States Constitution
If the Emoluments Clause was worth putting in the Constitution, it’s worth republishing here.
Of course, soliciting and accepting gifts is only the latest impeachable offense by the Kennedy Center chairman. It’s blatant, but it’s not the first—and not even necessarily the worst. It’s just the most in-your-face.
However, even though it’s so obvious and disgusting to any moral observer, the most relevant point for readers of The Cornwall Democrat is not what happens in Doha and Washington. It’s how so many of our neighbors, some quite proudly, still support this criminal regime. They still fly the flags. They still watch the mouthpieces on TV. They still argue the arguments or try the “both sides” rhetoric.
It’s disappointing. Infuriating even, if you go that way.
And it’s why their local candidates are unfit for office. Not because they’re necessarily guilty of the same corruption. Not because they are also convicted felons. Not because they defy court orders or solicit bribes. But because they’re still on the same side. Still defending. Still cheering on. Still willing to run on the same corrupted ballot line. How can any of us trust them?
Enough. Orange County is where it stops.
Most readers know that a lot of their neighbors care about the country, about democracy, and about actual freedom (not the brass-plated kind). But those folks don’t always know how to leave, how to shake it off and break the fever. Part of our job is to make it clear that Orange County, New York State, and America want them back.
If we do it right, maybe some more of our neighbors will join us.