When Are We Going To Stand Up?
I snapped a picture of this famous picture when I saw it on the wall of a school classroom. Jeff Widener caught this iconic scene during the Tiananmen Square protests. The news coverage was back in 1989, and there was a famous video of this lone man stopping a line of tanks rolling through Beijing. I remember watching the video. Common grievances in China at the time included inflation, corruption, limited preparedness of graduates for the new economy [from Wikipedia footnote 10], and restrictions on political participation. Although they were highly disorganized and their goals varied, the students called for greater accountability, constitutional due process, democracy, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech.[Wikipedia footnote 11][Wikipedia footnote 12] When are we going to stand up? The lone man that temporarily stopped tanks appeared to have had enough of the oppressive government in his country. Do we have the courage to do the same?
Christian Nationalism
Speaking of great videos, Mr. Dan Bongino has a great video on Rumble. It is titled: The War On Christians Is Coming To Your Door, Christian Or Not (Episode. 1787) – The Dan Bongino Show. At 5 minutes and 20 seconds, the video begins to explain a recent tactic the tyrants in America are waging on conservatives. He quotes an article from the Religion News Service by Amanda Tyler, the Politico by David Siders, and New York magazine by Sarah Jones to point out that the Political Left is blaming Christians for the Left’s setbacks. Bongino continues by quoting an MSNBC tweet that states the United States is under siege by Christian fundamentalists and traditionalists. Bongino asserts that when the Left labels something or someone a threat to democracy, any means is considered fair game (including violence) to neutralize their perceived threat.
Dan Bongino quotes an activist speaking specifically about Christian Nationalism, “see it, name it, fight it.” He also refers to a June 8 publication of Tablet Magazine with an article by B. Duncan Moench. Mr. Moench’s article is titled Roe and the Fable of Progressive Neoliberalism. A quick summary by Bongino says that the Left uses lawsuits to get their way that they could never get at the ballot box and by immigration (legal or not) to try and outnumber conservatives. The point I took away from the video is that whether deserved or not, the political Left is blaming Christians and considering them a threat to democracy that must be stopped by any means necessary. So, whether we stand or not, proverbial tanks are on their way to roll over us.
Natural Law
A look at history shows that the political Left is the side that is a threat to democracy. I say this because The Declaration of Independence contains universal principles and a bill of particulars (aka grievances). The bill of particulars implies the Constitution. Furthermore, the Declaration of Independence is also about ultimate purposes, and the Constitution describes how to execute those purposes. Finally, the colonies believed in a doctrine of natural law since about 1710, and this natural law contained a moral claim, a natural right to be free.
It also included the idea of the consent of the governed and considered the idea of equality. Equality is defined as the moral right to consent & who has the right to rule. Additionally, this social compact the founders created was an agreement to form a government and not just any government. Still, an exclusive body not for the rest of humanity, but a government to protect the people who have adopted the compact and reside within the geographic borders of said government.
Now, contrast that with the history of the Progressive Movement. Then, both Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson believed in the argument to move beyond the founding. Progressives thought the ends and scope of government were going to change. So, the interpretation of the Constitution should be contingent, relative, and dependent on the new circumstances of new times. The Progressives attacked the natural rights theory. Wilson said not to repeat the preface of the Declaration of Independence. Consider the logic behind that! If the Declaration’s introduction is not there, what’s left? The particulars. So, the English King George isn’t alive anymore. So, we don’t need the Declaration of Independence. Thus, the universal principles are silenced.
Haunting Words
Please consider these haunting words written 106 years ago and ponder the similarities to today’s Democrats. During the Wilson Administration, Progressives embraced a new theory from Frank Goodnow: “Man is primarily a member of society and secondarily an individual. The rights he possesses are, it is believed, conferred upon him, not by his Creator, but rather by the society to which he belongs. What they are is to be determined by the legislative authority in view of the needs of that society. Social expediency, rather than natural right, is thus to determine the sphere of individual freedom of action.” (The American Conception of Liberty, 1916) – This philosophy is antithetical to natural law or natural rights! So what are we supposed to do when we see something so unnatural? When are we going to stand up? We have allowed this malignant thought to metastasize for over a century!
From where did this malignant thought originate? History shows that although America was founded on liberty, equality, natural rights, and government by consent, the founders had to address slavery. They understood that slavery was wrong, for they knew slaves were men. But should they end slavery and face disunion or preserve the union and tolerate slavery, at least for the time being? They were optimistic that slavery would eventually end. Banning slavery would cause colonies to break away and become fragmented republics like Europe. The founders also feared the breakaway colonies becoming client states of European countries. Yet, the end of slavery did not come peacefully. Intellectual changes in the South due to the introduction of German philosophy (Immanuel Kant and Friedric Hegel) and homegrown theories such as those of John C. Calhoun were antithetical to the laws of nature and the social contract premise espoused by the founders.
Let us have faith that right makes might
Calhoun rejected that man is an individual endowed with inherent rights but rather a natural political creature. He also believed that men are members of groups and not individuals! Humanity can only be the moral and intellectual creature God intended in a political society. It is the only place his nature can develop. He believed that any government is better than no government. Calhoun believed tyranny is better than anarchy. Calhoun directly contradicted James Madison, who wrote in Federalist 51 that anarchy is better than tyranny. According to Calhoun, instead of liberty being inborn with man, natural liberty is a prize to be won. He thought some could handle liberty and others could not.
The South began to act like a police state before the Civil War. As a result, one could get in trouble for even speaking out against slavery. So Abraham Lincoln asked how to convince the South that we mean them no harm? He answered his question: “We must abandon our moral conviction and adopt theirs. The only thing to prevent us from doing so is that slavery is wrong. Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.” (Address at Cooper Institute Feb-27-1860)
The Left believes might makes right.
As before the Civil War, one can get in trouble for even speaking out against specific topics today. The difference now is the topics and that the government has delegated its police powers to corporations to silence critics of the Leftist agenda. It is okay for Al Gore to say that the Republicans stole an election, thus keeping him from becoming president. Hillary Clinton is also free to say Trump stole an election and kept her from becoming president. The same is true for Stacey Abrams unsuccessful bid for governor in Georgia. Yet, social media will retaliate against those questioning the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s presidential victory. Additionally, if one espouses that Trump defeated Joe Biden too loudly, they are at risk of being put on a watch list as an insurrectionist.
Other topics that can get people in trouble are Covid-19 medicines, the origin of Covid-19, and the efficacy of the vaccines. Of course, questioning the use of masks is taboo too. Besides the virus, one can get in trouble for even being a Trump supporter. Being pro-life, pro 2nd Amendment, or not believing in the Trump-Russian collusion lie can make one persona non grata. Opposing Critical Race Theory at a school board meeting can get one placed on a terror watch list. Some opponents of the Left created their own social media platforms only to have their financial banking accounts closed, and the server farms cut off. The Left has used its might to appear right by silencing its critics.
America’s superpower status is in jeopardy.
Believing that God doesn’t make mistakes can get one ostracized from most college campuses. This is because the Left thinks the gender of an individual is a choice of the individual and not necessarily the gender they were at birth. The Senate just confirmed a Supreme Court candidate that cannot or would not define what constitutes a woman. There wasn’t even an open seat on the court at the time of the interview. When are we going to stand up to this madness? Will God allow America to continue being a superpower since we are in such a depraved state?
The tanks of tyranny are already rolling. When are we going to stand up for Natural Law? When are we going to stand up for free speech? Will we ever learn to rely on our neighbors instead of the bloated administrative state? Learning to connect with people face to face instead of online would help our religious and political discourse. When are we going to stand up? The time is now.
It is time to stand.
We must stand, not just show up to vote but to participate. Washington is out of control. Go to your state capitol and build relationships with your lawmakers. Work with them to craft policies and laws to reign in the federal government. When are we going to stand up? Please don’t wait until it is too late. The President of Hillsdale College is Larry P. Arn. After the online course on the Constitution, Mr. Arn says, and I paraphrase. We are not governed by angels any more than we are angels. So, two things are needed. First, we must seek to restore the limits, the poise, and the balances in the government. Second, we ought to think we can do that because it is the right thing to do, and surely always, the right thing is possible.