Look around you….

I don’t even know where to begin.  If you’ve been following the news, then you must be scratching your head and asking “Why am I hearing so much about the government’s ignorance of the Constitution?  Why does the government feel it’s empowered to interfere with our daily lives?”  Although it might not be you directly, you’re probably wondering if you’re next.

The First Amendment is being shredded daily by the government.  The IRS is picking favorites on which groups are blessed with tax-exempt status based on their political or religious views.  The DOJ is tapping phones and emails of journalists and their families because of their affiliations.

The Second Amendment is under a more-than-normal attack.  Congress is trying to redefine the world “assault” just so that they can restrict gun ownership further.

The Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments are being violated with the FISA courts’ issuance of tacit General Warrants to allow the NSA to cast a wide net and save phone and internet “metadata” for later use on the chance they will need to hit the rewind button and play back history.

Then, we hear about a little girl who desperately needs a lung transplant but has been turned-down by the HHS Director because she is too young.

Additionally, we hear about a Federal Judge that rules that the “Plan B” contraceptive must be made available over-the-counter to kids of any age.

Without even talking about each point individually, does anyone else notice that bureaucrats and judges are way too involved in our lives?  Where are families?  Where are parents and doctors?  Where are teachers and counselors?  In other words, where are the people we spend each day with?  Why are life-altering decisions being made by total strangers who have no connection to us?

When a government gets so bold that it violates privacy rights, or it feels it can make decisions on individual’s right to life, or it interfere’s with parents’ ability to raise their children, then that government has lost control.  Mark Levin likes to refer to it as a “Soft Tyranny,” which I agree with.  He means it’s still Tyranny, but it’s done without the gun barrel.  And it’s done in such a way that people don’t even notice their loss of liberty.

America was meant to be a representative form of government.  And those that governed were supposed to take their role seriously and solemnly.  Today what we see instead is almost a kind of arrogance.  Those in power don’t see themselves as serving the public, but rather as ruling the public.  They see themselves as benefactor, almost as a parent.  Certainly they see themselves as being above the citizenry.

If we’re not careful one day were going to wake up and find we’re no longer citizens, but subjects.

 

A glimpse of our future?

I’ve visited Turkey many times in the past few years.  I’ve been to both Ankara and Istanbul and even hung out in Taksim Square one night.  I’ve met some wonderful people over there and once participated in a Turkish Wedding.  So, believe me when I say I know a little of what I’m talking about.

Since the Ataturk Revolution in the early 20th century, Turkey has prided itself in being a secular nation.  They favor Western culture but they also honor their unique traditions and history.  The result is a fascinating blend of Eastern and Western lifestyle.

Although Turkey’s Constitution has changed 4 times in the past 100 years some things have remained constant — either in thought or in the document itself.  The most important of these is that Turkey remain a secular nation and that the Military is charged with guaranteeing that the government is not run by religious factions.  If evidence comes to light that such influence is present, then the military is charged with assuming control of the government and calling for elections to replace the government.

Turks are very proud of this aspect of their law.  So much so that they’ve come to rely on this “anti-religion” circuit breaker kicking in and haven’t thought about the possibility of it not working.

But the religious hard-liners have been busy over there.  Despite its secular nature, over 95% of Turkey are Muslim, with some very dogmatic in their faith.  Over time these Turks have been able to populate the Parliament with hard-liners and they have slowly been influencing governmental policies toward a more pro-Muslim stance.

And that’s not all.  Slowly but surely they have also been changing the leadership structure of the military, filling positions with officers sympathetic to their agenda.  The result being a scenario where those with eyes wide open are noticing the real threat to liberty and secularism.

And so people protest what they fear is taking place.  But what is it they really fear?  They fear that their Constitutional protections aren’t working the way they should.  The military should be on their side.  The military should be protecting them.  That’s not happening.  Police forces are assaulting protesters with tear gas bombs and acid-laced water cannons.

And the military sits idly by as the government uses its police force to suppress opposition.

Think that’s bad?  In short order the Turkish government will stifle a legitimate protest and the Islamists will have quietly taken over the only secular nation in the region.  A young and vibrant population will lose a chance to grow in the light of Liberty and the world will lose a chance to see it spread beyond the Turkish borders.

But there’s a larger lesson here.  Look at our country.  At our Constitution.  Think about how we rely on the document to protect us from Government abuses.  In just the past month I can show you how the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 9th, 10th, and 14th Amendments were flat-out ignored by the Federal Government.  What does that mean for our relationship to our government?  And while we would never imagine our own military turning on us, it doesn’t have to.  Federal Agencies have been arming themselves for years now.  Heck, even the IRS and EPA have their own “enforcement” divisions.  So the military doesn’t have to get involved for the Government to oppress us.

It just has to sit idly by.

UPDATE [6/18/2013] — I heard from a friend in Turkey that has been actively participating in the protests, and here was his report:

It is so good to hear from you and thank your for your wishes! Protests are on going altough people got tired ( as well as police). I think the most important thing is to keep on strugke. It is amazing to see people so people united. They just dont give up! After this point I think whatever happens we have won! Life will not be the same again in Turkey. And that’s a good thing..

Best wishes…. Power to the people!

A photo versus a painting…

In November of 2004, I recall sitting in my home office working daily and listening to many in the media declare the end of the Republican Party.  They claimed it had fallen to the rank of “regional” party and that it would not likely exist much longer.

Certainly by 2006 those predictions seemed true.  Congress returned to Democrat control and the GOP’s star seemed on the wane.  Followed by an Obama victory in 2008 it appeared very much that Republicans would never hold a majority status in the Federal Government again.

Then 2010 happened, catching everyone off-guard.  The Conservative population decided they were tired of getting kicked around by the Left and ignored by a flailing GOP.  They pursued the purest avenue available to the People — electing Representatives to the House.  And they did so well that they were able to stem the tide and buy time for the GOP to re-surge.

But in 2012 that didn’t happen.  The Republicans, absolutely choked with fear from 2004, 2006, and 2008, decided that a move to the Center was called for in order to win over voters.  The result?  People on the Left voted for Obama (which they were going to do anyway), and folks on the Right stayed home.

Seems simple, doesn’t it?  But leave it to the GOP to make even the simplest things difficult.  Case in point: today’s “leaked” report on How the GOP lost young voters which showed up on Politico and other Left-leaning news sites.  The report, drafted by the College Republican National Committee, attempts to outline all the failings of the GOP platform and why they will continue to come up short with young voters.

For myself, I found the digest of the report curious.  Firstly, Conservatism has never been appealing to younger people, who by their very nature are more idealistic and see the world the way it should be rather than how it is.  As Churchill stated:

“Show me a young Conservative and I’ll show you someone with no heart. Show me an old Liberal and I’ll show you someone with no brains.”

But sometimes young Conservatives do in fact come along.  And when they do they are hyper-sensitive to public perception because they have been demonized by their peers from an early age.  As a consequence, such sensitivities lead to poor conclusions about themselves.  They view portraits of themselves and their philosophies as painted by others and accept that as factual.

Take, for example, this excerpt from the report:

“We’ve become the party that will pat you on your back when you make it, but won’t offer a hand to help you get there. This has to change in order to have a shot with young voters.”

This self-loathing statement is petrifying to an older Conservative like myself.  This is a complete capitulation to the portrayal made by the Media and the Left.  That somehow the GOP wants success only for itself, and screw everyone else.

The sad part is that while I know this is not the case, the perception is stronger than the reality.  Most people believe that the GOP is the “old rich white guy party,” and as such they don’t see anything of value in the Conservative message.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  They see the GOP as something that must be opposed vehemently in the name of “equality” and “social justice.”

A long time ago I came across a great image that described the core differences between the philosophies of the Right and the Left.  Simply put it came down to Liberty versus Equality.  The Right espouses Liberty as its core tenet.  Self-determination.  Individual Responsibility.  Broad Opportunity.  Entrepreneurism.  Each person contributes to society using their natural talents.  And the society gains strength from the diverse spectrum of those talents.  Happiness is derived from a sense of personal accomplishment and pride in contributions to society.

Have you noticed that I didn’t mention anything about race?  Or gender? Or wealth?  That’s because as individuals we all are free to pursue our own paths.  Everyone is free.  Everyone has this opportunity.

That’s unacceptable to the Left.  For them we must all be Equal.  Not just under the Law, either.  No one person or group can be greater than any other.  The “opportunity to succeed” is also an “opportunity to fail.” Nobody can be allowed to fail.  As such, the “playing field” must be leveled so that everyone is protected from the perils of Life.  This is accomplished through the Force of Law.  Society is altered to correct for the inequities brought about by individual success.  Ultimately, happiness is achieved in the knowledge that nobody is better- or worse-off than you are.

It’s this difference alone that should be the basis for a philosophical debate in this country.  Does our strength as a people start with the individual?  Or does it derive from the collective?  Would we rather risk great failure in the hopes of great success?  Or, is it better to play it safe and go through Life risking nothing?

Ask those questions of people.  This is where the philosophical differences lie.  Not in whether we can “appeal” to racial groups,” or we “soften or stance” on complex social issues.  Keep it simple.  Are we still a nation of bold trailblazers, or have we become so complacent that we need others to live our lives for us?

It’s time people saw the real face of Conservatism.  Not, the Picasso-like distorted painting….