James Madison fashioned a government of three bodies locked in a synchronous orbit by their countervailing powers. The system of separation of powers was not created to protect the authority of each branch for its own sake. Rather, it is the primary protection of individual rights because it prevents the concentration of power in any one branch. In this sense, Obama is not simply posing a danger to the constitutional system; he has become the very danger that separation of powers was designed to avoid.

SANTA MONICA, California -- FWD.us, the immigration reform initiative founded by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, plans to launch a massive political push in December to support President Barack Obama's planned executive action on immigration. On Tuesday evening, it brought roughly 100 entrepreneurs to a "mini-hackathon" at tech incubator Cross Campus as part of a nationwide push to support the president's strategy.
Though FWD.us declares that its mission is "to advocate for policies that will make the American dream achievable in the 21st century economy," its main focus is immigration reform, which it describes as necessary both for economy growth and to "live up to our American ideals." The group includes tech heavyweights such as Microsoft's Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates; Google's Eric Schmidt; and former Napster founder Sean Parker.

Materials distributed at Tuesday's gathering, one in a series of monthly meetings, called for "[e]ncouraging the President to take meaningful executive action, both for undocumented immigrants and talented tech workers in need of visas." The FWD.us organizers refer to such executive action as "administrative relief," rather than "executive amnesty," the term favored by opponents of the president's anticipated unilateral effort.

[ They just want cheaper workers. ]

Details about the president's proposed actions have leaked in recent weeks, and Republicans have called upon President Obama to reveal his plans before, rather than after, Election Day. The tech community appears to have accepted a Republican victory on Nov. 4 as a given, and is pressing ahead with efforts to shape public opinion in support of the president, regardless of constitutional problems or policy questions that may arise.

The activists of FWD.us explicitly model their campaign on the effort to secure gay marriage. "Take the movement for marriage equality," materials distributed at the event said. "It's hard to oppose marriage for gay couples when you know the stories of your LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer] friends, family, and coworkers."

Accordingly, FWD.us is seeking to compile stories and videos of immigrants or illegal aliens talking about their respective predicaments: "With stories, we can push the needle of public opinion."