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Nine months out from the most important general election, certainly in my lifetime, and there is still no clear-cut republican nominee at this point. Quite honestly, I am much less concerned about that than I am the blatantly obnoxious attempt of the left-wing media, and by extension, the Obama administration, to determine who our guy is going to be come November. For anyone of even meager intellect to suggest that this is not occurring is laughable. Unfortunately for us all, there are no shortages of those who would doggedly insist there is no "cabal" as such. That's to be expected, I suppose, when the warped and failed ideology that idealistic liberals embrace is apparently more important than the bleak realities that such liberal philosophy presents when taken to its logical conclusion.
Please do not cite the liberal philosopher-king Rousseau to me unless you are ready to see the writings of your progressive champion trashed in his own words. You've read Rousseau? Good for you, I have as well. I have a few words for the blissfully ignorant young communists in this country also. Before one begins touting the virtues of a Leviathanic government as proposed by the delusional Thomas Hobbes, one really should take the time to actually read the words of Hobbes, as well as those of Karl Marx. The Communist Manifesto, co-written with Friedrich Engels, is infamous, incredibly enlightening and, simultaneously very deeply disturbing.
The thing that makes Rousseau particularly annoying to myself and other advocates of Lockean thought, is that in places, Rousseau parrots Locke while espousing the virtues of individual liberty, and then touts the "general will," and ultimately advocates something of a collective philosophy that is much more in line with Marx than Locke. Surely, a man of Rousseau's unsurpassed intelligence understood the inevitable conclusions that result from any form of Statism (be it communism, Marxism, socialism, fascism, etc.). That is the stifling of initiative and incentive, the complete eradication of a "free press," which used to fill the indispensable role of the watch dog of the government in the interest of "the people;" furthermore, statism is a self-defeating prophesy that ends in the utter bankruptcy of entire civilizations both financially and morally.
Rousseau confirms all of this in his own works. To his credit, the philosopher-king of the Left also rightly espoused that indeed, freedom is a tenuous thing that can be gained; however, once lost, freedom is rarely ever regained. These are all basic truths of Rousseauian thought that most of his die-hard fans never seem to cite.
What has any of that got to do with the coming election of 2012, one may ask? I would humbly suggest that it has everything to do with the coming election. When one objectively looks at our current government and considers the implications of a future based on the status quo, it is not hard to recognize that individual liberty and freedom are teetering on the brink of extinction. The collective has regrettably become the focus of seemingly the entire democratic party (somewhat predictably), and even more disturbingly, the collectivists have apparently infiltrated the Republican Party much to the dismay of truly conservative patriots such as myself.
After three years of unbridled spending that far exceeds the total spending of the first 42 administrations combined (even the spending of George W. Bushat the same point in his first term is dwarfed by that of Obama), massive bailouts of Wall Street and the government takeovers of the auto and banking industries; in addition to the government taking control of student loans and almost all home mortgages in this country, is there anything other than the Internet that isn't largely controlled by government? Even that isn't safe now with the emergence of proposed legislation (SOPA and PIPPA), that would surely impose the will of the ever-growing monstrosity that is our nation's capital. The argument of the administration of course is that the proposed legislation would help prevent piracy and other illegal or fraudulent activities originating on the Web. There are existing piracy and copyright laws on the books that only need be enforced to effectively address this non-issue, so why the typical governmental overreach?
Objectively speaking, the preceding paragraph is a pretty damning indictment of the man currently occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and we haven't even considered the death nail of Obamacare that will most assuredly lead to massive rationing of much needed health care services, lower reimbursement rates for doctors who accept patients on government health care, drastically increased wait times to see a physician, and ultimately the bankruptcy of an entire civilization. This president is taking us down the road to total insolvency. He is indeed taking us the way of the European Union. In true Marxist fashion he is seizing power for the executive branch (my liberal friends, have you considered the implications of this power in the hands of future administrations?), rendering the legislative branch irrelevant, choking out the private sector and investment in this country while crushing any real opportunities for economic growth.
Indeed, freedom is an all too lightly-regarded concept and the exception, not the rule when considering the history of the world. Totalitarianism and brutality are the norm when analyzed in the context of man's history. This is something that unfortunately, our younger generation seems to be somewhat ignorant of. Gulags and internment camps, genocidal rulers and generally nasty and oppressive regimes reveal the end results of absolute power in the hands of corrupt individuals. Despite the clear (and largely successful) attempts of the liberal media and most of the elite of academia to re-write human history with the intent to wrongly and reprehensibly mislead our nation's youth, the facts and historical references still exist. Fortunately, it is all there for any and all to see. I strongly encourage my friends and family to become engaged. After all, Locke tells us that we have not only the right to challenge an out-of-control administration and government, but moreover, a duty to the rest of society as well as our progeny to be vigilant.
These are all realities that our founders in fact warned us all about. The anti-federalists were wary of exactly what we see today in our nation's government. The recent attempt by the Obama administration to mandate that Catholic organizations provide free birth control was, in all honesty, shocking even from these people. Why on earth would our commander in chief insist that religious or faith-based organizations provide needless services (we know now, of course that birth control is readily available, and in fact free in many cases) that blatantly oppose the teachings of their church? This latest attempt of blind tyranny is deeply and fundamentally wrong in a variety of ways. A full-frontal assault on religious freedom and the first amendment of the United States Constitution (the supreme law of the land), in large measure the president's proposal accomplishes multiple objectives of the secular left. For starters, this maneuver of the president and his administration seizes additional power for the monster in Washington while frivolously and irresponsibly spending even more taxpayers' dollars. In addition, this provision of Obamacare would further marginalize people of faith.
As a practicing man of faith (currently without a church home), I can tell you that there is nothing more important to me personally than my family and my faith. Quite obviously, I am not alone in this regard. I will in fact defend both to my dying breath. Those who really know me understand that this is not bluster of any sort. I love my country and fear for it; our grandchildren will inevitably be left to deal with the fallout of this administration, as well as successive administrations. Fundamentally, this is what we all have to comprehend. It is pure fantasy to suggest that future generations will not suffer profoundly from the reprehensible actions of those indeed entrusted with the defense and protection of our civil society and our founding documents, the constitution specifically.
Simply ask yourself how it is that one of the youngest countries on the planet managed to live freely and prosper to the status of the world's last true "super-power" over the last 230 plus years. The constitution that the founders of this country managed to get ratified (a monumental achievement at the time) is the oldest and most enduring written constitution in the history of man. In its conciseness and simplicity, this particular document applies to every individual citizen of this country. As a matter of fact, the constitution has been abused, side-stepped, and ultimately ignored by presidential administrations as far back as Woodrow Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt. Additionally, even Abraham Lincoln usurped power not allocated to the executive branch of the federal government (granted the situation was extreme). This is purely historical fact for my liberal friends who would wrongly and stubbornly insist this is fabrication.
In terms of the upcoming election, it is absolutely critical that we become engaged. I urge all my friends and those I interact with to not "sit this one out." Quite simply, this is the most important election of our lifetime. One has to understand with clarity that danger lies on both sides of the political spectrum when considering the extreme fringes of both parties. One ends in full-blown Marxism, while the other results in something more akin to fascism. Both are elements of the Progressive movement that began in earnest with the Progressive Party as represented by Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson a hundred years or so ago. While the movement largely went underground for several decades, it has reemerged and is obnoxiously raring its ghastly head. Most don't take the time to really listen to this president when he is bemoaning a "do-nothing congress" that exists to resist a power hungry president. Compare his tone to that of Wilson who openly expressed his disdain for the constitution; the similarities are striking.
I will give this administration credit though; candidate Obama pledged that his administration would be the most transparent of our history. While the administration has managed to change the subject as of late in order to distract from the policies enacted by this regime, the cumulative damage done over the last three years could not be more apparent. While both liberal and conservative friends of mine would scratch their heads and suggest that this president is continually working under the radar, indeed trying to obscure and cover the dictatorial agenda being imposed by this man and his throng of blind supporters, I submit that this administration could not be more "transparent." If they are not blind, they are in fact, complicit. I'm not sure which proposition is worse. However, when one considers the body of work of this president and his administration in its entirety in historical and philosophical context, it is not a leap to conclude that these individuals are unapologetically Marxist, in general.
I have heard it said repeatedly during this campaign that the Republicans do not offer a viable alternative to this man and his policies. This is the single most disingenuous claim of the "mainstream media" and the unyielding left. This humble author would suggest that three out of four of the republican candidates vying for the daunting task of righting this dangerously listing ship would be light years better than what we currently have, and in an honest election would handedly defeat Obama. Let it be known that myself and the tens of millions of my fellow conservatives across this beautiful country are awake and indeed, engaged. My black friends are no fans of this president and his policies either, contrary to what many leftists would suggest. These hard-working and patriotic individuals (many of them veterans of our beloved armed forces) clearly see the ongoing threat that is the naked, unparalleled power-grab of an out of control administration bound and determined to control all aspects of the lives of our future generations.
In conclusion, when considering what is truly at stake (no less than man's freedom), consider not just who, but what one is pulling the voting lever for. A society cannot be one of "the collective," and simultaneously champion individual liberty and freedom. We've also heard the term "conservative engineering" thrown around by any number of so-called "journalists" on the left in a desperate effort to scare the electorate. The ironic thing about the last statement is simply that the current powers that be are determined to reengineer this entirely unique and wonderful country into something that resembles the currently crumbling "social democracy" that is the European Union. What's worse is that the media is asleep at the wheel. One can readily go back and reference this president's own words during the 2008 campaign, just days before the election when he said this: "We are days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America, and then the world." This man has held true to those infamous words, quite frankly.
Until now, I have been somewhat undecided in terms of who my choice of Republican candidates for president will ultimately be; however, in the interest of full disclosure, personally, I have always liked Rick Santorum. At this point in the campaign, I will eagerly cast my vote for this man twice, if it were allowed. A champion of free markets and individual freedom (as well as individual responsibility), this father and future grandfather is a patriot and a man of integrity. I believe Santorum to be a sincere man of faith; this characteristic alone gives me great hope that this man will safeguard our constitution, as well as the future of our grandchildren. His economic plan is centered on the private sector (as should be), and indeed the middle class. Tax cuts across the board will be a hallmark of a Santorum administration, allowing for true and robust economic growth and millions of jobs that always result from such policies. The great JFK cut taxes across the board to stimulate a stagnant economy and, surprise, it worked. The policies of Reagan followed in the eighties and resulted in the longest sustained period of economic and job growth that the world has ever seen.
As he so often was, Ronald Wilson Reagan was correct when he said (paraphrasing): "America is freedom's last stand. If we lose freedom here, where will the oppressed go?" Indeed, this wonderful country is the last bastion of man's freedom. I used to wonder in my idealistic youth why it is that tens of millions of immigrants have risked their very lives to get here. The answer to that question is as plain as the nose on one's face. The opportunity afforded in this country is unequalled in the world. The freedoms that we have here are in fact uniquely American. In short, most immigrants will likely tell you that they were fleeing countries terribly lacking in freedom and opportunity. Bear in mind that opposition does not exist in communist societies. Hugo Chavez owns and controls what should be a free-press in Venezuela. As a result, the news coming out of that country is filtered through the government before it goes to print.
All of this is meant to serve as food for thought prior to one making the trip to his or her polling place on November 6, 2012. To be clear, it will take more than one election to fix the massive problems that face us as American citizens. We (the American people) have allowed this to happen, quite frankly; nevertheless, we can save this republic. In order for that to happen, we all need to be more active participants in policing our government and elected leaders. I have witnessed the power of the people locally and our considerable influence when we are galvanized for cause. We came together to face down tyranny in our small community, and we prevailed overwhelmingly. More than anything else, this essay is a call to all American patriots and a humble plea to those who are considering sitting out this election. This is not just about you; we hold in our hands the fate of our grandchildren. Please exercise your God-given right and vote this November. Vote your conscience; moreover, vote for freedom.
My website is currently under construction. I am available for training advice and the like at robthirty06@yahoo.com
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