Washington crossing the Delaware

“If the representatives of the people betray their constituents, there is then no resource left but in the exertion of that original right of self-defense which is paramount to all positive forms of government, and which against the usurpation of the national ruler, may be exerted with infinitely better prospect of success than against those of the ruler of an individual State. In a single State, if the person entrusted with supreme power become usurpers, the different parcels, subdivisions or districts of which it consists, having no distinct government in each, can take no regular measure for defense. The citizens must rush tumultuously to arms, without concert, without system, without resource; except in their courage and despair. The usurpers, clothed with the forms of legal authority, can too often crush the opposition in embryo.”

“It may safely be received as an axiom in our political system, that the State governments will, in all possible contingencies, afford complete security against invasions of the public liberty by the national authority.” Publius, Number 28, The Federalist

Helotism

A conservative’s comments:

While Alexander Hamilton’s sentiment is one I can agree with, the trouble is knowing where to start the fight. The statist enemy is vague and formless; they are as prevalent as the air we breathe. The seeds of this pervasive network were planted long ago, and now many varieties of the roots of the evil system have invaded every home. The vast majority of the levers of power are not in the hands of the elected officials but of appointed bureaucrats. Special interests, lobbying firms, and labor unions remain in their places to ambush new congressmen on the rare occasion that they are replaced. They are increasingly rarely replaced (“held accountable”) due to gerrymandering. Speaking of gerrymandering, you ain’t seen nothing yet now that Rahm is in control of the census!

The point is, if some simpleton were to decide that it was time to take America back to the founding principles by force, there is not a single person, institution, branch of government, or special interest group that stands out as the obvious first target. Eliminating the top 10 or even 50 leading statists or statist groups would not even make a dent in the ways and speeds with which statism is encroaching on the culture. Frankly, the only way forward is to win hearts and minds with good conduct and good logic, looking for those “teachable moments” when individual leftists catch a glimpse of the true nature of the Emperor’s new robes.

All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing. And we good men did nothing as wave after wave of cultural evils swept over our society. Our ability to appeal to logic and reason is useless against the typical Obama voter, as 14 years of indoctrination in government schools is specifically designed to produce unquestioning, compliant workers incapable of critical thought. They know how to sort out their feelings on a myriad of issues, but they can’t work out simple problems of cause and effect. Most have been converted to the new state religion of environmentalism. Most believe that ethics are situational, the ends justify the means, that the majority should universally prevail over the individual, and that proposed new leftist government programs will miraculously be efficiently proctored by angelic beings unsusceptible to sloth, graft, and corruption.

On top of all that, the typical American “conservative” is not actually a free moral agent or a free thinker. It isn’t learning new stuff that is so hard, it is deprogramming oneself and unlearning all the myths, half-truths, and PC garbage that was almost subliminally implanted due to the earliness of its insertion. A conservative is willing to speak out, unless they are at work or someplace where the PC police will come down on them like a ton of bricks. Until this changes, nothing else will. Conservative and Republican are not synonyms, but many people think they are, and so they consider their biannual pulling of the ‘R’ lever their sufficient contribution to the cause. Much work remains to be done to root the corruption and unconstitutional and fascist policies from the Republican party. Having a pro-life plank does not make the Republican party the party of God.

Turning the tide is going to require on an individual basis braver outspokenness, conviction in the truths of limited government and laissez-faire economics, clear and concise articulation, the wisdom and humility to brush off boilerplate ad hominem arguments, and an ability to patiently wait for, spot, and seize those teachable moments in the lives of government-indoctrinated individuals. We must realize that children are no longer being taught about the greatness of our founding. The founders are actually cast as villains, depending on their interactions with slaves and Indians. We must be versed in topics such as Natural Law, Austrian Economics, and the fallen nature of man, and ready to be a history teacher at a moment’s notice. Focus on the basics. Leave advanced topics such as the evils of central banking, judicial review, and foreign policy for some other year. Some will risk their jobs and their status in their communities. Many will risk their family relationships. All must be willing to risk something in order to save our grand republic.

Read Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg and Liberty and Tyranny by Mark Levin. Go to mises.org and brush up on the many errors of Keynesian economic theory. Be sure to read L.Scott Smith’s book, American Unraveling, a Politically Incorrect Analysis of Public Faith and Culture.

Also, never forget that the root cause of all of our troubles is a morality crisis. There is a spiritual dimension to our present age. We have set ourselves adrift from earlier absolutes of right and wrong, with obviously disastrous results. Nevertheless, even the most stalwart Obama supporter has a law of transcendence written upon their heart, in parlance we call this a conscience. Most people begin to see more clearly once they get beyond their indoctrinations, emotions, and the party line talking points.

H. L. Mencken September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956

Quotes:

"Democracy gives the beatification of mediocrity a certain appearance of objective and demonstrable truth. The mob man, functioning as citizen, gets a feeling that he is really important to the world - that he is genuinely running things. Out of his maudlin herding after rogues and mountebanks there comes to him a sense of vast and mysterious power—which is what makes archbishops, police sergeants, the grand goblins of the Ku Klux and other such magnificoes happy. And out of it there comes, too, a conviction that he is somehow wise, that his views are taken seriously by his betters - which is what makes United States Senators, fortune tellers and Young Intellectuals happy. Finally, there comes out of it a glowing consciousness of a high duty triumphantly done which is what makes hangmen and husbands happy."

"The larger the mob, the harder the test. In small areas, before small electorates, a first-rate man occasionally fights his way through, carrying even the mob with him by force of his personality. But when the field is nationwide, and the fight must be waged chiefly at second and third hand, and the force of personality cannot so readily make itself felt, then all the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious and mediocre — the man who can most easily adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum.

"The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."


THE FALL OF AMERICA

Struggles are not new to America. I am referring here to the struggles we go through to maintain our economic health, our citizen’s freedom, our public faith, and our traditional values that made us the richest and most powerful nation in the history of man.

There are problems now, struggles as it were, facing America that, although not exactly new, are escalating at an exponential pace. These problems are easily named: Relativism, multiculturalism, socialism, egalitarianism, totalitarianism, authoritarianism, and fascism. Each presents a formidable problem for traditional America. Which is the worst of these and which will defeat us first?

If we look to the future, we might name multiculturalism. Muslims believe that, like Europe, they will take over the West, including America, without firing a shot. They will succeed by simple procreation. We repeat ourselves at 1.7 children per family, while they do so at 8 children per family. When that happens, our freedom will be lost to Sharia law.

We could name relativism, the philosophy that morality is dependent on circumstances, culture, and the right to do as one wishes, however aberrant that might be. Who can say what is right and wrong in a complex world? In a progressive world, the idea of the constant principles of the Constitution becomes outdated and counterproductive. It is part of the bowtie crowd, as tattoo enthusiasts like to say, whose ideas are dying in the dust.

We might postulate that “Global Governance” is not only the solution to the world’s environmental health but all other ills the world struggles with as well. And herein lies the looter’s philosophy reminiscent of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, a New World order that cries for a level playing field among the world’s businessmen. An idiotic idea that plays to the fair treatment of people to the demise of talent and productivity.

We could allude to our bending toward socialism, an appealing ideology to those who want government to take care of them: A system that demeans merit and productivity. Americans have become consumers, yet their greatness came from industrial giants whose productivity was unparalleled in history. We have given our productivity away, sold to the highest bidder, in favor of materialist squandering.

Or we could mention, to everyone’s disbelief if not chagrin, that we are in the midst of economic ruin. The question is, which of these problems will promulgate the fall of America first?

Forecasting the profusion of alternate cultures into our own by Central and South America, Asia, and the Middle East, experts put the downfall of America at approximately 50 years from now.

The rise of left-wing, liberal socialism is racing on a fast track to capturing America’s political identity. This movement dovetails with multiculturalism and must precede it. So … 20 years, if not tomorrow? With the election of Obama to the king’s throne of Pelosi, Reid, Holder, and others of their ilk, we might be there today.

While all of these problems cast clear and present dangers to America, our failing economy has reached critical mass. Our budget deficit is beyond repair. No amount of taxes will save us. Ending the war in Iraq and Afghanistan will not save us. Nothing will save us. The most apparent deficit is our federal leadership. They are gutless cowards. They will not save us. They cannot meet their promises, promises they only made to illicit votes, preying on our own ignorance. They knew they were cowards just as well as they knew they were politicians elected to represent us. Their cowardice, strangely mixed with arrogance, and profound stupidity has led to the ruin of America.

We need not wait for tomorrow or for that pale horse; we are in the midst of the fall of America as we speak. But with full bellies and an accompany lethargy, if not apathy, we not only don’t see our ruin but believe it can’t happen to us. It is said that people in love do stupid things. Hope is not far removed from love. Both represent an abstract concept that comes from the heart and not the brain. America’s hope is now revealed as stupidity, the result of millions of separate piles of chemicals with egos giving way to the circus barker selling promises.

We have betrayed our industrialists, our entrepreneurs, our innovators, our producers, and our powerful businessmen, whose government should answer to their well being and not the other way around. The return of the back slapping good ol’ boy is better than the bed wetting looters who wish to control our wealth.

The elite among us have become the ardent souls of hypocrisy.

Only by rising up from our denial, only by picking ourselves up from our lethargy, our fear, and our pain, and only by aggressively taking America back can we save ourselves. Only the principles of killology in concert with an intellectual revolution will turn our struggle around before blood runs in the streets.

Denial has no survival value.

Dr. Mortimer J. Adler (December 28, 1902- June 28, 2001). The Institute for Philosophical Research

Quotes:

- A man is not free who is not held responsible for his actions. jlg

- Complete freedom in a whole life would be possible only for an omnipotent being. Practical freedom is a matter of degree dependent both upon external circumstances and upon the nature of our desires. Bertrand Russell

- Some restraints are inevitable, some opportunities must be denied, simply because men have to live with one another and move differently to the attainment of antithetic desires. Harold J. Laski

- Although the necessity of some form of government and law must for the present be conceded, it is important to remember that all law and government is in itself in some degree an evil, only justifiable when it prevents other and greater evils. Hence, the problem we have to consider is not how to do without government, but how to secure its advantages with the smallest possible interference with freedom. Bertrand Russell

The Idea of Freedom

Freedom is an illusive concept and, like many other words we use, is often defined within the construct of those using it. Some have said that if the Constitution and its articles were abolished save the First Amendment, they could rebuild them. Others make a similar claim about the Second Amendment.

Are Liberty and Freedom the same? They are basic concepts like love knowledge, justice, and law. And, according to Mortimer J. Adler, “all make a substantial contribution toward the clarification of the central idea to which they are all related – the idea of man.”

Yet, men are existentially different, living and moving about in alternative realities. Though man is a communal animal, he is alone, occupying that space which no other animal or object occupies. Even so, his movements and decisions are often guided or coerced by external forces beyond his control. Thus his freedom is not absolute.

“The dialectic task is to remove the human element of diversity from the conversation, reporting from a purely objective, impartial, and neutral observation of the facts.” And while that is a noble undertaking, it is almost impossible to do. For example, is one’s freedom restricted or enlarged by the law? Does a socialist nation have more or less freedom than that of a Republic? Is freedom enhanced by more government or by less? The answers differ with perspective and diversity. Can we use language to dig beneath the surface of language to truly engage the thoughts of others?

Can man remove the bonds that tie him to his reality? If one is born and matures within a community, he seldom knows what lies beyond. His identity is tied to the rituals, the culture, and the sacred that reside there. He responds to the laws that tie his community together, those restrictions imposed on all in the community to provide security and reduce chaos to a minimum. And within the community, all else is directed by his freedom to choose within those restrictions. Does the introduction of outsiders marginalize his freedom or provide him with new, broader freedom enhanced by the addition of opportunities he had no knowledge of before?

If we do not agree on definition, we are discussing different subjects. Problematically, our alternative realities force us to define concepts differently. A small group of people were discovered on a Philippine island several years ago. They lived without shelter, simply huddling under trees during rain, spending the rest of their time foraging for food. They did not wear clothes or speak any intelligible language. The tribe had lived there in that manner for hundreds of years but had been reduced to just twelve members. They were the living example of in the introduction to Plato’s Cave. Yet, unlike what had happened so many times before, scientists, archeologists, anthropologists made the decision to leave them alone.

They were ungoverned, had no economy, no laws, and little knowledge beyond what it took to acquire food. They were restricted solely by their environment. Were they free? But, had they not been left alone and forced to be what we call civilized, they would be free from hunger, cold, heat, other animals, and insects. Yet they would be restricted by their inability to cope with a fast paced society that lived beyond their island and by laws they undoubtedly would not understand or see the value of. The list of restrictions on their freedom is almost limitless in our society. Who is freer?

One would believe that in America we do not have such alternative realities. Is it true? Diversity within our culture continues to grow, making it difficult to understand or agree with others who were, as well, introduced into our community. And that diversity is accompanied by the reduction of and imposition of our freedom. The atheist hopes to rid the American community of public faith, or better yet, faith period. The socialist hopes to rid the American community of capitalism, placing rigid guidelines on businessmen, giving his money to those with no penchant to earn their own. A revolutionary president hopes to “change America.” A growing liberal front hopes to deter individual responsibility with the assumption that freedom is enhanced by doing so. The First Amendment, a statement of freedom, is oft times adulterated in its absolution. And in doing so, allows acts that are abhorrent to most people. Whose freedom is being breached?

Though we hope for a peaceful and intellectual revolution, a turning point as it were, back to the community we knew, is it possible? Or is the chasm between our diverse natures too deep to overcome with reason, with dialectic, and with a return to the values of our past? Is America on the verge of violence and bloodshed once again?

The ruthlessness of absolutes is not part of a dynamic society. The Constitution was provided to assume that role. Moving outside its boundaries is leading us down a dangerous path in American History. Can anyone agree that America is freer with countless czars directing the efforts of private business enterprise? Can anyone say that the American Idea of Freedom is safeguarded by our new conciliatory foreign policy? Is debt, the likes of which we have never experienced before, a course or a stabilizing canon upon which America shouts of her freedom?

The Freedom that America holds dear is a standard bearer of the values of her citizens, their culture, their public faith, and their economic system. Those standards are eroding. Multiculturalism, the relativism of the far left, the growth of atheistic activism, the exponential growth of government, and the nationalization of industry are antithetical to freedom.

Statism is raising its ugly head. If one considers Freedom as “circumstantial freedom”; “acquired freedom”; and “natural freedom,” which does it affect? The last freedom might be defined as innate, by virtue of one’s human nature. The first defined as freedom as a result of favorable circumstances, while acquired freedom is a result of a certain state of mind. The move to socialistic doctrine denounces all aspects of man’s freedoms.

Has America become a misnomer? Does the wind lift our flag in the air and pronounce our liberty or our sacrifice?

If you find the promised land, don’t let go. Our fathers left it to us, how can we not hold on for dear life?