Which 'ism' Do You Want?

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Which 'ism' do you want?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: August 12, 2006 1:00 a.m. Eastern

Socialism: government ownership and control of the means of production and distribution of goods; grants or denies rights to individuals. Communism: government ownership of all property, in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed; grants or denies rights to individuals.

Fascism: centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader who exalts nation, and often race, above the individual, and who uses severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition; grants or denies rights to individuals.

Terrorism: violent or destructive acts (such as bombing) committed by groups to intimidate a population or government into granting their demands.

Americanism: government empowered by the consent of the governed to protect the unalienable rights of individuals.

Even a cursory review of these "isms" reveals that America is a mixture of all of them. Truth be told, we apparently like it this way. We continue to elect, and un-elect, the people who represent us on the basis of how well they advance the particular "ism" we like.

Government is full of people who insist that government own the land – more than 42 percent of the total land area – and control the use of the land it does not own. Every year, millions of dollars are taken from private citizens, expressly to buy more land for the government.

Government is full of people who insist that government control the means of production by granting, or denying, permits to mine, drill for oil or harvest trees. Using subsidies and regulations, the government controls what crops may be raised. Using taxes and regulations, government controls which businesses may operate and where they may set up shop.

Who can deny that these realities are more consistent with socialism and communism than with Americanism? We must want it this way, because we continue to elect the people who make it so.

There are those who contend that the president exercises fascist tendencies, operating "above the law" by ordering "wire taps," "secret prisons" and "torturing" detainees. Most presidents produce this kind of response from a small segment of the political opposition, but to them, it is a real concern and a part of the current system.

Terrorism is also present. It is not limited to the likes of bin Laden and his crew or Timothy McVeigh. Many people who wish to express their right to free speech have no reluctance to resort to "destructive acts" in order to intimidate, and prevent others from expressing their right to free speech. Ann Coulter's "pie in the face" episode comes to mind, as well as many other examples of speakers being shouted down by Americans who use terrorist tactics to get others to acquiesce to their demands.

Americanism, as envisioned by our founders and set forth in the U.S. Constitution, may be the least visible system of government in America. "Unalienable rights," as defined in our Declaration of Independence, are limited to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." There is no "right" to housing, a minimum wage, clean water or a free debit card after a hurricane.

Our Creator-endowed "unalienable rights" come with the attendant individual responsibility to stay alive, to defend liberty and to pursue – not be given – happiness.

All the "isms" here defined are powerful forces in the world, each vying for dominance. Fascism, wearing the mask of Islam, is the currently emerging global threat. Of all the other "isms," Americanism is the greatest obstacle this new fascism must overcome. The forces of socialism and communism would benefit by the defeat of Americanism. Note the condemnation of the U.S. by socialist, communist and fascist leaders around the world.

It is no coincidence that the loudest voices of opposition to the war against terrorism in this country arise from political forces that promote elements of socialism and communism, such as expanded welfare programs, and more land acquisition and land-use control regulations. The more extreme of these voices use terrorism to one degree or another, ranging from shouting matches at public rallies to burning ski lodges and destroying medical labs.

So far, voters have elected a majority of representatives who want Americanism more than the other options. Every election, however, is an opportunity for advocates of another "ism" to prevail. This year, there are plenty of candidates who advocate the elements of socialism and communism. There are also candidates who advocate Americanism; they are often distinguished by their willingness to defend it.

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Henry Lamb is the executive vice president of the Environmental Conservation Organization and chairman of Sovereignty International.

"-Ism's in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon, "I don't believe in The Beatles, I just believe in me." Good point there. After all, he was the walrus. I could be the walrus but it still wouldn't change the fact that I don't own a car!"

There has been a fifth column preaching antiAmericanism for upwards of a hundred years.

They do it from within academia and indoctrinate future generations. These malcontents are also among those who organize rallies against the policies of this nation.

The same Communists who protest against the war in Iraq were part of the 1960s protest movement against the Vietnam war and even part of the 1930s protest movement decrying any war against Hitler (they were for "peace" until Hitler betrayed Stalin).

"A hyphenated American is not an American at all. This is just as true of the man who puts 'Native' before the hyphen as of the man who puts German or Irish or French before the hyphen.

Americanism is a matter of the spirit and of the soul. Our allegiance must be purely to the United States. We must unsparingly condemn any man who holds any other allegiance." Theodore Roosevelt... 1915

Now to Update Teddy

"A hyphenated American is not an American at all. This is just as true of the man who puts 'Native' before the hyphen as of the man who puts Arab or Hispanic or German or Irish or French before the hyphen.

Americanism is a matter of the spirit and of the soul. Our allegiance must be purely to the United States. We must unsparingly condemn any man who holds any other allegiance or advocates favors be offered and granted."

"Unalienable rights," as defined in our Declaration of Independence, are limited to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

"limited to"???????? I DON'T THINK SO! Here is how it actually reads:

endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

"They do it from within academia and indoctrinate future generations. These malcontents are also among those who organize rallies against the policies of this nation."

And, we pay far-left professors extremely well for turning our young people against the country. Isn't capitalism wonderful?/sarc.

I'm kinda partial to orgism, myself.

The real difficulty is that ideology is by definition divorced from the real world, and the more extreme and violent it gets, the more divorced. All such mental constructs are an attempt to simplify the complex and decipher the undecipherable. That does not mean our actions should not be guided by principles, but it does mean that those principles need to be constantly examined and where they conflict one must be chosen. Peace and freedom, for example, are both lovely ideals. They are also very often incompatible, and an ideology such as progressivism that pretends that both may be attained simultaneously does so at the cost of further estrangement from the real world.

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