We officially have 24 days remaining in 2009, making it officially too early to "fill" with a 'Year in Review' blog, but there is no etiquette regarding 'fears for the future' articles... This Monday evening, as you lend me a few moments of your time, let me state my biggest fear for the coming year.2010 is the mid-term election to end all mid-terms. We are easily on the verge of some sort of collapse of America - our economy, our core values, our general way of life. In 2009 we were faced with a rising tide of liberty minded revolutionary talk - not necessitating a fighting revolution, rather a revolution in the way we regard our leaders, how we pick them, and the relationship we demand with them. It was a year when many Senators or Congressmen wished they had stayed sheltered in Washington, rather than facing their town hall voters. It was a year when the government grew out of control and Americans finally said "enough".
My biggest fear during the next election cycle is that, as the image above suggests, the revolution is merely for show. My fear is that if Republicans win it will be more of the same "bad" republicans, winning off the back of the liberty protesters, only to gain power for "their" side. My fear is that there are not enough of the "right" kind of leaders stepping forward, and we are going to be left with a lesser of two evils battle as we move into the elections.
How do we help keep this fear from becoming a reality?
First, stop giving money to political parties. We saw the err in this tactic in the New York 23rd race, where the GOP candidate withdrew to endorse the Democratic candidate over the Conservative. The party, especially at the national level, has learned nothing and will continue to make the same mistakes in it's quest for power.
Research, research, research. Find a good candidate and follow them. Ask them questions. meet them face to face. Call their campaign office and get on board with their agenda. If you think they have the right stuff, DONATE!
Finally, write your leadership. Write your Senators, Congressmen, Governors, and Party Leaders. Let them know that there are standards we are holding them too, and that in 2010 you can be their best friend or worst enemy, depending on how they view YOUR liberty. If they are unresponsive or disregard your demand for representative government, consider running for their seat... the thought has crossed my mind more than once.
I hope you're wrong, but fear you're right. Without a strong leader and a sense of direction, the conservative movement will degenerate into pockets of discontent.
ReplyDeleteIt seems our elected officials have already decided that's the case, and are proceeding as though we are of no concern.
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ReplyDeleteGood observations, Steven. Of course, knowing me as you do you'll not be surprised that I recommend taking it a couple of steps further.
ReplyDelete1. Be prepared for the worst case scenario. No elaboration needed. We all know what that means.
2. It's now more than just a matter of "throwing the bums out", though I will grant that this is necessary at this point. It's just that it's a bandaid measure. We need to fundamentally restructure the nature of federal government as well as it's relationship to the states. The current federalism is an illegitimate one when judged by the intent of the Framers, and DC has lost all political legitmacy. It's not clear to me that even the most conservative Republicans, with the exception of Ron Paul, are up to that task (and Paul couldn't do it by himself in any event).
And this is why Middle America needs to do "something completely different", to quote Monty Python. Middle Americans should actively seek to take power away from DC via the 10th-Amendment movement. The states need to re-assert their sovereignty through measures such as nullification, and if it comes to it, secession.
Tall order, of course, since state governments are made up of the Dem and GOP politicians who are the problem in the first place, and accordingly the states will for the forseeable future consider themselves little more than adminstrative units of the general government.
Which brings us to: "the people." The Tenth Amendment clearly says that the rights not delegated to the Feds are reserved, respectively, to the States or the PEOPLE. And the people have the perfect right to defend their liberties if the states or the Feds won't.
Therefore, the game plan should be, it seems to me:
a) Indeed, work hard for "regime change" in DC; but also;
b) Work hard to get your state to re-assert its sovereignty, but if that fails, going back to Point 1 above;
c) Be *prepared* to join whatever form of POPULAR resistance emerges. Look for county governments all around the country that may interpose themselves as a "lesser magistrate", to use a term coined by Calvinist resistance theorists. And then form alliances with like-minded individuals locally, county imposition or no county imposition.
In short, Leviathan needs to hear loudly and clearly from millions of us -- and there ARE millions of us -- that we simply WILL NOT, EVER, bow to it, and that we intend to defend our liberties come what may.
Once the county and state governments finally SEE where the people are going in their desire to retain their rights, many of those governments will likely follow.
And then Katie bar the door.
Further recommendations from DumpDC:
ReplyDeletehttp://dumpdc.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/resist-dc-a-step-by-step-plan-for-freedom/
And stay tuned to that blog, as there is more to come.
Rev/Tom - I have noticed the same trend, that the GOP is marching forward confidently simply because of slipping popularity polls... without any true lesson learned. The cycle continues.
ReplyDeleteJonesie - I love your amendment. Consider my suggestions so amended! You are right on the money... Unfortunately, if the people resist, who are the ones we are going to be fighting?
"Unfortunately, if the people resist, who are the ones we are going to be fighting?"
ReplyDeleteNot sure I understand the question, Steven. Could you elaborate?
it was rhetorical, as the answer is simply we are going to be fighting ourselves. US troops, army regulars, state national guard troops, etc... if an armed conflict arises, how many soldiers will join the rebellion and how many will "fight to save the union"... this aint our grand-daddy's civil war... this will be a Balkans style conflict - neighbor versus neighbor... general chaos...
ReplyDeleteOK, gotcha. And you're probably correct.
ReplyDeleteBut it may not come to that. If the "Middle American Revolutionaries" demonstrate the resolve I think they eventually will, I believe the other side will blink. As conservative writer Jim Kalb notes,
"In the end, the liberal state is not principled, and nothing built into liberalism limits how far it can go. Nonetheless, it’s enduringly squeamish. It will use the final measure of force only against weak opponents whom everyone that matters has agreed to hold in contempt. Groups and institutions that stand firm, present their views forcefully and confidently, and keep on going in the face of abuse — who preach the word in all settings, in season and out of season — will prevail. That’s something Catholics, among others, need to remember. How bad things get — and they could get very, very bad — is up to us."
Re: "Middle American Revolutionaries", see:
http://www.ulsternation.org.uk/mars_in_revolt.htm