You talk as if this nation is made up of people like you and I. Do you realize the ever-shrinking minority in which we sit?
I am not ‘calling for pestilence and plague’. I love this republic as much as anyone. But I also recognize that the majority of the people who comprise her no longer comprehend, or value sufficiently, what she stands (or once stood) for. The list of assets is long and historically unparalleled, but eroding beyond recognition.
Ask a random man on the street to tell you five amendments to the Constitution. Or to name three justices of the Supreme Court. Or four Civil War generals. Or to name his congressional representative. Or to explain the causes, and the long-term results, of World War II. Or to interpret even a small part of the intent of the Mayflower Compact. Or to cite any kind of national sovereignty or security weakness that resulted from the Clinton years. Or to give you his opinion on judicial activism. I guarantee you that, eight times out of ten, on any of these questions you will be greeted with a blank stare.
How does one reach such ‘brethren’?
Politicians are buying votes by stealing the fruits of your labors from you, and unconstitutionally giving them to special interest groups (who just happen to vote). They are refusing to do what is necessary to stem illegal immigration because illegal immigration eventually profits and benefits leftists. They are systematically degrading all of the underpinnings that brought this country to its heights (Godly influence in law and justice, the preservation of our national sovereignty, the importance of individual freedom, the necessity of limited government, the need for individual responsibility, and the sanctity of human life). How many of those six concepts are alive and well in this nation today? Better question: Provided they have two cars in their garage, cable television, and internet access, what percentage of Americans give a damn whether those six concepts are under relentless attack and surviving on life support?
You talk of ‘power to expose people to the truth’. I have spent a good deal of time over this past year both talking with people at public meetings and pounding the pavement for various candidates and causes – the most strenuous of which was the candidacy of Pat Toomey against Arlen Specter. Believe me, I learned a valuable lesson over the last twelve months – which was a strong suspicion, now made real and tangible:
The average American is too lazy to ferret out the truth. He is more than willing to listen to it when it stands in his doorway, or sits in his livingroom. But once the bearer of that truth leaves his home, he reverts to placing the genuine welfare of his country on the back burner. Can’t be bothered reading more than superficial political analyses, and swallows soundbite news hype as if it were so much cotton candy.
You and I can’t shout from the rooftops day in and day out. We, too, have jobs and families. But we spend a significant amount of our leisure time reading (sources that are not leftist-tainted) and listening (to sources that are reliable). The average American does little or none of that, and spends a shockingly small amount of time thinking about the state of his country’s health at all. So how do you suggest we disseminate the truth to a populace that generally balks at any critical thinking or analysis that doesn’t go down like pablum?
I know I sound to some like a whiner and a chronic pessimist. That is not my intention. I have simply experienced a very rude awakening, and I am reminded of it anew every day in conversations I have with ‘normal Americans’ in the course of my daily work.
If we are to revive this nation, its citizens need to become well-informed, involved in their local, state and national government decision-making, and aware that the mainstream political and media outlets are not adequate sources of reliable information. Its citizens show little inclination to expend the time and effort to do any of the above.
No, that does not mean that the rest of us (the perhaps fifteen to twenty percent who treasure what America used to be, and work to reclaim that national character and greatness) should throw in the towel. By no means. Doing so would amount to betraying this republic every bit as much as the political and media leftists are. But neither does it mean that we must ‘never doubt the ultimate success’ of our efforts. A marathon runner, five miles from the finish, and two miles behind the leader, knows full well that he isn’t going to win. But that doesn’t mean that he leaves the road and sits sulking in the grass. He still runs his personal best, so that he can be proud of his final time.
In this particular ‘marathon’ much more is at stake than personal glory or individual pride. The future of the most glorious nation in the history of mankind is on the line. So we must keep running. We must also cling to hope. The Lord works in miracles, when He determines they are necessary and desirable … and their recipients are worthy. We need to strive to be worthy, and pray that others will do so as well.
Realism (no matter how ugly a picture it paints), accompanied by hope, is never a dangerous or unrighteous path to follow. Realistically, I see ominous black clouds on the horizon. Blacker than I’ve ever seen before. And I see a populace afraid to look skyward. But I know Who is in control, and I pray that He will continue to deem us worthy of safety, security and prosperity. If I were playing God, I know I wouldn’t. Lucky for us I’m only a simple human whose miracle decision-making abilities are sorely lacking.
~ joanie