Palpating Liberty

Back in the day when I was a young lad on the farm we would occasionally have the veterinarian palpate some of our cows. He would check them for pregnancy. We did have times and dates of the cows’ assignations with the bull or with the A.I. technician from the Northern Ohio Breeders Association, but after a time we would want to know if certain members of the herd had “took.” If the doc failed to find any evidence of a tiny calf forming, we would have to rebreed the cow or re-introduce her to “Major,” the 2500 pound behemoth. It was a minor but critical procedure in our operation of the dairy farm.

Palpating liberty is a vital task if we have any hope at all for saving our Republic. For far too long too many of our fellow citizens have been   unaware and unconcerned about the socialist path we have been following. Most of them grumble and complain about various aspects of the government and our society. They may even acknowledge that government is too large and becoming increasingly oppressive, but have they internalized those sentiments? Or are they “just talk” with little emotional or intellectual investment by the grouser? Clearly the performance of Congress following the 2010 elections indicates that many more constitutional loyalists and freedom defenders must be elected. The best method for selecting and electing such people is to expand the universe of voters for that (our) type of candidate.

The need for more people to formally or informally join the cadre of constitutional restorers is why we must develop the art of palpating for liberty. When we encounter someone who expresses disbelief or disgust with the latest government over reach or foul up, we should probe (figuratively speaking) them to discern just how deep-seated their frustration may be. Questions always work better than statements for ascertaining someone’s point of view. Definitive assertions may drive them into a defensive posture and solidify their former allegiances. Questions about the role of government or the effectiveness of government programs may elicit more candid responses and create an opening for sharing with them that if our Constitution were honored, then we wouldn’t have the plethora of difficulties we have today because government would be restrained from “minding our business.” This short Q & A with a disgruntled colleague or friend should generate enough information for you and me to detect an embryonic thirst for liberty…..or the absence of one.

Some people routinely complain about the government with no principle or philosophical foundation. For example you may know of a man who complains about his wife’s spending habits when, in reality, she’s the thrifty one of the family. Same with those who complain about government but never think it through. They do not understand that their demands on government, their attitudes about government involvement and their acceptance of government control make them partially responsible for the current mess. They have not bothered to reason why the system isn’t working. They just know that it’s dysfunctional and so they complain. They have no investment in change, however because they have not yet decided that reformation is necessary. Their discontent is shallow and unfocused. Liberty has not yet been internally implanted in them.

Obviously we can use every ally possible as we seek to restore our Republic to its original purpose, but if we attempt to ignite the passions of those who have not yet become pregnant with the idea of personal freedom, we may instead encourage them to form a counter-force. Their natural resistance to change may overcome their whining complaints about government. Perhaps they have believed that they ALWAYS get the short end of the bargain, and they prefer their current impotent status to an unknown future than may not include the taxpayer funded “safety nets.” So as we build our alliance for liberty and restoration, we must not assume that the grumbling discontent will be with us. Her or his mind understands that “things aren’t right,” but he or she has not yet experienced the internal transformational germination of liberty. The concept exists but the passion does not.

As we palpate our acquaintances to detect their intensity for liberty, we should actively recruit those who have clearly “seen the light” and fear for the future if matters continue as they are. Those whose unhappiness is limited to the surface should be encouraged to study and pay attention to current events, but they should not be pressured into voting. Without the internal seed for freedom, they will tend to support the status quo. At the risk of sounding calloused and indifferent, I must confess that “Get Out the Vote” makes me angry. Unmotivated voters always seek to maintain the present circumstances and are generally less informed than those who want reform. Of course the career political class and their entrenched buddies are aware of voter dynamics, and diligently work to get every species of animal life to the polls.

If we truly desire a rebirth of liberty and a restoration of our Republic, then we must palpate the people to find those who share our aims….and those who do not. Questions lead to answers and answers help us to determine if the seed of freedom has been implanted. We must work to give liberty that chance to grow, and resist the growth of the government structure that seeks to extinguish freedom.

Comments:  cearlwriting@hotmail.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

     

Yellow Rose, Yellow Voters

The Texas Republican primary election has been concluded, and what have we learned? The latest numbers that I have seen show Governor Perry with 52% of the vote, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison claiming 31% and Deborah Medina trailing with 17 per cent. Clearly, the Texas results did not indicate that a visceral anti-incumbent mood was the dominant force because Perry already holds the record as the Lone Star State’s longest serving governor. Perhaps the voting in Texas reflects a virulent anti-Washington position because of KBH’s relatively weak finish, but the totals for Medina are the ones that I find most intriguing…and possibly most revealing.


Ms. Medina has been touted as the darling of the Tea Party Movement. Her platform and her pronouncements generally followed a Libertarian vein as she emphasized a smaller Constitutionally-conforming government. She joyfully played the role of the skunk at the picnic and was doing quite well in the pre-election polling until she appeared on the Glenn Beck radio program. Beck’s aggressive attitude with her, his almost-hostile questioning made Medina appear to be unready for leadership. One portion in particular was damaging to her campaign as Beck asked her about her position regarding the 911 Truthers. The Truthers are a fringe element of the society who appears to believe that the United States government was complicit or responsible for the attacks on September 11, 2001. Beck asked Medina what her position was regarding the 911 Truther movement. She waffled, weaseled and sputtered. Finally, she tossed out the line that she believed that some Truther claims deserved further investigation. Apparently Beck hadn’t taken his meds that morning, and he went semi-ballistic as he denounced her inability or unwillingness to forcefully disavow the Truthers.

Beck’s driving premise for his ostracizing of Medina was that she should have clearly, forcefully and unreservedly separated herself from Truther conspiracies. In a sense, I agree with Beck because to consider that my government may have had ANY input into the 911 murders, is too evil to comprehend. If government involvement were proven, then I would be forced to join in an armed resurrection or to totally withdraw to a place of isolation. For those reasons I reject any half-baked conspiratorial hypotheses that in any way, shape or form suggests the unfathomable. When reviewing the Truthers, it seems reasonable that one should be all in…or all out. Any other position, it seems to me, would result in painful unresolved angst. If one can examine this “issue” unemotionally and objectively, then I would assume that you do not love the United States of America. Just sayin’.

Back to the election: It seems to me that there are three (maybe more) conclusions that can be drawn from the Texas primary.

1.) Except for a small element, the Tea Party/Patriot movement is and always will be Republican. Despite their protestations that they are disturbed by “business as usual,” they will continue to vote for middle of the road Republicans when presented with alternatives.

2.) Medina was a flawed candidate. She allowed Beck to define her, and thus, forfeited her opportunity to garner enough support from the Perry camp to finish second and force a runoff. Of her 17 per cent totals, we do not know how many of her supporters were of the “kook” variety and how many were true freedom-lovers who rejected Perry’s opportunistic populism.

3.) Hutchison’s 31 per cent represents the old base of the Old Party. Name ID and length of service are important to them, and they generally reject finely tuned ideological messages.

There is in Texas a core element of freedom loving voters. On a percentage basis, they are probably much larger than here in Ohio. We have the strong union element that has existed in our political landscape for decades, and unfortunately, such an environment does not encourage independent thought. Our Tea Party/Patriot groups are very active in Ohio, but will, in the final analysis, support unprincipled Republicans because those candidates will master the rhetoric of liberty and continue to support growth in government. So, based on the Texas experiment, what are the realistic expectations for freedom and liberty candidates in Ohio in 2010? Our candidates are hamstrung by a lack of funding and a strong statewide infrastructure for generating votes. We must necessarily campaign as sixty-some individuals who form our campaigns according to our districts, our personal resources, our energy and our commitment. We have no retinue…no cluster of political groupies…to run our errands, drive our cars, design our ads or spread our messages. All we have is a passion for restoring the Constitution as the law of the land. All we desire is for Freedom to once again reign in America. All we need is strength and perseverance.

All we want is a few people who share our passion…who know a few people…who know more people…who know even more people…who know enough people to make a difference in Ohio.


Comments or email:  cnpearl@woh.rr.com