With Liberty and Justice for All
Veritas, as a Conservative and a Christian, there is no higher moral imperative than to seek out the truth. Even when it doesn’t gel with my preconceived notions about the world and my place in it, undeniable truth must be accepted. Personal integrity, and personal responsibility are the defining values for most Conservatives. It is what the left both admires and fears in us. To us, truth matters, character matters, justice matters. We play fair, we play by the rules. To the Progressives, Conservative support of Donald Trump just doesn’t make sense. He has fudged the truth on many occasions. He says and tweets cringe worthy statements on a daily basis. He’s arrogant and petulant. He displayed a litany of character imperfections throughout his campaign, and continues to display them into his presidency. The Progressive Left is still in denial about President Trump’s election. Taking to the streets, and the airwaves, in a mass panic they think that by declaring that he is “not their President” they can make him run, tail between his legs, from office. “How?” they demand, “How, could sane, rational people ever elect a man as flawed as Donald Trump?” They are asking the wrong question.
What they should be asking is, “What is so wrong with the Progressive Left philosophy, that the vast geographical majority of the nation would rather have a flawed and divisive man like Donald Trump to lead us, than someone who espouses leftist ideology?” The answer is liberty. The conservative knows that without the freedom to reap the benefits, or consequences, of one’s actions, one can never achieve the quality of character necessary to prosper. Progressives simply don’t get this. The Conservative understands that most hard-working, everyday American citizens, regardless of their political proclivities, want the same thing. To prosper in a safe, peaceful country. The Conservative believes that our rights are inborn, a product of a Creator God or natural law, and the duty of government is to ensure that everyone who is willing to work hard enough, and abide by the rule of law, has the opportunity to pursue the course of his or her choice. There is room for differing opinions, differing philosophies and beliefs. Success and prosperity will mean different things to different people, so some will choose careers that are lucrative, while others will choose careers that are personally rewarding. Our success will depend on the choices we make, and while some may not ever achieve prosperity, no one has a right to another’s earnings. Charity is always on the terms of the giver. The Progressive, however, believes that our rights are granted by the government and absolute equality must be guaranteed. No matter what your choices or character, you are entitled to the same level of prosperity as everyone else, no more, no less. Charity should always be on the terms of the needy. Because there will always be those who prosper more than others, and their generosity cannot be guaranteed, the Progressive believes that the duty of government is to distribute the wealth evenly to everyone within the country’s borders. The Progressive does not or cannot understand that to deprive a man or woman of their earnings to supply someone else, is theft at the most basic and personal level. President Trump understands this, and so far his policies are in line with this basic Conservative philosophy. That is why Conservatives are willing to grit their teeth and bear his obvious moral failings and support him.
What we Conservatives need to understand is that this election was not about putting a “Donald Trump” in the White House. It was about restoring our national culture. It is our duty to expose the hypocrisy and danger of the Progressive left agenda. To do this, we need to claim the moral high ground. We need to show, in our actions and interactions, as we go through our day, that Conservatism truly is the way to peace and prosperity. We need to show that there is room at the Conservative table for everyone, regardless of your sexual persuasion, personal wealth, or religious beliefs. That your personal liberty and dignity will always be respected so long as you are willing to respect the same for any other human being. We cannot do this if we are always on the defensive. We need to educate ourselves, and shut down any attempts by the Left to erroneously label us as homophobes, Islamaphobes, racists, and any other unjustified monikers. We need to reveal their talking points for what they are, mindless, baseless accusations. We also need to quit making excuses for President Trump when he makes inaccurate statements. For better or worse, he represents Conservatism to the world. We put him in office, and we must hold him accountable.
What Did They Fight For?
From each according to his ability. To each according to his need.
Consider this quote from Karl Marx for a moment. Imagine a society where you are free to pursue your passions. Do you like to write poetry? Fine you can spend all day writing poetry without worring where your next meal is coming from. Have you always dreamed of healing the sick? You can go to medical school without worrying about crushing debt. Enjoy music? Sit on the corner and play your guitar all day then go home to a mortgage-free house. Have a talent for fixing cars? Open up your own garage and don’t worry about overhead costs. To the Socialist Progressive, this is the goal. A moneyless society where everything belongs to everyone and the abilities balance out the needs. A place where, without the encumbrance of providing for our basic necessities, there will be enough people who are smart enough to become doctors, engineers and scientists, enough people know how to grow crops, make clothes, and build houses, enough people who enjoy flipping burgers, picking up trash and scrubbing toilets, to balance out those who don’t. Sounds wonderful doesn’t it? No one has less than anyone else. Everyone is a Prole. But…….. No one can ever have more. No matter how hard you work, how much you apply yourself, you will never have any more than the slackerd who donates his time and nothing more to the collective.
It is man’s basic human nature to desire a reward for his hard work and ingenuity. To take pride in caring for the things he owns. When these feelings are suppressed and made out to be evil, gone is the incentive to build, create, improve. It is basic human nature that the Socialist Progressive ignores. Most people will not willingly hand over rightfully owned property. We are not meant to merely survive and when reduced to that existence we will cease to produce. The idea of a self-perpetuating Communist utopia is a lie. In order for there to be enough makers to feed the takers, someone must be in charge. Someone who maintains the balance of farmers, factory workers, skilled labor, and entertainers. The promise of pursued passions is replaced by assigned careers, and forced labor camps. The Communist goal of freeing people from the slavery of the factory owner, replaced by slavery to the government. This is the great irony of the Socialist Progressive movement. You do not need to look any farther than our recent past, to Nazi Germany, Communist Russia, China, and North Korea, to find evidence that this is so.
The United States was never meant to be a place where we are controlled by the government. Every Article, Section, and word of the Constitution and Bill of rights, were carefully drafted to protect the rights of the people to control their own destinies, own property, and enjoy the fruits of their labors. Read the Bill of Rights. Then realize that every one of those freedoms were paid for with blood. The heros of the Revolutionary war understood the kind of life they would lead if ruled by a tyrannical government, and they were willing to die to prevent that from happening. From that time on, our American military has fought time and again to stop the spread of tyranny thoughout the world. From freeing slaves, stopping the spread of Communism, to keeping Islamic terrorism from our shores.
We don’t like war. The whole idea is abhorrent to us, and it should be. But consider this quote from George Orwell,
People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.
The phrase “Freedom isn’t free” is not just a tired cliche’. It is the truth. Men and women have died defending the ideals of our Constitution. As we go about our business and barbecues this weekend, take a few minutes to think about how we as a nation have honored their sacrifice. We have elected to office men and women who seek only to increase their own power, whose idea of a perfect America is closer to that of Marx than that of Jefferson. We have allowed our own government to attempt to disarm us, and to use its power to intimidate and silence us.
We should honor our fallen veterans by demanding our government be accountable to us. To demand that our government uses our taxes funds wisely, and respects our individual freedoms. We have a responsibility as citizens to be informed, to show up and vote, and vote wisely. It is not too late to take our government back. Don’t let our heros’ deaths be in vain.