America
Is Incompatible With Freedom
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
**********************
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
**********************
There is a growing fear for The
Republic in America,
especially among the folks on the conservative side of the political
spectrum. I count myself among those who perceive a growing, ominous,
threat aimed directly toward the foundation of our constitutional,
representative, republic.
Our government has nearly dropped all pretense of acting as true representatives of the people. More and more we see their true mantle -- that of "overseers" on The Great Plantation known as America.
For those of us who have lived for many decades the transition is crystal clear. To us, it reads like a road map with photographs. Clear as a bell.
Numerous times today, as current events unfold, I recall having seen news reels in the movies (as a lad) of the very same event, only many decades ago with different people and in different lands -- lands ruled by Fascists and Nazis and Communists -- where the citizens were enslaved to the state.
America was so angered she rose up in that righteous anger and mustered her armies and allies and marched to freedom's rescue.
In that war against despotism America had no thought of anything less than total victory. You don't "treat" a rabid dog. You kill it.
Now, here we are, just shy of three-quarters of a century after our global effort to save he world for freedom -- and the shoe is on the other foot. America, herself, is in deep danger from despotism ... internal despotism.
The change from a free state to a police state in America has been incremental in nature but strengthened as each new increment was introduced, accepted, and made a part of the so-called "new normal."
Each decade, as more and more of the old guard, those of us who have served as sentinels of freedom for most of our lives, are removed from the "active" list by age and/or adverse health, the speed with which America is falling from the pinnacle increases. I sometimes think that by reason of our having lived so long as free men and women, we tend to feel the increased lost of freedom more readily and, yes, even deeper than our younger fellow Americans.
Alas, in a society which does not celebrate age and wisdom but youth and vitality, our opinions are not sought and, when offered, are too often spurned. Instead of assignment to the vanguard in defense of freedom we are, in my opinion, too often relegated to the rear guard.
If these remarks sound a bit like sour grapes, I assure you they are not. They are, in fact, an expression of sadness. A sadness born of frustration as a result of witnessing the swift but agonizing death of a great nation, likely the greatest nation ever to have existed on this planet.
When nearly half of America's citizens have no idea of the danger they and their country are in and (I'm convinced) if they DID, they simply would not care, there is little hope of any rousement to rescue their once great country from the gutter where she is now wallowing in disgusting circumstances.
The religious community in America bears much of the blame for America's demise. Having forsaken scripture alone, sola scriptura, the practice of the Christian faith in America has been so diluted by Marxism as to render our churches more social club than houses of worship.
Setting the moral standards for a rebellious people was, apparently, too difficult and so it was abandoned in favor of political correctness, which is nothing more than thinly disguised Marxism.
Mainline Christian denominations in America fell first -- and fell quickly. Standing silently on the sidelines of American history they have nothing left to offer when they themselves have intentionally chosen a course away from God while embracing human secularism and Marxism's "social justice" as worthy substitutes for Almighty Providence.
They created their own stumbling blocks. They have no choice but to huddle behind them now until the state declares them "closed."
For now, only America's evangelical religious community remains true to the scriptures and to the fundamental belief that God had more than a passing interest in the founding of America and its mission to the world of introducing light into the global darkness.
Now, however, America's own light has gone out.
Today, America, now rotten to the core, is a corrupt, hedonist, depraved, society soaked in -- and dripping -- perversions of every kind. Decency finds little room to exist on our shores any longer. We re drowning in a cesspool of our own making. We are no longer able to identify that which is moral, right, proper, or good. We are corrupt nationally by reason of our individual corruption. The stench of our debauchery rises from our lack of morals, from our intemperance, and, yes, our depraved sensuality.
We Americans have either forgotten, or we refuse to remember, that America was not founded for a people such as those who live here today. Founding Father, and later President, John Adams warned us: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." No, dear reader, America was never meant to be the home of an immoral, amoral, people, people lacking any sense of moral standards or principles such as inhabit her shores in 2013.
Our national honor and our national virtue has been besmirched by our leaders and America has now become an international laughing stock.
... And we have NOT hit bottom yet! It WILL get worse.
I'd like you to think for a moment of our current crop of leaders in the three houses of our national government, from the President, to the Congress, to the US Supreme Court. Hold those thoughts while you read the following written by a former President James Madison: "The aim of every political Constitution, is or ought to be first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of society; and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue to hold their public trust."
Now. Reexamine the thoughts you have of our current national leadership, again -- THIS TIME against the backdrop of the quote from James Madison above. Pay careful attention to the phrase: "to take the most effectual precautions for "KEEPING THEM VIRTUOUS WHILST THEY CONTINUE TO HOLD THEIR PUBLIC TRUST." Have we done that? Most assuredly -- WE HAVE NOT!
If we are truthful with ourselves, we will admit that it is us, the American citizen, who bears the guilt for the pitifully inadequate leadership we have in our nation today. We chose badly because, in part, the criteria for choosing is so skewed toward supporting those who appeal to our emotions rather than to our common sense. About the only thing true we can say about our current crop of leaders is that they do, in fact, reflect the character of those who voted for them.
And THAT is killing this once great nation!
Listen to another founding Father, Patrick Henry: "Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom. No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles."
Patrick Henry also said something I think is apropos as America stands at the threshold of another involvement in a war that may well spark a Third World War. Remembering that America has not won a war since the Second World War, it is chilling to read these words: ". . . Virtue, morality, and religion. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone that renders us invincible. These are the tactics we should study. If we lose these, we are conquered, fallen indeed . . . so long as our manners and principles remain sound, there is no danger."
Patrick Henry had no idea, none at all, that less than 250 years from the day he made those remarks the military of his beloved country would march to war beneath the banners of multiple gods rather than the single banner of the one true God. (And we wonder why so many of our soldiers return to their homes with their minds muddled and broken?)
Democratic governments are only as strong, moral, and enduring as the people who fuel their existence. Two centuries is the accepted life-span of a democratic government. America has already exceeded her life expectancy.
Consider this:
In 1887 Alexander Tyler , a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years prior:
“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government.” Democracies always commit suicide.
A democracy, in the throws of the destruction of a Republic, will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover the difference between self-interest and selfishness. The viral symptoms are the erosion of fundamentals, the symptoms being:
They will vote themselves ever increasing and generous unsustainable gifts from the public treasury.
From that moment on, the majority will always vote for the candidates who pander, promise and deliver the most benefits from the public treasury, The Federal Reserve, the Great, no collateral, Fiat Money Printing Press.
The historic promise and guarantee is that every democracy will finally collapse over loose, cynical fiscal policy, (which is) always followed by a dictatorship.”
“The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years, pray tell, how old is America?
During those 200 years, these nations, focus on America, always progressed through the following remarkable, consistent, repeatable, and stubborn sequence:
From any form of bondage to some form of spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage, audacity, valor and bravery;
From that field of courage to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness;
From freedom to sustaining wealth;
From wealth and abundance to self gratification and complacency;
From self gratification, complacency to apathy and lethargy;
From lethargy to dependence and reliance;
From reliance back into bondage.”
It is clear -- even to the most accidental observer -- that America is quickly moving back into the bondage stage.
Our own homegrown government now produces laws, rules, and regulations that would have made Great Britain's King George flinch and and stomp red-faced from the room. King George's powers pale in comparison to the powers our "elected" President has taken unto himself. And yet -- Boston Harbor remains startlingly free of floating crates of tea. (That fact alone speaks volumes as to why America will not be saved.)
America has, I believe, lost her soul. Why do I say that? Listen again to President John Adams: "Liberty can no more exist without virtue and independence than the body can live and move without a soul." The loss of our liberty should be the single -- and most important -- clue to understanding HOW America lost her soul.
Yes, modern America IS incompatible with freedom. Ben Franklin said: "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." One is compelled to ask: Is America acquiring the "new masters" she needs?
As America spirals downward from freedom into slavery it is the painful task of her few remaining patriots to record her missteps, her out right mistakes, and her oft times bull-headed decisions to defy logic -- and even God, himself -- in an attempt to enlighten and instruct future generations.. Much like the legend of Atlantis, the legend of America will become a haunting reminder of what COULD have been had not Lady Liberty's torch been outed.
BUT -- for the moment patriots have their hands full -- dealing with the pain of losing their country.
© J. D. Longstreet
Our government has nearly dropped all pretense of acting as true representatives of the people. More and more we see their true mantle -- that of "overseers" on The Great Plantation known as America.
For those of us who have lived for many decades the transition is crystal clear. To us, it reads like a road map with photographs. Clear as a bell.
Numerous times today, as current events unfold, I recall having seen news reels in the movies (as a lad) of the very same event, only many decades ago with different people and in different lands -- lands ruled by Fascists and Nazis and Communists -- where the citizens were enslaved to the state.
America was so angered she rose up in that righteous anger and mustered her armies and allies and marched to freedom's rescue.
In that war against despotism America had no thought of anything less than total victory. You don't "treat" a rabid dog. You kill it.
Now, here we are, just shy of three-quarters of a century after our global effort to save he world for freedom -- and the shoe is on the other foot. America, herself, is in deep danger from despotism ... internal despotism.
The change from a free state to a police state in America has been incremental in nature but strengthened as each new increment was introduced, accepted, and made a part of the so-called "new normal."
Each decade, as more and more of the old guard, those of us who have served as sentinels of freedom for most of our lives, are removed from the "active" list by age and/or adverse health, the speed with which America is falling from the pinnacle increases. I sometimes think that by reason of our having lived so long as free men and women, we tend to feel the increased lost of freedom more readily and, yes, even deeper than our younger fellow Americans.
Alas, in a society which does not celebrate age and wisdom but youth and vitality, our opinions are not sought and, when offered, are too often spurned. Instead of assignment to the vanguard in defense of freedom we are, in my opinion, too often relegated to the rear guard.
If these remarks sound a bit like sour grapes, I assure you they are not. They are, in fact, an expression of sadness. A sadness born of frustration as a result of witnessing the swift but agonizing death of a great nation, likely the greatest nation ever to have existed on this planet.
When nearly half of America's citizens have no idea of the danger they and their country are in and (I'm convinced) if they DID, they simply would not care, there is little hope of any rousement to rescue their once great country from the gutter where she is now wallowing in disgusting circumstances.
The religious community in America bears much of the blame for America's demise. Having forsaken scripture alone, sola scriptura, the practice of the Christian faith in America has been so diluted by Marxism as to render our churches more social club than houses of worship.
Setting the moral standards for a rebellious people was, apparently, too difficult and so it was abandoned in favor of political correctness, which is nothing more than thinly disguised Marxism.
Mainline Christian denominations in America fell first -- and fell quickly. Standing silently on the sidelines of American history they have nothing left to offer when they themselves have intentionally chosen a course away from God while embracing human secularism and Marxism's "social justice" as worthy substitutes for Almighty Providence.
They created their own stumbling blocks. They have no choice but to huddle behind them now until the state declares them "closed."
For now, only America's evangelical religious community remains true to the scriptures and to the fundamental belief that God had more than a passing interest in the founding of America and its mission to the world of introducing light into the global darkness.
Now, however, America's own light has gone out.
Today, America, now rotten to the core, is a corrupt, hedonist, depraved, society soaked in -- and dripping -- perversions of every kind. Decency finds little room to exist on our shores any longer. We re drowning in a cesspool of our own making. We are no longer able to identify that which is moral, right, proper, or good. We are corrupt nationally by reason of our individual corruption. The stench of our debauchery rises from our lack of morals, from our intemperance, and, yes, our depraved sensuality.
We Americans have either forgotten, or we refuse to remember, that America was not founded for a people such as those who live here today. Founding Father, and later President, John Adams warned us: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." No, dear reader, America was never meant to be the home of an immoral, amoral, people, people lacking any sense of moral standards or principles such as inhabit her shores in 2013.
Our national honor and our national virtue has been besmirched by our leaders and America has now become an international laughing stock.
... And we have NOT hit bottom yet! It WILL get worse.
I'd like you to think for a moment of our current crop of leaders in the three houses of our national government, from the President, to the Congress, to the US Supreme Court. Hold those thoughts while you read the following written by a former President James Madison: "The aim of every political Constitution, is or ought to be first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of society; and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue to hold their public trust."
Now. Reexamine the thoughts you have of our current national leadership, again -- THIS TIME against the backdrop of the quote from James Madison above. Pay careful attention to the phrase: "to take the most effectual precautions for "KEEPING THEM VIRTUOUS WHILST THEY CONTINUE TO HOLD THEIR PUBLIC TRUST." Have we done that? Most assuredly -- WE HAVE NOT!
If we are truthful with ourselves, we will admit that it is us, the American citizen, who bears the guilt for the pitifully inadequate leadership we have in our nation today. We chose badly because, in part, the criteria for choosing is so skewed toward supporting those who appeal to our emotions rather than to our common sense. About the only thing true we can say about our current crop of leaders is that they do, in fact, reflect the character of those who voted for them.
And THAT is killing this once great nation!
Listen to another founding Father, Patrick Henry: "Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom. No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles."
Patrick Henry also said something I think is apropos as America stands at the threshold of another involvement in a war that may well spark a Third World War. Remembering that America has not won a war since the Second World War, it is chilling to read these words: ". . . Virtue, morality, and religion. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone that renders us invincible. These are the tactics we should study. If we lose these, we are conquered, fallen indeed . . . so long as our manners and principles remain sound, there is no danger."
Patrick Henry had no idea, none at all, that less than 250 years from the day he made those remarks the military of his beloved country would march to war beneath the banners of multiple gods rather than the single banner of the one true God. (And we wonder why so many of our soldiers return to their homes with their minds muddled and broken?)
Democratic governments are only as strong, moral, and enduring as the people who fuel their existence. Two centuries is the accepted life-span of a democratic government. America has already exceeded her life expectancy.
Consider this:
In 1887 Alexander Tyler , a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years prior:
“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government.” Democracies always commit suicide.
A democracy, in the throws of the destruction of a Republic, will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover the difference between self-interest and selfishness. The viral symptoms are the erosion of fundamentals, the symptoms being:
They will vote themselves ever increasing and generous unsustainable gifts from the public treasury.
From that moment on, the majority will always vote for the candidates who pander, promise and deliver the most benefits from the public treasury, The Federal Reserve, the Great, no collateral, Fiat Money Printing Press.
The historic promise and guarantee is that every democracy will finally collapse over loose, cynical fiscal policy, (which is) always followed by a dictatorship.”
“The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years, pray tell, how old is America?
During those 200 years, these nations, focus on America, always progressed through the following remarkable, consistent, repeatable, and stubborn sequence:
From any form of bondage to some form of spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage, audacity, valor and bravery;
From that field of courage to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness;
From freedom to sustaining wealth;
From wealth and abundance to self gratification and complacency;
From self gratification, complacency to apathy and lethargy;
From lethargy to dependence and reliance;
From reliance back into bondage.”
It is clear -- even to the most accidental observer -- that America is quickly moving back into the bondage stage.
Our own homegrown government now produces laws, rules, and regulations that would have made Great Britain's King George flinch and and stomp red-faced from the room. King George's powers pale in comparison to the powers our "elected" President has taken unto himself. And yet -- Boston Harbor remains startlingly free of floating crates of tea. (That fact alone speaks volumes as to why America will not be saved.)
America has, I believe, lost her soul. Why do I say that? Listen again to President John Adams: "Liberty can no more exist without virtue and independence than the body can live and move without a soul." The loss of our liberty should be the single -- and most important -- clue to understanding HOW America lost her soul.
Yes, modern America IS incompatible with freedom. Ben Franklin said: "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." One is compelled to ask: Is America acquiring the "new masters" she needs?
As America spirals downward from freedom into slavery it is the painful task of her few remaining patriots to record her missteps, her out right mistakes, and her oft times bull-headed decisions to defy logic -- and even God, himself -- in an attempt to enlighten and instruct future generations.. Much like the legend of Atlantis, the legend of America will become a haunting reminder of what COULD have been had not Lady Liberty's torch been outed.
BUT -- for the moment patriots have their hands full -- dealing with the pain of losing their country.
© J. D. Longstreet
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