Posted by
Patrick on Thursday, February 12, 2009 6:27:03 PM
... from Austin to Boston, Hail the
Red, White, and Blue!
- by Patrick J. Z.
What do you think Conservative America? Should every type of liberalism be
completely expunged from U.S. democracy? Would the comprehensive
eradication of the cultural and political blue be a plus for us? One might be
tempted to believe this after reading the more vociferous anti-liberal
blogs and commentaries on politically red charged web-sites. Is it possible that a
100% right wing ideology in every walk of life, at all times, could be
so right and so good for the nation? Hardly! Obviously the opposite
cry for unchecked progressive liberalism railing at us from far left internet
forums will certainly not work either. It seems that to uncompromising
conservatives the terms ‘liberal’ and ‘moral insanity’ have become as
synonymous as ‘Kleenex’ and ‘tissue’(no offense to Kleenex).
Unfortunately, in too many real ways this is an accurate description
of the cultural left of today. However, the plain truth for old
fashions and traditionalists who hate every mention of liberal
idealism - like it or not - is that liberalism in its proper context
is a vital ingredient for growth and functionality in any democratic
republic. This is not mere opinion it is documented historical fact.
Discounting the loony left of current stock, without a down to earth
liberalism in equitable portions, pure conservatism would gradually
turn our constituency into a dried out, brittle, creativity
stifling, arrested culture. Godly conservatism is good and has a preeminent place in our commonwealth, but so does Godly liberalism. Yes, that’s right - Godly liberalism.
Consider the following simplistic yet true facts of liberal
contributions to modern democracies (forgetting the bad things for
now) : You get to wear your hair the way you prefer - long/short/any
color; dress the way you want; exercise individual freedom in many
personal aspects of your life simply because people in the past moved
left of rigid formalities and boldly claimed the right (sic) to be
different. We have greater latitude and variety of expression because
of liberalism; more creativity in the arts, drama, and music because
of liberalism (and that includes classic rock, country western, pop,
contemporary christian, et. al.) ; freedom from stale dogmatic forms of
religious worship because of liberalism; innovative ideas in
academics, technology, business, because of liberalism. Liberalism has
provided the lubricant and suppleness for functioning conventions,
institutions, organizations, and other components that comprise the
civic infra-structure. New creative ideas normally flourish within an
atmosphere of liberalism.
Significant advancements throughout history occurred not by
perpetuating the conservative agenda of that era, but by heroic figures
who chose to move left and counter those strongholds. Christian
disciples liberally preached against 1st century paganism and legalism.
The Renaissance and Reformation were the result of liberal thought not
the status quo. Plymouth colony turned port side of Anglican hierarchy;
later puritans moved it back to an oblique starboard again. American Independence
called for a liberal breaking away from English/Tory right wing control.
On the other side of the contribution list: Conservatives have brought
structure, stability, reliability, perpetuation of important heritage
traditions, and fiscal responsibility to our national fabric. Our
American Declaration and Constitution were founded upon and wisely framed around ancient and moral absolutes - or enduring conservative
ideas. Actually, to say it more perfectly, they are a unique blend of
conservative verities and beneficial liberal innovations. Most of these
absolutes are scriptural, some have been derived from our understanding
of past human experience - philosophical anthropology. These tried and
true guidelines grafted within our sacred documents are trustworthy in
providing ‘We The People’ with a wholesome environment for the better
pursuit of happiness. And it should be duly noted, America’s
Cultural Conservatives have led the way to preserve, protect, and
defend these absolutes more than any other group.
Solomon said, “to everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” To
extrapolate this adage in a manner germane to the article - “
there is a time for the right, and a time for the left.” There were
periods in our national history - and the history of man - when moving left was
the wise course of action - and vice-versa. Today we are currently in a
time when the country desperately needs to activate the better angels
of the conservative right: political, fiscal, and cultural. Moderate
liberals who have the foresight to see the handwriting on the wall
portending the enormous tragedies facing this nation if we don’t enlist
those angels would be wise to join the cause.
Detrimental’ extremes are vicious predators, not merely
warring against each other, but ever assaulting the best interests of
humanity.
This essay
is about the need for conservative and liberal ideologies to work harmoniously in a free republic, the need for cultural balance, cultural maturity, and cultural responsibility. It is about the danger of
extremes. The focus touches on specified progressive excesses that have been
dragging our nation into Sheol. Or better said: exposing the demons of anti-biblical sentiments possessing the far left echelons of government and secular trends. A mentality which has no regard for the wisdom and
warnings of our founding fathers. Godless
blights that are associated with racially divisive right wing philosophies are likewise condemned, not by this article, but by reasonable intelligence, human rights, and love for one's fellow man. Primarily though it is about cultural extremes in general, whether they come from the left or the right, and the imperative (IMPERATIVE!) need to begin
replacing those extremes with a healthy balance of valued conservatism
and constructive liberalism.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How then should conservatives (and all who are willing) fight in this
crucial battle, in this urgent hour? How to mobilize as the country
suffers from the trends of immorality and ungodliness that have been
infesting the nation for the past many decades? How do we rescue the
U.S.S. America from the destructive shoals of moral relativism and
secularism without ripping ourselves apart? Hatred toward those who
embrace hard left, or radical right, idealism is not the answer. To put
it mild, ‘That ain't scriptural or wise.’ Such attitudes will only
result in the weakening of true conservative resolve and make matters
worse. "Be angry, but sin not" is the admonition of scripture. There
are situations when a cultural loon, or a far left (far right) advocacy
org., will provoke a lambasting. So lambast, and get over it. Do not
fester with debilitating emotions regardless of what others are
promoting. God help us to be aggressive, yet gentle; powerful, but also
compassionate.
Confronting the perpetrators of 21st century cultural anomalies and
undoing the damage done is not by any stretch of the imagination a
simplistic or easy undertaking. It will require dedication, patience,
sacrifice, courage, indeed everything that we have to offer in unified
persistence. But as we follow the leading of a higher wisdom instead
of blind sentiments our efforts will result in a better success ratio.
Americans who truly care about our country’s ethical standards and
foundational heritage must incessantly and courageously call things
what they are via specific reference and not allow issues to be obfuscated under the guise of generic titles. (E.g.) Radical feminism is not a genuine liberal cause. It
has been tagged "liberal" because it (together with other progressive ideologies) operates within the
parameters of far left activism. Radical feminism has little to do with equality for women or changes that are good for society. This type of feminism's true nomenclature is that
class of men and women who seek to destroy God ordained distinctions and moral clarifications. When wholesome non-pejorative clarifications in gender, sex, and morality disappear, so do
important traditions, family values, and even romance.
Homosexuality is not a 21st century liberal invention. This behavior has been around for ages. According to scripture and nature it
is a perversion, an aberration of human sexuality. Elective abortion is not a woman's
choice to remove an inconvenient fetus. It is ‘murdering’ an incomplete
child in the womb. Not one of these practices ought to be classified as a liberal cause, but rather delineated by historical, scriptural, religious, traditional, and common consensus; just as every illicit form of
discrimination must no longer be identified as a "conservative" philosophy.
All the preceding abnormalities are statistically proven destructive
movements, lifestyles, and policies that have gradually infected
America’s freedoms and institutions. For so long such behaviors have
been odious to the greater American populace because of the obvious ill consequences for those directly involved and society at large. Yet now, in these last days,
somehow, someway, they have become accepted social norms. These very things,
together with other similar unhealthy deviations (left or right) are at the
core of ‘what’s da matter wid us.’
Concerned citizens who actually do desire to participate in the
restoration process of our moral culture and its preservation must
unite and take pragmatic constitutional action. This is accomplished by
utilizing our rights of free speech, press, and political institutions.
We can learn from the valiant actions, words, and wisdom, of right and
left culture warriors in the recent past. Charlton Heston’s 1999
commencement address to Harvard Grads is a classic:
“...I
believe that we are again engaged in a great civil war, a cultural war
that's about to hijack your birthright to think and say what lives in
your heart...”
So is Robert Kennedy’s 1966 Day of Affirmation speech:
“It
is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human
history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to
improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends
forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million
different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current
which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 march in Washington DC, ended in one of the most profound oratories ever delivered by a speaker:
“I
have a dream... that one day this nation will rise up and live out the
true meaning of its creed... and if America is to be a great nation
this must become true...Let freedom ring...”
Our current conditions require the same unparalleled wisdom, patience,
and intelligence - free and gracious gifts flowing from a generous
Heavenly Father, all for the asking.
VOTE, VOTE, VOTE: vote radical sympathizers out of
office. Vote for candidates who seek to restore sanity and equity in
government and cultural policies. And be ever wary of movements which
have a facade of justice, equality, and the country’s best interest at
heart, however, in reality they are bent on slinging the nation into hurtful
passions for their own prejudice.
Although a great percentage of America’s cultural woes today are the
result of far left activism, conservatism has been plagued with
sociological ills and extremes of its own. Contagions which have
wrought their fair share of damage. Some of those ugly realities have
been mentioned in generalized historical context. But what can
conservatives say about white supremacy and fanatical protestant
fundamentalism that had, and in many cases still do have, the backing
of right wing groups here in the United States? Groups that call for
un-scriptural discrimination and segregation based on color? race?
gender? religion? Groups that promote rigid adherence to attitudes and
mind sets that are as far from biblical truth as death is from life?
Organizations and exclusive societies which fuel hatred and sport
staggering hypocrisy among their own ranks?
“Ultimately
we must separate ourselves from the Blacks and other non-whites and
keep ourselves separate, no matter what it takes to accomplish this. We
must do this not because we hate Blacks, but because we cannot survive
if we remain mixed with them. And we cannot survive if we permit the
Jews and the traitors among us to remain among us and to repeat their
treachery. Eventually we must hunt them down and get rid of them”. - William Pierce: The National Alliance
The above statement does not reflect who Godly conservatives are!
Disassociation from groups and movements like this is of paramount
importance for conservatives. The majority of us who want to see our
culture restored to a wholesome expression of healthy conservative
values and refreshing liberal ideas see all extremities, whether they
are coming from the right or left, as being at the root cause of every
serious problem in our country.
All extremes are error. The reverse of error is not truth, but error still. Truth lies between these extremes. - Lord David Cecil
Realistically speaking, anyone who believes all extremes can be, or even
should be, eliminated from a free society altogether is quite naive.
Such an enterprise would be the ultimate exercise in futility.
Nevertheless, harmful extremes can be marginalized if not eradicated.
And the emphasis is on harmful. Radicals can be prevented from
harassing the culture and politics of our democratic republic any
further. The only thing required is for the remaining majority
on the left, right, and middle, to be intelligent, informed, and courageous. And
then actively make it so. Without question, properly identifying
exactly what those crippling extremes are is part of the real task:
(i.e.,) which practices are truly hurtful to society and which ones are
merely distasteful to those who disagree; which ones bleed out of
bounds and which ones take sharp turns out of bounds. For what may be
decried as a harmful extreme by certain groups may in fact not be so.
Therefore, derailing the constitution is a definite no
no. Casting aside the warnings of our founding fathers would be a
dangerously unwise venture.
There’s a saying: If you want to find what you lost, go back to the most likely place that you lost it and there you most likely will find it. Americans
must be willing to take a good hard look at reviewing the past, if we truly desire to improve upon our current conditions. At what
point on the national calendar did things start going awry? Why? Which
extremes of yesteryear most likely caused societal ruptures?
What initiated a degeneration of social and family patterns? When did
negative statistics on crime, economics, family, and government, start
mounting? What was at the root of it? And when did undesirable
consequences of aberrant behaviors and lifestyles become a matter of
documented clinical record?
Stirring up an informed community awareness with incontrovertible intel
on these topics and the constitutionally viable solutions which are
available to us is the next step.
Many such studies and correlating activities have been going on for years. And some progress has been made (see, It’s Getting Better All the Time: Stephen Moore, Julian Simon - Cato Institute, 2000), yet so much more needs to be done. The burden has been placed on too few far too long. America... WAKE UP!
Alas, if we truly are ‘One Nation Under God’ as most Americans
believe, then we can also expect the help of a Higher power as we do
everything we possibly can to achieve our goal for a ‘more perfect
union.’
Certain strains of liberalism are good for society, yes, even
necessary. And conservatism is not an end in itself. In addition to
preserving important absolutes (a definite yes) and countering harmful
radical shifts to the left, cultural conservatives must seek to live in
constructive balance with productive liberals, and vice-versa.
Both leanings have their good points, their deficiencies, and their
tendencies like a toddler to wander astray. Both entities need to be
checked by each other from time to time. And both are expressive
necessities within a diverse culture. The real enemy of peace,
security, and prosperity in America’s free society, therefore, is not
and never has been conservatism or liberalism per se, but rather the
violent infringement upon our democratic system by those
manifold votaries which espouse moral relativism and pernicious
radicalism in order to further their own peculiar self serving ends.
This then is that never ending struggle for genuine liberty which
demands eternal vigilance and sacrifice from everyone who truly
desires to live in a healthy, free, and blessed country.
“...You
hold the key to love and fear, all in your trembling hand. Just one key
unlocks them both, it’s there at your command...” - Youngbloods
* Encyclopedia Britannica, Archives of U.S. National
Addresses, Comments by The Alliance, 1999 Commencement Address to
Harvard University, by Charlton Heston, Book of Ecclesiastes: Bible,
“Get Together” The Young bloods. http://www.youtube/watch?v=u5ALKAaa-TU Picture of Harry Truman: HBO - copyright 1995