After Sundown

During the day we go through our routines attending to the myriad of details that merge together to form a mini summary of whom we are. The jobs we do the tasks we perform and the people we touch are what will define our lives. The same is true of nations. Were they warlike conquerors? Industrious, prosperous and peaceful? Despotic or tyrannical? Democratic and law-abiding or a democratic anarchic mob? Did they practice “peace through strength” or belligerence through weakness and covetousness? For people as well as nations actions do speak louder than words. What we do and how we act are more illustrative about us than what we say.

Character is sometimes described as the way one behaves when no one is looking. That definition works for nations as well as individuals. Put another way…character is defined by how we act when the revealing sunlight is gone…how we behave after sundown. When we observe a political event on television or in person, we are often prompted by the speaker to celebrate a certain national character. For example when we listen to the President of Iran, Ahmadinejad, during one his tirades, he praises the purity of his nation while denouncing Israel and the United States in apocalyptic terms. Instantly we can assess the character of a country that allows such a hateful person to represent it. We get the sense that the Iranian leadership is unhinged and volatile. People more familiar with the Persian culture caution us that hyperbolic overstatement is a societal norm for the region, and that we should not be too alarmed. Nevertheless our skeptical antennae go up, and our level of mistrust increases because we assume that what is pondered after sundown is much worse than what is openly proclaimed.  

Maybe it’s a residue of our staid Victorian era that causes us to assume that most people or nations are hypocritical. We conclude that the unseen and unknown are generally worse than the open and visible. It’s probably human nature combined with nationalism that causes us to lower our shields of distrust when our own national leaders discuss our nation. Our fearless political leaders continually describe our nation as “the greatest nation in the history of the world,” or as “the most free nation on earth.” Are they being truthful? Or are they rubbing us with a blob of feel-good salve? If they are speaking historically, they are telling us the truth. If referring to the present time, they are not.

According to Freedomexistence.org our exalted and extolled position as most free is not the case:

Rank Nation            Overall    Property   Taxes      Speech     Ltd Govt   Guns   Drugs   Corruption Inflation  Business  

1    Switzerland       75         90         68         94         69         60         35         87         84         80        

2    Hong Kong         75         90         93         88         90         15         20         84         87         99        

3    Chile             74         85         78         100        87         47         45         72         78         67        

4    Canada            73         90         78         100        53         20         50         89         79         96        

5    Australia         73         90         61         100        65         20         55         87         85         90        

6    United States     73         85         68         100        55         80         15         71         77         91        

7    New Zealand       72         95         65         100        49         20         30         93         85         100       

8    Finland           71         90         65         100        26         40         45         92         81         95        

9    Netherlands       71         90         51         100        37         25         85         88         83         82        

10   Singapore         71         90         91         56         91         15         10         93         86         98        

Based on the nine criteria listed in the chart above the United States is ranked sixth (6^th) in overall freedom. Given the intensity with which the Administration is pursuing a Big Government agenda and the relative ineffectiveness of Congress, it is possible that we may have slipped even further down the chart. The last update was in June of this year and we’ve had an additional erosion of our liberty since then….including the just passed HR 1540 and S. 1867…an alarming restraint of our freedom and our rights. I’m not particularly disturbed that our politicians claim we are “most free” or “best” when we are not. Politicians frequently lie. I am distraught when those very same lying politicians unceasingly labor to make us less free. What they proclaim in the sunlight, they undo in the darkness. Sunshine patriots become freedom’s thieves after sundown…while we sleep and are unaware.

So why did I write this depressing column? We all agree that we have lost significant freedom in our lifetimes, but I wanted to illustrate just how far we have slipped. We continue to fall….perhaps into a free fall. This column was prompted by the GOP contest for presidential standard bearer. They discuss issues when they should be addressing principles and national character. They speak of cutting when they should eliminate unconstitutional agencies, departments and bureaus. They talk about too many regulations when they should defend liberty. Almost all of them appear to be somewhat cozy with the big statist government apparatus….after sundown. All of them that is….except one.

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What is your vision?

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18

We have a year until the 2012 elections. The 2011 local and issue elections are less than two weeks from now. Issues, candidates, parties and interested groups will all be vying for your money, your time and your support. If you are a regular reader of this column, you know that I believe principle, character and integrity are vital elements for deciding whom or what to support in the political arena. Those attributes refer to the candidates or the groups that are promoting various issues. The final critical facet to be considered involves you….yes you. What is your vision for your community, your state or our country? If you possessed absolute power to remake everything, what would your perfect picture illustrate?

We often chide or laud political leaders for visionary perspectives or lack of them. George H. W. Bush didn’t think too highly of “that vision thing,” but he wasn’t re-elected either. We desire the leader who has a firm vision for the future but a clear pragmatic grasp of present reality. This is a rare combination because we associate visionaries with inspiring rhetoric, big ideas and even larger dreams. The pragmatic realist, on the other hand, rolls the shirt sleeves and puts her head under the hood to torque, twist and tweak (a Ross Perot flashback). Our schizophrenic desires seem to be for a grease monkey who’s a gifted poet. The ideal leader may be out there somewhere, but the poet generally doesn’t want to wade in the sludge of politics, and the idealistic grease monkey doesn’t want to “waste” months or years trudging around the nation, state or district trying to convince voters that he or she can “fix it.” The doer wants to “do,” not talk about it.

As one of the group of deciders (voters), it is your duty to design the template for the type of leader that you wish to assume office. The pattern or “jig” should frame the vision, and the internal cuts, miters and routing should identify the principles, character and integrity of the candidates. It is your vision for the nation, the state or the community that should define which candidate or issue you support. Nuts and bolts, gears and shafts, bells and whistles are important elements for identifying the important qualities for a potential leader, but the entire assembled powertrain is needed for the vehicle to move forward.

When you imagine what our perfected 21^st Century United States should be, what role do you envision for the federal government? If you believe as I do that it should be limited to the enumerated powers of the Constitution, try to picture in your mind how we move from the sluggish invasive apparatus we have now to the smoothly running structure you desire. Too often constititutionalists have fallen for the slicksters who promise to deliver “smaller government” but fail to clearly define what they mean. If you have the picture or the template, then your questions for the candidate will expose her of his meaningless assertions and promises for what they are. If you do not have the template, the ideal firmly chiseled into your mind, the career politician or the eager opportunist is more likely to win your support and ultimately disappoint you……again.

But Charlie, you might protest, that’s their job. They should share their visions so we can thoughtfully weigh them. You may have a point, but we no longer live in the 18^th Century when our Founders and Framers debated what our future should be. Our current crop of “statesmen” contains few philosophers and even fewer thinkers. If you truly wish to preserve and restore the republic, you must contrast the model for the present era and support only those who share your goals. As you know so well, a person or a nation without a firm goal is condemned to wander aimlessly. If the goal is defined and clear, the path to reach it becomes clearer. If the politicians can deliver no more than lofty rhetoric and empty phrases, the people are duty-bound to design the goal and choose the pathway.

When we assemble something new, the bright shiny parts are rather easy to place together in an orderly fashion. We may make some mistakes in the process, but we can quickly dismantle and reconstruct the item. Restoring and rebuilding is usually much more difficult. Parts are greasy, rusted or worn. Tearing the old piece apart is laborious and breaking critical components is a very real possibility. Finding replacement parts may be nearly impossible so we’ll have to build or machine new ones. Fortunately we have the manual as our reference. We have The Constitution of the United States of America, and it is almost brand new because it hasn’t been used very much in the past. Draft your vision, build your dream, and perhaps….they will come.

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Consistency of Character

Consistency of character is something that not many of us can claim. We all want to be viewed as people who can be relied on to do the right thing time after time. Unfortunately most of us can recall instances where we failed to come through when someone or some occasion needed our strength and our assistance. Even without the descriptor of character attached, consistency is difficult to accomplish. For those of us who are parents we have often second-guessed our inconsistent guidance for our offspring. Consistency is a highly-valued trait in professional sports….with limitations…. a consistent .100 hitter will find himself consistently re-assigned to a lower league. Consistency is a valued attribute when it is productive or represents a favorable behavior. Consistent character in the lofty world of national politics is truly rarified air. The term “flip-flop” has more social relevance today for chameleon-type politicians than for flimsy footwear.

It is time for a mea culpa. Back in my ultra conservative GOP days I thought Ron Paul was a somewhat looney nagger. His constant harping about the Constitution and the abuses by the Federal Reserve seemed quaint but somewhat far-fetched…..a little “out there” if you know what I mean. But time and circumstances have moved us all “out there” as we realize that Dr. Paul’s predictions were “spot on.” The unconstitutional forays into “never never land” by Congress and administrations have resulted in a massive, intrusive, expensive and inefficient government. The secret manipulations by the Fed when added to the known digital creation of money from thin air have led to the value of our currency becoming debased while the specter of runaway inflation haunts us. Ron Paul has understood the gaping faults within the Federal Reserve for a long time, and we ignored him.  The current knock on Congressman Paul from his detractors involves his foreign policy positions. They accuse him of being an isolationist, or naïve…..or “wacko.”

The title of this piece is “Consistency of Character,” and if one is to be faithful to the Constitution, one must be consistent regarding domestic policy, foreign policy and government-citizen interactions. As I have written in previous columns, the United States Congress has not DECLARED war since December 8^th, 1941. Consistent constitutional adherence would not permit the multitude of military actions that we have pursued during the past 70 years. To praise Dr. Paul’s constitutional integrity regarding the size and scope of government while condemning his constitutional foreign policy stance is both hypocritical and self-serving. If Dr. Paul’s critics want him to become a flaming interventionist who spends trillions of dollars and countless lives, they should amend the Constitution to allow for frequent willy-nilly military operations against every perceived threat, real and potential, with a minimal legislative or constitutional justification…..rather like we have been doing for seven decades. The chief reason that no war has been declared in all that time despite our being in nearly constant conflict for the entire period is that Congress and the presidents have lacked the political will and courage to take a recorded stand. Cowardice should not be rewarded…..nor tolerated.

Now, regarding Mr. Paul’s specific stand on Iran and the nearly universal gnashing of teeth and wailing about his unwillingness to initiate aggressive military action against the Iranians, in a previous column (“Do Something”—8/19/2011) I identified several nations that are legitimate threats to the security of the United States. That number has increased with the events in Libya. That nation is on the verge of anarchy with tribal, regional and ideological factions all vying for power. At stake is the broad range of weapons of mass destruction that have been sequestered throughout the country. Those armaments are particularly vulnerable for acquisition by groups committed to terror. Iran certainly is a threat…a considerable threat with no air force or missile delivery system …but to focus on the potential of Iran without watching the reality of other threatening countries would be….could be…a disastrous oversight.

Dr. Paul thoroughly understands that fixation on the enemy du jour could lead to a devastating consequence for our nation. He believes in a strong defense and a powerful swift response if any nation directly challenges our people. Those who would dismiss Congressman Paul as a serious contender for the presidency because of his foreign policy views are hypocritically disingenuous. It is radically hypocritical to laud Mr. Paul’s steadfast consistent compliance with the Constitution while decrying his constitutional position with regards to international ventures and military action. It is disingenuous to insist that the only true leaders are those who violate the Constitution by sending our armed services personnel into harm’s way while playing the role of chicken hawk cowards who are unwilling to go on the legal record to justify their actions.

Consistency of character is a commodity that is rare in the halls of political power. Honesty and integrity are also in short supply. For those of you who are or may know someone who is a serious follower and believer of faith, you may be aware of how some people like to ridicule believers and poke fun at their faith. It is similar to someone like Dr. Paul who takes his oath of office seriously but is the target of derision by those who claim to support the Constitution. There are three valid remedies to this situation: amend the Constitution, stop falsely claiming to support it, or engage in a serious examination of Dr. Paul’s positions in the light of constitutional awareness. If you, yes You, truly want a restoration of constitutional government for our nation, you must perform your due diligence and request that other candidates stop claiming to be followers of the Framers while they pursue their interventionist world-policeman and unconstitutional foreign policies. Let’s be consistent.

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The Real Deficit

The national deficit is a big deal…a really big deal. Our nation has spent $14 Trillion more than receipts. That huge figure, however, does not include the state and local government indebtedness with is usually in the form of municipal bonds. The bottom line is that our governments are in the hole and continue to dig. Over the decades that they have been irresponsibly spending, our lives have not improved because of government action or intervention. They have used borrowed funds to implement programs that are costly and ineffective as well as generally unconstitutional. They have spewed out promises and commitments that will be impossible to fulfill. They have radically distorted the nature of the United States by taking assets from many to give to others in a wanton effort to buy their votes. They have violated the public trust by being untrustworthy.

Despite the fact that our financial debts and deficits are so massive, they do NOT represent the greatest deficits for our nation. We have a huge deficit of character and leadership. The people whom we have selected or elected to guide our nation through good times and bad have been miserable failures. Their lack of character has prompted them to take the easy paths when confronting difficult issues and problems. Their absent character has led them to mislead the people time after time when they know that what they were saying was false. Their lack of character has caused them to create problems where none exist, and then, to offer unrealistic solutions for those mythical difficulties. Lacking character, they return to us every two, four or six years and ask to return to their respective offices so that they can continue to hoodwink us while they plunder our wealth and the national treasury.

The leadership deficit is nearly as damaging as the one for character. I say “nearly” because if we had people of character in positions of responsibility, our need for inspired leadership would not be so great. Given that character is in such short supply, our need for sound, honest leadership is an absolute necessity. Leaders are willing to face the arrows when difficulties arise. Leaders give the people honest appraisals when the situation is dim. Leaders truthfully identify the problems and offer reasonable realistic remedies. Leaders do not ask the people to sacrifice more to cover the politicians’ mistakes. Leaders do not propose solutions that undermine the liberty of those they lead.

Lest we become too partisan in this discussion, please think of this. When someone proposes spending a billion dollars of money we do not have, remember that the person who suggests spending only half of a billion shows no character or leadership…just cowardice and sleaziness. The politician is sleazy because she or he wants you to congratulate them for holding down deficit spending. Both types lack character and leadership. Both types are dishonest. Both should be denounced and defeated. Our country, our states, our communities and our schools have reached the point where we can no longer afford half measures. Either those who consider themselves leaders…act like leaders…with honesty, integrity and character, or get out of the way because we’ll run you over as we take back our country.

People of character must step forward. Citizens of character must vote for them, work for them and pray for them. Good looks and intelligence are not enough anymore. Cunning politicians who know how to win locally then move on to state and national office are not the formula for redeeming our nation and its honor. We need candidates who tell the truth, and who are not afraid to face the music. We need candidates who cherish the Constitution and personal liberty. We must end the character and leadership deficits that we have today. We must not linger. We must do it now.

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