From Within

Deborah Venable

03/16/03

Just as predicted many years ago, America has been attacked from within. In fact, the attack is ongoing and steadily picking up steam. Common sense of American patriotism is bleeding profusely all over the graves of our best heroes even as it nourishes the worst enemies of our freedom, our traditions and our values. We are a nation divided and that division is irrespective of clear ideological and philosophical lines.

The “hate America first” crowd has joined the “hate Bush first” crowd to the determent of common sense and true Christian values. America cannot survive without these things, for that is what the American ideal is all about. I find myself on the outside looking in at the majority of political argument going on in this country right now. It slipped away so fast – this common sense and these Christian values – and yet these labels are being applied to thinking that bears little resemblance to the real things.

I am being inundated with conspiracy theories of gloom and doom, hate and distrust - bigger than life plots of something that goes way beyond the known evils that have plagued mankind before. Interwoven in all these theories is an amnesia for the responsibilities that we all share for arriving at this place and time in our history, much less the knowledge that we all possess to move beyond to a better time and place. Forgotten is the God-given American spirit to preserve that, which is most dear to us – our freedom. This freedom is to be protected by each individual. Recognizing that communities of men require some government, our Founders built this country on the premise that we are capable of supplying that government to our own lives. The trouble is that too many of us don’t do it! We do not govern ourselves – therefore, we are incapable of participating in the successful self-government that our Forefathers set up for us. Instead we conspire to let others take the blame for what is wrong in our country, our communities and our own lives.

America’s self-government is supposed to work from the bottom up – not from the top down. The more responsibility we turn over to others to take care of us - our needs, our justice, and our self-respect – the less control we retain to effect any changes in our government. Perhaps even that is the goal of some, for if we can say that the “system is broken and cannot be fixed” then we can blame the system and those in charge for everything bad – forgetting all the good. America is still good. It is still much better than anything else going, and we DO have the means and responsibility to “fix the system.” From the bottom up, we can fix it – not from the top down.

At the present time we are engulfed in a debate that is tearing the country apart – just when we should all be pulling together. Peace will not be handed to us on a silver platter. Even a too top-heavy government cannot guarantee that! Peace must always be won. It is the optimum prize in the struggle of life. We must, therefore, fight to win. We must fight outside forces that would literally destroy our peace, our safety, our homes and our children’s futures. We must fight internal ignorance that has always threatened to destroy us from within. This should not be reduced to a political debate! Not in a country that has allowed politics to determine our loss of freedoms and responsibilities to the point that we have. All who oppose America doing whatever is necessary to remain the most powerful nation in the world in the face of ridiculous criticism is siding with every enemy America ever had. Our internal struggle with defining who we are and what actions we need to take to preserve our own interests must not be lost to world opinion that seldom understands or even truly likes us. If we can’t agree on who we are among ourselves, we will lose any chance our progeny has to experience what was handed down to us.

Some, including our former president, are foolishly asking why America should remain the strongest nation on earth or may even have already decided that it won’t or can’t.

They carelessly label America as “imperialist” without consideration given to the meaning of the word. On the one hand, we are supposed to be trying to control every nation we have dealings with, while on the other we are seen as controllable by world opinion through such ridiculous organizations as the United Nations – a precursor to the New World Order. There is no logic to these arguments – only covetous greed, inexcusable ignorance and simpering weakness. America should remain the strongest nation on earth because we, the American people, are different. Therefore, as a nation, we are very different. The reason we are so very different from EVERY other nation and people on earth is because of our grounding in Christian values and self-governing freedom. No one can yet hold a candle to us. We do not wish to war for the purpose of claiming territory and colonies. We do not wish to wipe out anyone’s religion or race. We do not wish to capture foreign cultures and enslave foreign citizens in a forced Americanization process. Why should we take our marching orders from countries that have done these things and are still doing them today?

I do not doubt that America’s military could win any conflict that they were unleashed upon if the people stood steadfastly behind those brave souls we send into battle and the leaders who make those battle decisions. We declared war on terrorism after we were so brutally attacked on our own soil. Remember? Congress agreed to that declaration if memory serves me right. The Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein is the epitome of terrorism, just as every terrorist group now spread all over the earth and funded by the likes of Iraq and other nation states are. Iraq will not be the last ones we have to deal with. Peace will not come to a nation that backs down on a sworn commitment to war against terrorism. We were warned this would be long battle, and yet so many have forgotten and are eager to shirk the responsibility to fight it. Some have found comfort in this thinking by trumping up the idea that we attacked ourselves! Talk about paranoia! Bush haters and America haters would like to believe that this administration is at fault, is evil, is imperialist - more evil than Saddam or the followers of jihad.

Some of those who pose these theories claim to be devout Christians, true believers, steadfast American patriots. Many have awakened to the damage that our education system has done to America and uncovered the dark side of the shadow tyranny that threatens her future. It has been there for a very long time, but some seem to think it is something new. They also do not understand that in order for tyranny to prevail, trust must be eliminated. These good people seem to have that one reversed. You cannot stop tyranny by being suspicious of everything – good and bad alike. A group of suspicious and untrusting people cannot determine their own destiny and they cannot govern themselves. They cannot, for instance, cast a vote one day and refuse to stand by it the next. Boycotting may work to drive market forces, but it certainly does not work to support a self-governing system of representative government. Just as we should not worship those we freely choose to represent us, we also should not damn them. America is a Christian nation because it was founded on Christian principles. I know many in other groups would like to forget that, but it is the reality. We do not need to worship our leaders as other religions require, but those we have freely chosen to be our leaders deserve a certain amount of respect and support. They should not have to carry on a contest for that support after they are in office, but we pitifully spoiled citizens of self-government require them to do that none-the-less. We are like children with bad sportsmanship! We breed any bad decisions they make through our own childish actions.

Let us step back into the past to the previous administration for a moment. Since that particular administration did not earn my vote either time, I was frustrated through eight years of watching many bad decisions made to appease the will of those who had elected it. I think immeasurable damage was done to the spirit of America, to the values and morals of America, and to the perception of the world community observing America through those years. Much damage was done to the party philosophy that spirited that administration into power, whether or not they realize it. But the sheer viciousness of accusations did not assault that administration to the degree that the current one has endured in only two years. The shadow tyranny existed, and was probably even aided during that time, but real, provable conspiracy was shrugged off and excused.

So along comes a new administration two years ago. We all freely made our choices once again, but the spoiled child, bad sportsmanship of the “losers” instantly hobbled this administration. Because so many of our citizens do not understand their own Constitution or government, the term “selected” replaced “elected” and has haunted this administration ever since. The “contest” has continued above all else, to the detriment of the welfare of America’s interests at home and abroad. The system will remain “broken” if we cannot even unite against a common enemy. The case for war against the Iraqi regime has been proven and continues to be substantiated with every day that passes. Those who have allowed their own paranoia, misguided religious suspicions, and dislike for the man that is our president to blind then to the facts are making a grave error in judgment. Our ability to win this war with all who would use terror against us must not be diminished. Iraq will not be the last battle we must fight, but it could be the determining symbol of our resolve to win. We should not have to keep proving to the world what Americans should already know – we will win, and we will protect our values and our freedom. We can only be destroyed from within, and I pray that enough of us are willing to take on the responsibility to stop that too. With God’s help, this president and the American people will act in America’s interest.

Home Rant Page Feedback Welcome!