What's the Hurry?

Once in a while a reader or a listener on the radio show asks me why I seem so intense. Intense…isn’t that a place where primitive campers stay? One of my favorite aspects of this writing and the radio show is that people make me think. So, why am I so intense about big government, career politicians and liberty? Like any good preacher would tell you, three points are best for delivering the message. I just happen to have three points right here: 1.) my age; 2.) the hyper-accelerated growth of government; and 3.) the fact that nearly 50% of our citizens do not pay income tax.

We’ll address each impetus one-by-one. My age is instrumental because as someone in my mid-sixties, I have a sense that my time for generating an impact on our state, nation or society is slipping away. I love my children, their spouses and my grandchildren. I cherish my extended family and my dear friends. I am fond of many neighbors and acquaintances. I truly respect the historical foundation of our nation and revere the Framers who adapted the wisdom of the Bible and the experience of the ages to “form a more perfect union.” I have booted many opportunities throughout my life to follow an idea or a dream to completion. I do not want to leave this earth without having done all I can to preserve or restore the “blessings of liberty” for everyone who is important to me and for those whom I’ve never met. Medical technology has progressed in an amazing fashion, but I do recognize that as time passes by, my influence and impact may be limited.

The 60’s were a turbulent time in our nation’s history. That was the decade when I reached legal adulthood. The 60’s rivaled the 30’s for expansionist government programs. “The Great Society” and other grandiose plans by LBJ greatly increased government’s reach and size. Richard Nixon gave us the EPA and OSHA in the late sixties and early 70’s. “Roe v. Wade” dramatically altered the role of states in social policy and redefined “privacy” in the American lexicon. All of these occurrences greatly expanded government, but they were foundational for the geometric growth of federal government power and influence. Today, the size and scope of the national is growing too fast for many of us to comprehend. The tentacles of influence were established in earlier decades and are bearing fruit (rotten) today. The growth of government at every level resembles an avalanche that picks up momentum and mass as it rumbles down the mountain to destroy the isolated hamlets in the valley. For me the rumble has become a roar that is impossible to ignore.

As of this moment, theoretically speaking, we still live in a democratic republic. Human beings are usually motivated by self-interest, so if roughly half of our working citizens are paying no income tax, they have no vested desire to limit the taxes on the remaining 50 per cent. We have reached the “tipping point” that will determine whether we can return to a free republic or slide into an oppressive statism. It seems obvious that if more than a majority prefers big controlling government, ballot box remedies are no longer feasible. The only glimmer of optimism is that many non-voters are in the non-paying group, but progressives and statists are continually devising new schemes to involve the looting class in the electoral process. If our republic is to survive in any manner envisioned by the Framers, it must be done now….and quickly.

These three reasons drive my strident writing and broadcasting. I hear the “tick, tick, tick” as time slips away both personally and nationally. I believe that our nation as designed was the greatest model for human fulfillment ever constructed by people…with the help of God. There may have been better untested formulas available to the Founders, but the geographic and political differences among them made those more difficult to achieve. The Articles of Confederation were much better for state sovereignty and individual liberty, but lack the structure for a unified national presence…which clearly has grown too large. My time has come. My time is now. Please join me.

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Happy, Happy, Happy

My two year old grandson, Sully, belts out an exuberant “happy, happy, happy” when he thinks things are going well. He usually has a reason for his joyous enthusiasm. Many of our citizens, however, seem to be walking around in a cloud of happy when things are going to the dogs. They may grumble about higher food costs or the high price of fuel, but many of them are oblivious about what the government’s role is in the increased cost of living. They seem to view government as a benevolent, kind old uncle who wants to care for his charges. They fail to understand that government is faceless and heartless. As Thomas Jefferson wrote “government big enough to supply every need is big enough to take it away.”

Church attendance is beginning to slip according to data from the Barna Group. In addition people feel less compelled to attend a church. Furthermore, various studies have indicated that ethical behavior and integrity are not valued as highly as they were in the past. In my view, these phenomena blend together to suggest that many of our people have more faith in an impersonal government than they do in individuals (the integrity issue) or the formal church. It appears that for many of our citizens have substituted government power and control for civil communities and reliance on a Higher Power.  As a believer, I have my preference, but even if I were the most adamant non-believer in the history of humanity, I would not place my faith and trust in government. Those who do must suffer from a version of the Stockholm syndrome wherein a hostage begins to identify with and share the values of the kidnappers.

Little Sully’s “happy” refrain is a realistic reflection of his view of life at that particular moment. People who look to government to provide and insure their happiness are trapped in a warp of self-delusion. Even the Wizard of Oz was a more identifiable and locatable element than is “the government.” The government consists of thousands of bureaus, agencies, departments and offices “manned” by millions of disgruntled public employee union members. When a citizen seeks to get a definitive answer about a specific perplexing problem, she or he can find herself embedded in a never ending game of “push the paper.” At some level I can understand why a lazy person might prefer government largesse and all its frustrating inefficiency to having to fend for oneself. That must be a conscious choice, however…a trade-off of some sort. My concern is with the people who are blissfully unaware of the gross unreliability and unresponsiveness of many government offices.

When Sully says “happy, happy, happy,” he has a reason. Things are looking good for the little guy. When so many of our citizens are blissfully contented with a growing tyrannical government, one has to seriously question their powers of observation or their mental acuity. So many, too many of our fellow citizens trip through life expecting more from government…more protection, more security or more care. They do not recognize the reality that your own .38 arrives faster than the police. They don’t understand that if there is a hazardous material spill in your front lawn, the government keeps the fine…not you. Ask any veteran how the government healthcare stacks up against what is currently available in the private sector. Just because something is provided by government, doesn’t make it better or even satisfactory….often it is much worse than we can do for ourselves. So, I’m truly puzzled by those who would welcome government control over so many aspects of our lives. Do they lack the confidence or the will to make sound decisions on their own? Perhaps they have not yet seen through the misty myth of government competence. They may view government as a neutral and unbiased provider whereas the private sector representatives, in their view, are deceitful salespeople.

They fail to detect that big government represents the biggest lie of all. Our individual liberty is more valuable than any coercive government oversight. Our unaware fellow citizens may be happy in chains and straitjackets, but they will miss the unmatched joy of freedom. True, they will not be burdened by personal responsibility and difficult decisions. They will however have to obey the government in all things… large and insignificant. My little grandson, Sully, has the typical two-year old assertive nature. He wants to call his own shots. When he thinks he is controlling his own destiny, he is “happy, happy, happy.” Unfortunately, Sully is much wiser than many of our citizens. He knows when his liberty has been restricted.

Comment:  cearlwriting@hotmail.com       or   www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

Warning-Track Power

This title is taken from a term in baseball. A hitter is determined to have “warning-track power” when he can hit long fly outs but lacks the power or the bat speed to drive the ball over the fence for a homerun. In some respects our current Tea Party, Liberty or Restoration movement resembles a player with warning-track power. We have the activity, the people and the influence to force candidates to sing our song for the primaries and for most of the general election. After they assume their offices, however, our power shortage becomes apparent. Their singing transforms into lip service, and the business of governing goes on as before. The movement has to develop the power and the speed to hit “homers” rather than long flies.

The occasional benefit of warning-track power is that one can hit a sacrifice fly and drive in a run from third base. Those are small victories that are produced by making an out. To save the country and to win the game will require massive rallies and some homeruns. In earlier columns I have written about the need for restoration groups to form alliances. Without combining our power and playing team ball, we will be relegated to long outs on the warning track. They’ll represent a lot noise, ooh’s and ahh’s from the crowd, but will be outs. We have to get to first, followed by second and third to score. Someone has to be available to get the hit to drive in the winning runs. That takes teamwork. Teamwork requires teams…not small clusters on power trips.

One benefit of this baseball metaphor is that it does allow for metaphorical opposition…the lefties, progressives, statists. They must not be merely defeated. They must be crushed and driven from the field. That goal cannot be achieved by a number of little groups each going its own way. That strategy may work for school board and local offices, but it will not be effective for state legislative, statewide officers or federal positions. The weakness with a focused concentration on local races is that by the time the candidates have become “experienced” enough, they have been morphed into political careerists.

Any top-flight baseball game requires someone to monitor the players to make certain that the rules are strictly followed. The umpires in our game are the “moderates.” They set the rules, and they control the game. Too often our players have sided with the officials in vain hopes that they would call the game in our favor. RINO’s are masters of deception. They talk the talk, but never attempt the walk. They look good, smell good and sound good, but they suffer from a massive principle deficit. In the world of baseball officiating they would have beautiful mechanics and an abysmal and inconsistent strike zone. Any player with any real knowledge of the game would detest the RINO umpires because their subjectivity makes a travesty of the game. So, our team is, in essence, playing against two opponents. One clearly attempts to thwart every move we make, and the other pretends to be neutral but stacks the deck and the calls against us.

There are two solutions for warning-track power: more strength or increased bat speed. Developing more strength is obvious. Restoration groups must either recruit more activists or form strategic alliances with other organizations. The bat speed metaphor can be realized by one group maintaining an intense level of activity. One group must do the work of two or more. While this stratagem may succeed in the short run, the long term prognosis is not good because of fatigue and burn out.

The malady of warning-track power cannot be overcome by a single group. Liberty organizations must double their efforts and combine their resources. If we are going to strike for freedom, we must keep our eyes on the ball, and be willing to sacrifice if the time is right. If we all pitch in and work in unison, we can steal a victory and bring it home. Politics is a foul business, but we can make it better if we work together. We can score, and we will.

Comment:   cearlwriting@hotmail.com      or   www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

Honor Bound

What is honor? How do we define it? More importantly, perhaps, is how do we practice or hold it? According to one of the many versions of Webster’s, honor is “high regard or respect, glory, fame, good reputation, or adherence to principles considered right, integrity.” Most of us seem capable of recognizing honor when we witness it, and fewer of us appear equipped to routinely practice it. For many, an honorable person is one who is worthy of praise, but for some, a person of honor deserves derision for being so “old fashioned and hidebound.” In a sense I believe that the latter view is the most prevalent in our nation today.

People of true character and honor often intimidate others. The light of their rectitude casts shadows on their peers. As a nation we have cherished our honorable heroes although there has been a cottage industry of historians who have tried to crumble their feet of clay. The difficulty with praising or admiring a person of honor is that we are not privy to their innermost thoughts, their daily actions or their unguarded moments. Honorable people might not always be honorable. Just as brave people are identified during times of stress and danger, honorable people should be measured by their commitment to principle when the opposition is the greatest. Bullies are not honorable, but when the moment arrives, they can be. Cowards are generally unworthy of honor, but if they rise to face the foe courageously, they can acquire honor. If one does one’s duty, is it honorable, or must one perform an extraordinary act of valor?

This column was germinated because of the resignation of a football coach. Not a President, nor a military leader or a prominent legislator….a football coach. A man whom I respect has resigned under a cloud of suspicion. I’ve always believed him to be an honorable person…a man of high principle and integrity. Some rules were broken by a few of his players, and he supposedly failed to report the infractions to his supervisors. Pundits and other players have speculated that he was seeking to protect the wayward players from “facing the music,” but the deeds were discovered, the story was transmitted far and wide, and the coach must now take the hit. The players, thus far, have been levied a five game suspension for their misdeeds. The coach resigned because of his apparent cover-up. Ever since Watergate we’ve been told that the cover-up is greater than the original transgression. In a sense that may be true. Clearly, breaking additional laws or rules should compound the penalty, but prosecutors, persecutors and pundits too often appear to ignore the guilty rabbit in order to chase the fresh scent.

In some situations the leader who risks his reputation for his squad would be lauded. The dynamic changes however when the squad is composed of young men with a sense of entitlement who have no financial resources. The scenario becomes murky, then dark when an infraction of a rule is hidden to save the images of the players….and perhaps the coach. A similar action by the coach in a different context would be praised as an act of honor. This time the act has been condemned, and the coach has left a post that he cherished. The line between honor and disgrace is a very thin one.

Just as the revisionist historians demean our heroes and deflate their reputations, so too will the story of the coach and his cover-up be written in tabloid fashion. History is never perfect because history cannot be precisely written. When eye witnesses disagree about a recent event, how can we expect the historian to “get it right” after time has passed? Will the coach’s honor be restored or upheld at some later date by a friendly author? No, because we rightfully distrust the accuracy of authors, historians and politicians. The coach’s legacy has been chiseled into the stone of memories. I continue to believe that he is an honorable man. I do not question his integrity. He made the wrong decision, and he and his reputation will forever be tainted.

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Half Mast

Begin with the following:

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When warriors fall in battle, they fight for many reasons. To defend their families, to defeat invaders, to advance a principle, for love of nation are but a few of the sentiments that motivate people to volunteer for military service.

Today, I will acknowledge those who died in the nation’s undeclared wars and conflicts since 1946. Congress last declared war on December 8, 1941 for the duration of World War II.

United States Military fatal casualties.

Korea: 54,246

Vietnam: 58,253

Desert Storm: 269

Somalia: 18

Afghanistan: 1595*

Iraq: 4454*

*= through May 11, 2011.

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Please remember to give them and those who preceded them a moment of silence today. After all, they’ve given their “forever” for you.

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