Righteousness and Piety

A righteous person or cause is morally upright, virtuous and wholly justifiable. A pious person or cause is dedicated to duty. Certainly some element of piety is desirable among our people, our clerics and our political leaders. There should be a strong commitment to duty among them, but if they do not seek righteous goals, their piety is squandered on unworthy goals. Shifting from the theological to the political context, we can observe that pious politicians are dedicated to their visions or their views of what our societal goals should be whereas the righteous among them yearn for an honest virtuous nation that rewards individual initiative. The problem is that too many of our political elites trumpet their piety but ignore the righteous pursuits. False piety is a sin. We are all familiar with the Sadducees and Pharisees who visibly seemed pious but may have lacked righteous hearts.

The parallels between our political elites and the ecclesiastical class are eerie. The politicians say the right things time and again. They pledge their undying devotion to personal liberty and constitutional government. They are piously devoted to saying what they believe the people view as righteous sentiment. False piety, void of righteousness leads to hollow shells of politicians…no cores, no serious convictions, no center of true public service. They mouth the platitudes and simultaneously push our buttons as they attempt to lure us with their piety and devotion to principle. The pious ones always know what to say and how to behave when the people are watching them. It’s under the cover of darkness and behind the marble walls that their true unrighteousness becomes apparent. They worship themselves and government. Just as the priestly class has been called to serve but succumbs to the glamour and trappings of privilege so too has the political class been summoned to serve as leaders for our Republic but nevertheless fall under the spell of power and advantage.

Priests who are pious but unrighteous are treated deferentially by the worshipers who respect their positions. For the most part the people are unaware of the carnal nature of the clerics’ personalities. The priestly piety fools the parishioners for a time. Eventually, however, the trappings of grandeur and the vestments of self-interest become apparent and the credibility and character of the pious priest are exposed as shams. Politicians who hold office are treated as infallible wizards who understand the mysteries of the governing process….who can fathom the incomprehensible depths of complex legislation….who seemingly have their fingers on the pulse of government. We ultimately discover, however, that their wizardry is deficient, their knowledge is lacking and their fingers are often misplaced. They are fallible, but nevertheless continue to impress us with their government-induced piety.

The trappings of piety are often impressive. The priest or the politician fits the mold of the true believer as if they were selected by central casting. As many of us have learned, first impressions are sometimes deceiving. Through experience we may have discovered that airs and appearances do not fully expose the character of a person.

He who walks righteously and speaks what is right, who rejects gain from extortion and keeps his hands from accepting bribes, who stops his ears against plots of murder and shuts his eyes against contemplating evil--- this is the man who will dwell on the heights…

Isaiah 33: 15-16 (NIV).

When we encounter a righteous cleric or politician, our amazement is merged with fear and awe. Someone whose life is reflection of his beliefs and his faith often intimidates us (See Tim Tebow). We envy his passion, his courage and his self-certainty. We may even be afraid of someone whose passion, integrity and righteousness makes us feel inadequate. The person whose principles are non-negotiable earns our respect, but sometimes they become targets of derision. In the church such a person is branded as a zealot. In the vineyards of politics she or he is described as an extremist. The True Believer will never yield, never compromise. The righteous believer marches on through the catcalls and the name calling and never flinches. The righteous person is at peace with herself or himself, and doesn’t cut deals or corners to reach an objective.

The time has come for our people to identify and reject the false trappings of piety. If we are to save our Republic, we must select leaders who have a passion for our Constitution and our liberty. We must choose an extremist who is extremely committed to freedom.

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"Howdy" Duty

They look good, and may smell good. Their responses are measured and clearly rehearsed. If they encounter a question or a situation that may reflect poorly on their airs of competence, they ignore it and provide an unrelated answer to an unasked question. They are experts when “working the room.” Saying “hello” and “howdy” to every person in attendance as the young aide whispers names and political standings into their ears, they move about with freshly-starched shirts, glimmering cufflinks, nattily-knotted silk tie and a high-quality suit. And the smile…always the smile…except for those theatrical moments that demand a pensive or thoughtful demeanor. Even when they curse, it is done deliberately for dramatic effect. Their words seem full of insider’s knowledge, and their definitive pronouncements spring from the well of certitude. They are the career politicians…the class of Americans who have lusted for position and power since they watched their first presidential news event.

In their finely-manicured hands they hold our lives and our futures. Their eager young twenty-something staffers fill them with talking points and highlights about major legislative initiatives. Their overworked office bees cannot follow every piece of legislative action, however, and they frequently must vote on issues about which they know little. They turn to their colleagues for guidance as they cast their votes that affect millions in the nation and hundreds of thousands in their home districts. They do it all with confidence and the self-assured knowledge that they are more capable and wise than are the common folk who are their constituents. They are our nation’s elite leaders….the career politicians.

Rarely have they toiled in the lowly world of commerce or served in the ranks of the common laborer. Few of them have driven cabs, cultivated fields or cooked breakfast for a hundred patrons. Many are attorneys who have diligently studied to find the flaws in the typical contracts and agreements that others try to implement. Their arduous schooling fails them when examining the legislative monstrosities that their peers promote. The massive bills slide through the process…flawed and unworkable…left for the bureaucracy to interpret and enforce as it sees fit. Even if they are the best and brightest our country has to offer, they cannot do it all. There will be gaffes, mistakes, errors, foul-ups, but they are the chosen ones…the career politicians….born to lead, bred to rule, expected to be re-elected time and again until they choose to draw their generous taxpayer-financed retirement.

They spread their promises like soft butter as their practiced facial expressions of sincerity underscore the solemnity of their pledges. Their commitments to be champions of prosperity for all and fairness for the aggrieved ring loudly. Speaking of justice and government concern, they announce that they will assault the marbled halls until their constituents can reap “their fair share.” They resemble every super-hero in the battle for rights and plunder, and they tell us that they (and we) will prevail. “Send me back, and I’ll bring it back to you,” they so earnestly vow. They are career politicians, and for them some vows have no meaning.

Some vows are meant for speaking. Few are meant for keeping.

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

                                                                                       or

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

These are meant for keeping, but few do so. It’s time that “we the people” insist that these vows be kept…even by the career politicians. It must be duty first and foremost… now and forever.

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A Letter

Dear Officeholder (substitute title and name),

As a citizen I wish to thank you for your willingness to step forward and serve in public office. It must be challenging to voluntarily place oneself under intense scrutiny in order to run for political office. I do take your role as a leader very seriously, so please bear with me as I share with you some of my concerns and criticisms.

When you chose to serve in public office and ran for election, there was an implicit understanding that you would give your very best effort to confront and resolve many of the problems facing us today. One of the basic elements of problem-solving is to stop the problem from becoming worse when attempting to resolve the issue. In my view, you and your colleagues have failed in that regard. Despite all the rhetoric about “directions” and “paths,” our difficulties continue to grow more ominous. High-sounding language and back-room deals do NOT stop the bleeding. Commitment to principle and devotion to YOUR OATH of office will staunch the flow. Our troubles have been caused by two primary factors: political leaders who try to please everyone and public “servants” who ignore the Constitution of the United States.

When our political leaders maintain fidelity to the Constitution, they do not wander into the thickets of irresponsible spending and denial of individual liberty. Every time a public servant strays outside the constitutional limitations the citizens either lose freedom, money or property. Government does not produce anything of value. Government is merely a redistribution mechanism, and indeed, an inefficient one at that. Our brilliant Founders recognized that for a nation to prosper the people must enjoy the maximum freedom allowable for a civil society. You and your colleagues have either unconsciously or intentionally undermined the beautifully balanced system anticipated and designed by the Framers of our country.

Many people who enter public life want to do “good.” When they drift beyond the parameters of the Constitution, the “good” often becomes chaotic and counter-productive. Your oath, if taken seriously, compels you to OBEY the Constitution…not to forage far and wide while looking for social ills to heal. Government has proven to be an incredibly flawed instrument, and for anyone to assume that government is the best vehicle for correcting deficiencies in the social structure is wishful and delusional thinking.

Perhaps I am wrongly casting you among those who have grossly abused their power and their oaths. If so, I apologize, but I do beseech you to stand firm…to speak loudly and forcefully…to resist EVERY usurpation of our liberties and every violation of the Constitution. Even if you are not actively engaged in the undermining of our Constitutional government, you cannot comply with or ignore those who are. Your sworn duty, before God and the citizens, is to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States. Meekly allowing others to run roughshod over our freedoms while confiscating our hard-earned wealth without bellowing in protest means that you are failing…failing to do your sworn duty.

If you believe that all the extra-constitutional legislation and regulation is justifiable, or if you accept that some of the unconstitutional governance is acceptable, then do the honorable thing and resign from office. If, however, you share my dismay with the unconscionable perversion of our Constitution, then fight with fury…fight with fervor. The stakes are too high for comity and collegiality to rule the day. When your time on earth has ended, do you want your legacy to be one of a smiling, pleasant public servant who watched the nation crumble? Dear public servant, please climb out of your comfort zone and take the hill. Your constituents need you to defend our liberties and our futures. Do it now.

Finally, (Mr./Ms.)____, are you willing to endorse and actively support legislation that eliminates the officeholder immunity provisions of the law and would make public “servants” legally liable for violation of their oaths or the Constitution? I eagerly await your response. If you do not reply, I must assume that you favor unconstitutional tyranny rather than true public service. Our land of freedom is at stake. It is time for YOU to step forward and FIGHT.

Sincerely,

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Dancing with Despair

This column begins with the tale of two readers. The first asked me to write a letter to our political officeholders that could be copied and sent to those at all levels of government. I told him that I would do that for today, but my second reader and friend asked me if I were feeling alright because my recent columns seemed to be rather despairing. So, I’ve decided to address the issue of my apparent disillusionment before I compose the universal letter of condemnation. I am fighting an oppressive sense of despair about the state of our nation.

As many of you may know, I was an activist with the Republican Party for more than 40 years. I was a central committee person, executive committee member, YR officer and organizer, TAR adviser, campaign manager, campaign consultant, contributor to candidates, state and national parties, Senate and House campaign committees, attendee at National Conventions, state conventions, attended a two-week training session for future party leaders, served as a candidate for office and as a State Representative. In other words, my GOP bona fides are ironclad. It is with sadness that I note that what we are currently witnessing in Washington and in the states around the country is symbolic of why I left the party in 2004. Our nation, I believe, is on the brink. Our liberty becomes increasingly imperiled. Our property rights are being trashed or ignored. Our fiscal integrity has been compromised beyond recovery in my lifetime…or perhaps forever. So, what is the GOP doing? Offering plans for a 25-year glide path…assuming Congress will follow anything for more than two years running. They have not attempted to defund the largest grab of our U.S. economy in history. They are measured and professional…and too damn political…as they march around in self importance doing nothing of real significance. Listen up, Republicans. Climb out of your foxholes and TAKE THE HILL. General George Patton would never have said “we’ll work out the best deal we can with Hitler before we give him more ammo.” But…that’s what they’re doing with Obama and the debt limit. TAKE THE HILL.

Some of my best friends are Democrats. I pray for them daily. To have your wagon hitched to such a deceitful, despicable star must be the perfect recipe for cognitive dissonance. Republicans claim to recognize the problems and nibble at them, but Democrats create the problems and deny that they exist. If they aren’t deceitful, they are certainly certifiably delusional.

A couple of years ago I joined the Libertarian Party because the principles of “minimum government and maximum freedom” appealed to me. During my lifetime I had witnessed the massive growth of government at ALL levels. Big government is not only extremely costly, but as it grows it crowds our individual liberty and restricts our God-given rights. I joined the Libertarians because I was certain that they had not been tainted or corrupted by holding power for long periods of time. Libertarians believe their principles. They do not have a statement of principles that merely provides window dressing for the quadrennial convention. The Libertarian Party was a refreshing landing place for my disgust with the old two parties. Many of the people I encountered during my year-long statewide campaign last year stated that they, too, shared those principles. “I may be a Republican, but I’m mostly Libertarian,” they would say to me. Even the most famous and revered Libertarian in the land clings to the GOP banner despite the fact that they demean and belittle him incessantly. My decision was based on the fact that I would rather die on the sword of principle than live in a world of co-option and compromise.

While I’m in the ranting mode, I will not allow my Libertarian friends to escape criticism. The fact that we hold no offices of note, by definition, makes us political rookies…sometimes naïve and stupid. To succeed we must get beyond the “good showing,” ten per cent mentality. To many of you Tea Party types who CLAIM to be upset with the status quo…when are you going to put your efforts, your time and your money where your mouths are? For the first rounds you have become a despised and loathed tool of the GOP. They’ll use you and abuse you. They already have. You have told me that “Libertarians can’t win,” and you are dead-solid correct as long as YOU support the party that hates you and distrusts you. People like me who want a constitutional government that honors our personal liberty will continue to lose as long as you and your friends and neighbors support the two old parties, but when you do that…..we ALL lose. America loses.

So, where do you stand? Are your reactions the same as the GOP? Engaging in handwringing and lip service while our country either fades away or collapses in a heap?  Try this little quiz. The key is LIBERTY.   www.theadvocates.org/quiz

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