The Movement You Need…

Sometimes life gets in the way of things like this blog.  I’ve had plenty to write about, but we had a flood, business has been hectic and I’ve been disturbed by the state of affairs in my nation.  I simply can’t stand either of the insufficient boobs nominated by our two parties.

It is a travesty that what we have this lose-lose situation being played out today thanks to eight years of conservatism being misrepresented by the GOP.  It’s sad for me to realize there is no prominent, decent, honorable, traditional right-conservatism in any public spotlight.  All the public knows as conservatism these days are ideologies espoused by neoconservatives and “compassionate” conservatives, people who aren’t conservative at all.  Conservatism is not ideological.  It is a starting point for thought that requires a mindful reverence for the past as an informative guide, a commitment to stewardship for future generations and that seeks the wisdom to apply both for the betterment of the nation.

There was no legitimate choice for me today.  Sure, the Constitution Party is just about right for me, but I had a point to make.  Here it is:

Tags: barack obama, election, john mccain, Politics, state of affairs

We have too many American leaders today trying to sell us on the notion that America is merely an idea that can be easily transplanted to any place on earth. The concept has always bothered me a lot. It diminishes the efforts of those who came before us.

Some appear to want everyone to believe that America is just an idea because they seek to promote the notion that it is somehow our responsibility to transmit our brand of democracy to all the world. America the Idea is their template for all peoples. And all peoples are going to get fitted for it whether they like it or not.

Others make less of our heritage because they judge our ancestors through their own contemporary lenses, passing verdicts in absentia, making the best of our best into evil men for owning slaves or having wives at home or not being as tolerant as they should have been. And they’re willing to be outright fascist about making sure that history is revised to their liking.

Still others believe that since others from different folkways and cultures have come here and each group has provided a bit of itself to the current fabric, then we should stop reminding ourselves of what it was that made this place one of the greatest wonders of the world. We should stop talking about our origins because some might be offended or make themselves feel less attached to our culture because they come from more recently arrived stock. If there really are that many Americans today who cannot handle not sharing heritage by descent, then we probably have been too lenient regarding the sorts we have allowed to come.

In previous generations - not long ago at all, really - nobody ever considered this nation to be merely an idea.

America the Idea?

Preposterous!

America is a heritage based on an actual people. The founding fathers had a particular posterity in mind when they penned the preamble to the Constitution. Until recently, the idea nation - America the Proposition - was never an issue. It was so much not an issue that nobody ever felt it necessary to come up with an explanation as to why we are a result of heritage that cannot be adequately transmitted solely by words expressing ideas.

I will try. Let’s look upon America like a forest. Whenever we take a walk through it, we need to remain mindful that there is no way to see it all in one journey. Each path is but one of many. Each is informative.

It seems to me that many these days spend their lives talking mostly about the importance of the trees, or the branches, or the leaves on the trees. I’m more interested in the vitality of the soil. Yes, there are many good points to be made about the things we all can see before us that make our American woods. But it seems almost as if a lot of folks don’t want anyone to ever acknowledge, even a little, that everything we see in our forest would not exist were it not for the specific qualities of the soil in which it is rooted. (Continued)

Tags: american history, Conservatism, essay, philosophy

There was a post at RedState in which a new member questioned why so many discussions refer to Ronald Reagan. She wanted to know, since she was too young during his time, what it is that conservatives keep gravitating toward twenty years after he left office.

I replied:

What Reagan Means to Me

I have a personal story about President Reagan that I believe might help you understand his power to affect people as individuals. (Continued)

Tags: Conservatism, ronald reagan

Happy Birthday America!

I’ll be the first to admit that I have less than zero tolerance for those who champion causes under the banner of “progressivism.” I’ve never been able to get beyond the absurdity inherent in people who insist we would all be better off if Americans had no reverence for our past; no mindfulness of our place in life’s great continuum; and, no deep and broad concern for the what sort of nation we pass on to generations that will follow us. As I observe it, there is a vast shallowness of soul possessed by “progressives.” They scoff at all historical prescriptions pointing to the danger in living for and craving only the instant, radical change that comes with exposure to every new innovative trinket, bauble and glittery design: “Hey! Look what I figured out how to do! Let’s all go do it!”

Who cares if the bungee cord is 10 feet longer than the distance to the ground from the bridge. It is the “progressives” who would have us jump simply because someone invented the cord!

These thoughts were on my mind as I read this essay:

Put away the flags | The Progressive

On this July 4, we would do well to renounce nationalism and all its symbols: its flags, its pledges of allegiance, its anthems, its insistence in song that God must single out America to be blessed…

[more gibberish ensues, then this]

…When the first English settlers moved into Indian land in Massachusetts Bay and were resisted, the violence escalated into war with the Pequot Indians. The killing of Indians was seen as approved by God, the taking of land as commanded by the Bible. The Puritans cited one of the Psalms, which says: “Ask of me, and I shall give thee, the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the Earth for thy possession.”

When the English set fire to a Pequot village and massacred men,women and children, the Puritan theologian Cotton Mather said: “It was supposed that no less than 600 Pequot souls were brought down to hell that day.”

For me, this was the most important and easiest part of Zinn’s piece to debunk. Because I’m quite familiar with the Pequot war, his spin on it leaves me convinced that Zinn wrote the whole piece with utter faith that no one would discover or debunk his disingenuousness. By putting this particular moment in American history out there, Zinn leaves himself open to ridicule by those of us who share handed-down family stories about the things our ancestors did to lay the foundation for our great nation. You see, my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great Grandfather, John Endecott, led the expedition that fought and killed the Pequots; so, I have a vested interest in making sure that history is not revised in such an onerous manner by contemporary authorities who would alter the facts to promote anti-American agendas. Zinn’s piece attempts just that. (Continued)

Tags: american history, Conservatism, progressivism

If there is anything I wish I could change about my past, I would have become a serious student of history at a much younger age. Yes, I’ve always had an interest in the past, thanks to the loving intention on the part of many in my family who explained my ancestors’ roles in the establishment of what became the United States. But my interest in things historical was made too narrow, I think, because the left-leaning educators who made up the vast majority of those I came in contact with from elementary school through university were antipathetic toward Western Culture and the philosophies that fed it. My instructors were predominantly disdainful of Christianity, though their views were never directly stated, as the political correctness of the 60′ and 70’s had not yet made it fashionable to knock and mock all things related to Christ. It did not fit their agenda to impress upon me, and my classmates, the importance of truly knowing history because if we knew it and embraced it as prescriptive, we’d likely not be easily sold on whatever pretty packages of radical leftist drivel that might be offered up as “reforms” in the future.

That said, I’m taking notes and drawing inferences about the information being presented at a web site called The Maps of War. Visually, the materials presented there are stunning, and designed to make the viewer ponder that conflict and borders are inseparable. Read below, visit the site an ponder how the “borders of religion” relate to the ongoing conflict between a West born of Christianity and neighbor nation states steeped in Islamic Sharia.

History of Religion

How has the geography of religion evolved over the centuries, and where has it sparked wars? Our map gives us a brief history of the world’s most well-known religions: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. Selected periods of inter-religious bloodshed are also highlighted. Want to see 5,000 years of religion in 90 seconds?

Those who think that our struggle with expansionist Islam is something “new” either aren’t well-versed in history or lack critical thinking skills. Where will the colors runneth over next?

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Tags: borders, christianity islam, history of the world, Political Correctness