Freedom
Resisting American Renewal
A flurry of stories in the news this week highlight the worldview clash taking place in the United States.
President Trump’s Saturday tweets–that his team was wiretapped by the Obama Administration in the run-up to the November election–was the first jaw dropper. Then the new Wikileaks missive exposed more secrets of the CIA. Next, repeal and replace Obamacare ramped up.
Before that we witnessed women’s marches, the Democrats slow-walking appointments on Capitol Hill, and other intelligence turmoil and leaks while a new American Administration tried to get on its feet.
What’s going on in the world’s oldest democracy? It’s plain and simple.
A multi-front war has been launched to resist an American renewal.
The news cascaded this week on so many fronts that it’s almost impossible to detail. Besides, most of them were very confusing, filled with speculation, and laden with weeds.
It might be best to take us up to the 36,000 mile level and look down on what is happening in the 21st century’s lone superpower.
Here’s my view.
First of all, let’s remind ourselves that the USA is a divided nation. An Associated Press/NORC Center poll recently revealed that truth in living Technicolor. Here is their 2017 finding (written by Matt Sedensky).
“Add one more to the list of things dividing left and right in this country: We can’t even agree what it means to be an American. A new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds Republicans are far more likely to cite a culture grounded in Christian beliefs and the traditions of early European immigrants as essential to U.S. identity.”
“Democrats are more apt to point to the country’s history of mixing of people from around the globe and a tradition of offering refuge to the persecuted. While there’s disagreement on what makes up the American identity, 7 in 10 people – regardless of party – say the country is losing that identity.”
So America has an identity problem. Yes, we know that.
The article continues:
“‘It’s such stark divisions,’ said Lynele Jones, a 65-year-old accountant in Boulder, Colorado. Like many Democrats, Jones pointed to diversity and openness to refugees and other immigrants as central components of being American. ‘There’s so much turmoil in the American political situation right now. People’s ideas of what is America’s place in the world are so different from one end of the spectrum to the other,’ Jones said. “
“There are some points of resounding agreement among Democrats, Republicans and independents about what makes up the country’s identity. Among them: a fair judicial system and rule of law, the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution, and the ability to get good jobs and achieve the American dream.”
That’s encouraging, but:
“Reggie Lawrence, a 44-year-old Republican in Midland, Texas, who runs a business servicing oil fields, said the country and the Constitution were shaped by Christian values. As those slip away, he said, so does the structure of families and, ultimately, the country’s identity. ‘If you lose your identity,’ Lawrence said, ‘What are we? We’re not a country anymore.'”
Fair point. Finally,
“The poll found Democrats were nearly three times as likely as Republicans to say that the U.S. should be a country made up of many cultures and values that change as new people arrive, with far more Republicans saying there should be an essential American culture that immigrants adopt.”
“Two questions, also posed during the presidential campaign, offered insight into how Trump’s election may have changed partisans’ views. The poll found about 52 percent of Republicans now regard the U.S. as the single greatest country in the world, up significantly from 35 percent when the question was asked last June.” (The AP-NORC poll of 1,004 adults was conducted Feb. 16-20, 2017).
Let me explain this poll in an historical sense and then define the current attempt to resist any form of American renewal.
American was uniquely founded in the 17th-18th centuries as a Christian based republic–the first country in history to be so birthed. Our charter, the Declaration of Independence, clearly reflected the centrality of God and biblical principles (“life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”). Our Constitution–still the world’s oldest–put those ideas into the construct of law.
- Faith in God – our national motto, inscribed on our coins is “In God We Trust.”
- Family-based morality – strong and moral families led by godly wives and mothers (conclusion of Alexis de Toqueville in his seminal work Democracy in America).
- Freedom in business enterprise and from government tyranny.
Here is the American cultural equation for success: Faith, family, freedom.
When millions of immigrants streamed to our shores for hundreds of years they generally adopted those maxims. They became Americans. God providentially blessed that commitment and catapulted the United States into global leadership and influence.
We call this American exceptionalism. It’s exceptional because it never happened before.
Never.
For those first two hundred years, both political parties shared a common belief in what made America great. Then beginning in the 1960s, many forces began separating the U. S. from its belief in God (Bible and prayer removed from the schools), family life deteriorated (even re-defining marriage), and a growing government bureaucracy encroached on many American freedoms (EPA regulations, Obamacare etc.)
The Democratic Party generally encouraged this move away from biblical foundations to secular ideas. The mainstream liberal media joined the chorus. The election of Barack Obama and his eight years in office allowed secular constructs to reach a zenith–discouraging belief in God, creating alternative families, and taking away economic liberties. President Obama said he wanted to “transform” America.
He did.
- From faith in God to many gods and a powerful Government.
- From strong families to special interest victim groups.
- From freedom to the soft tyranny of the bureaucratic state.
Then along came Donald Trump–a most unlikely champion of original American values. He shared or spoke about many of them. He promised their restoration. He brought many godly men and women around him and promised a true America renewal (Make America Great Again).
Exhibit A: There are more people of faith (evangelicals) in the Trump Cabinet than any other in history. Donald Trump was elected to begin (at least on a governmental level), an American renewal.
So what is happening in the United States right now? As President Trump and his Administration move quickly to re-boot “America,” a vast secular resistance screams and thrashes to stop the U-turn. Many fronts are united in that cause:
1. The Republican Party establishment remains solidly entrenched in the DC bubble and are NOT committed to renewing America’s traditional values and culture.
2. The Democratic Party paralyzes Congress, slow-walks all of Trump’s nominees, and cries “Fire!”about Russian connections and wire-tapping when they are the ones who have strengthened the hands of our adversaries in past years.
3. The former Obama Administration, still embedded as political appointees in the bureaucracy, are leaking documents and creating havoc–like governmental IEDs planted in various agencies. Barack Obama personally stays in the capital city to launch a national community organizing group to preserve his legacy. He is the first former president to actively speak and work against his successor.
4. Mainstream liberal media (ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times, Washington Post etc.) report 85% negative articles on the Trump presidency in his first 30 days to try and bring him down. Fake news is now the new norm.
5. Democratic billionaires such as George Soros continue to push the open borders agenda and hire naive know-nothings to march and riot in the streets and shout down Republican town halls.
6. Secular university profs and students pummel free speech by protesting and assaulting conservative speakers (Charles Murray in Vermont) and burning buildings (Cal-Berkeley).
7. Witches and Wiccans worldwide pronounce curses on Donald Trump and his people.
8. The real power broker group–the invisible demonic world–laughs and ghoulishly orchestrates the dividing and destroying of America. They know that if America fails, then their casualities will grow.
That’s the Big Picture as I see it.
If you’re a person who loves God, believes in family, and cherishes freedom, you are desperately needed to enlist in this culture war and fight to win.
Cry out in prayer. Grow in knowledge and character. Muster your talents. Do what God shows you to do.
We must righteously defeat the resistance against an American Renewal.
How to Explain Originalism to Your Grandchild
American progressives, in collusion with the Democratic Party, will spend the next few months trying to torpedo the nomination of Appeals Court Justice Neil Gorsuch to the United States Supreme Court.
I’ve been listening to the good guys try to explain why we need originalist or constitutionalist judges. I haven’t been satisfied with their explanations.
So here’s my attempt to help.
This is how to explain originalism to your grandchild.
When most conservative leaders or reporters discuss the difference between activist/progressive judges and constitutional/originalist justices, they usually say the following:
“We need originalist justices who go by the original intent of our Founding Fathers when they wrote the Constitution. Those who refuse to interpret by original intent believe that the Constitution is a living, breathing document that should change with the times. We don’t want that. We want judges to look for the original intention of the authors.”
Hence, the idea of originalism.
That answer is good–and true. But I’ve never found it satisfying. It almost sounds like we want to go by what a bunch of old white guys thought two hundred years ago instead of applying their words to our time.
The Founding Fathers, in this explanation, look ancient and narrow and the activists come across as modern and relevant. How could the intentions of two centuries ago be helpful in the modern world?
So, here’s a clearer way of looking at it. You might want to try out these comparisons with your grandchildren or others that need some enlightenment.
Here’s my take on what’s crucial to know in the originalist versus activist debate.
Words versus Feelings
Tell your grandchild that America’s laws are not about fashions and fads. They have nothing to do with hairstyles, fun and games, and all the trivial parts of life. A nation’s laws relate to the really important things that never change–like the meaning of words such as life, freedom, justice, property and all the big stuff of life. These God-given rights are permanent–and shouldn’t be altered just because we feel so.
For example, it’s always wrong to murder an innocent human being. It doesn’t matter whether I’m mad at that person, or they’ve done something awful, or whether I’m just out of control. My anger or feelings never justify me killing them. Never. A right to life is a fixity–a truth. No matter what I feel about it, that doesn’t change what it is and how it should be respected.
Tell your grandkid you can”t change the meaning of important stuff. Murder is always wrong.
Laws versus Rulers
A second angle is the huge difference between laws and people–especially rulers of nations.
For thousands of years–and much of real history isn’t taught any more–most people lived under strong kings or powerful rulers who told them what to do. They possessed no rights, and simply obeyed everything the ruler decreed. The ruler was king. Kings got what they wanted.
Starting with the Magna Carta, and then English Common Law, the biblical worldview triumphed over the power of kings by stating that the king is not “king”–the law is king.
Lex Rex (the Law is King) changed the world by declaring that murder is murder even if the king says it is a way of getting rid of misfits in his kingdom. People have natural rights, and their rights–enshrined in law–are more important than the king’s desires.
An originalist believes in laws more than kings. Tell your grandchild that Henry VIII killed a number of his wives because he didn’t like them. That was wrong.
Good laws are better than bad kings. Good laws don’t change.
Absolutes versus Relativism
These big words may be hard to explain, but let’s try. We live in a time when many progressive folks are trying to convince us that there are no moral absolutes in life. They say that nothing is absolutely true. Ironically, they also tell us they’re absolutely sure about this fact!
Yet, one of the most obvious truths in life is that some things ARE absolute and some things are relative. Those absolutes include the following:
- Murdering innocents is absolutely wrong–people have a right to live.
- Forced slavery is absolutely wrong. There is a right to freedom.
- If an astronaut takes off his oxygen mask in space, he will absolutely die. There are many absolute rules about life and death.
There are also many things in this world that are relative (a matter of opinion or choice):
- Which country is the best in the world.
- Which ice cream tastes the most delicious (I vote pistachio!).
- What kinds of clothes people wear, the best hair styles, and even how families show love and respect for each other.
Those who want activist judges don’t believe that anything is absolute. They say that everything is a matter of personal preference or choice. They want all of our laws to be relative too–we can interpret them any way we want based on the ideas or fads of the time.
Give your grandchild this analogy. If you go up to the top of a high building and someone tells you to jump off, and that you won’t be hurt by jumping–what should you do? Gravity on earth is absolute. It is not relative. It doesn’t matter if your friend believes you can fly and won’t become a grease spot on the pavement. The truth is, if you don’t believe in gravity, you are absolutely wrong.
An originalist understands that there are both moral and physical absolutes in life. They enshrine those good ideas in unchangeable laws.
The activist will tell you to jump if you want. Don’t believe them.
Promises versus Lies
A good way to think about our laws is that they are contracts or promises we make that are important to keep. It is crucial to honor a contract or keep a promise because other people are depending on it. It’s very important to keep our word.
For example, we have many laws (agreements or promises) related to driving a car. First, you have to “promise” to get a license so we know you’ve been trained to drive. You also need to “promise” to stop at stop signs and red lights because if you don’t, you might run into and hurt someone else. You also “promise” to drive the speed limit etc.
The promise or commitment exists so that everyone remains protected and free. Without everyone following the rules, there would be traffic chaos everywhere. On the road, it is important to never “lie to ourselves” and not keep our promise to be a good driver. If we “lie” that the light up ahead is not really “red” but it’s “green”–and we drive through the light–then someone can get killed.
The same is true about good laws. They are our word, our promise, our security, and our safety. Originalist justices don’t let people lie about laws. Red is red and green is green.
Words are promises. If someone promised you something, would you be happy if they lied to you and changed their mind?
That’s what progressive judges do. They lie, change words, and break promises.
It’s always right to keep your good word.
God over Humans
Probably the most important thing to teach your grandchildren is that God’s ways are always right and good, and that people are the ones that can really mess things up.
Originalist justices are committed to following God’s view of law, promises, commitments and promises. God wants people to keep their commitments, honor their words, and never rationalize their actions to do what they want.
On the other hand, progressive judges want to change laws, break or alter promises and commitments to go along with their ideas and agendas. They are not committed to doing what’s best or right for people. They think they are smarter than God.
They are not. Always trust God’s commands over human ideas.
So, in explaining originalism to your grandkids, you don’t have to settle for just “keeping the intent” of the founders. Tell them that murder is always wrong, good laws are better than kings, it’s critical to keep your word (promises), and God is much smarter than we are.
In other words: Don’t jump off that building (Splat!).
And pray that our leaders love us enough to appoint originalist judges.
The Collateral Blessings of Trump’s Triumph
It appears that the “bomb” that is Donald Trump has dropped on America. Some like Madonna are still in mourning and dis-belief. Others are encouraged that the secular progressive momentum has been halted (for now) and possibilities for renewal exist.
Through the 2016 elections I believe the United States has been given hope in a number of unusual categories.
Let’s examine the collateral blessings of Donald Trump’s triumph. Read More