To the editor: In his piece trying to distinguish the “swamp” from the “deep state,” Jonah Goldberg presents what many on the right claim about the deep state and then argues that it doesn’t exist.
However, there’s indeed a deep state, and it’s very much active. It’s made up of around 3 million dedicated individuals working for the federal government or serving in our military. They all share a common commitment: an oath of office pledging to “protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
The Constitution is crystal clear in its preamble about whom it serves: “we the people.”
Everything the government does — its departments, functions, and various agencies — is meant to serve us, the people. Those who are employed in these departments work for our benefit. They aren’t beholden to a specific party or individual; their duty is to the people.
Each agency is equipped with an organization chart and a chain of command that employees adhere to as long as the directives align with the Constitution and established law.
Elections decide who our chief executive and board of directors will be — the president and members of Congress. Yet, these elected officials don’t own the government; we the people retain complete ownership. An election doesn’t equate to a hostile takeover where ownership changes hands.
Norman Rodewald, Moorpark
