Posted on 03/23/2010 11:04:46 AM PDT by neverdem
Its a Civil War: What We Do Now
Seven steps toward reclaiming Americas values.
A terrible thing happened to America on Sunday, March 21, 2010. The country took its biggest step ever down a road diametrically opposed to its original intent of keeping the state small so that the individual can be free and great.
In this unprecedented crisis of values, this is what needs to be done:
1. Know and teach America’s core values.
We got to this point because over the past few generations, Americans have forgotten the values that have made America distinctive and great. Even the “greatest generation” failed to communicate them. People who do not understand American ideals — especially small government — now dominate our schools, our entertainment media, and our news media.
In a nutshell, those values are what I call the American Trinity: “In God We Trust,” “Liberty,” and “E Pluribus Unum.” The Left has successfully made war on all three — substituting secularism for God and religion in as much of American life as possible; substituting equality (of result) for liberty; and for “E Pluribus Unum,” substituting its opposite, “multiculturalism.” (My own video on this subject, titled “The American Trinity,” can be seen at www.prageru.com. Please view it and forward it.)
2. Recognize that we are fighting the Left, not liberals.
Liberalism believed in American exceptionalism; the Left not only does not believe in it, but opposes it. (President Obama, when asked if he believes in American exceptionalism, replied, “I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.”)
Liberalism believed in creating wealth; the Left is interested in redistributing it. Liberalism believed in a strong defense. The Left believes in cutting defense and relying on a strong United Nations.
3. Democrats should be referred to as Social Democrats.
This is not meant to be cute, let alone a slur. But calling Democrats Social Democrats is an effective way of reminding Americans that there is no longer any difference between what is now known as the Democratic party and the Social Democratic parties of Europe. When the Democratic party returns to its roots as a liberal, not left-wing, party, we will happily resume calling the party by its original name. However, since no Democrat can cite a significant difference between the Democratic party and the SD parties, there is no good reason not to use the more accurate nomenclature.
4. Work tirelessly to repeal the bill.
We must single-mindedly work to repeal the government health plan. We all know that it is difficult to repeal entitlements, because they are like drugs and it is very difficult to wean people off drugs. But it is not impossible. We need to warn our fellow Americans that entitlements will do to America what drugs eventually do to addicts.
All Republicans must run for office on the “repeal” issue. Even when they lose, the difference between Right and Left, between Republicans and Social Democrats, will have been made clear; and clarity is our best friend.
5. Our motto: “The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen.”
I used this phrase in addressing the Republican members of Congress. It has become widely used, including by Rep. David Dreier (R., Calif.) on the House floor during the Congressional debate on Sunday. It encapsulates this epic battle of American values versus leftist values. Every movement needs a motto. I nominate this.
6. Do not let other matters distract us.
Neither Republicans nor conservatives are united on every issue facing America. Immigration is one example. But we are united on the big-government-vs.-free-individuals issue, which, more than anything else, has defined America. If we allow any other domestic issue to divide us, we will lose.
And here’s why: If Americans forget what America stands for, it won’t help us if there is not one illegal immigrant here. And if we do remember what it means to be American, we can handle anything.
7. Acknowledge that we are in a non-violent civil war.
I write the words “civil war” with an ache in my heart. But we are in one.
Thank God this civil war is non-violent. But the fact is that the Left and the rest of the country share almost no values. The American value system and the leftist value system are irreconcilable. If the Left wins, American values lose. If American values win, the Left loses.
After Sunday’s vote, for the first time in American history, one could no longer confidently believe that the American system will prevail. And if we don’t fight for it, we don’t deserve it.
— Dennis Prager is a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host and columnist. He may be contacted through his website, dennisprager.com.
How Many Members Of The U.S. Congress Are Self-Declared Socialists?
Yeah, we need crisp cogent definitions if we are to win this battle ... sheese ...
</sarc>
Re: point about being distracted.
My guess is that Zer0 will manufacture an international crisis so he will look patriotic and have all the Dems and GOP join him looking the same. Symbolically, like 9/11 when we were all Americans.
While he is busy engaging his “crisis”, the healthcare becomes less visible and is quietly being implemented with less opposition.
Prager’s “Liberals” are partly old fashioned liberals (what we would call a centrist Republican now) and partly a figment of his imagination (Prager once opined that Jimmy Carter governed as a Liberal). Still, the yet to be enlightened Americans will better understand what’s going on if they are called Left.
I’m getting irritated at the overuse of the term “civil war”.
Law-abiding rhetoric isn’t.
Terminology means something. The Lefties knew this for years. We are not in a collegial setting now.
Remember “Moral Equivalent Of War”? (MEOW)
And it wasn’t we conservatives who declared the war.
Great post.
Bummer says he is looking at jobs now.
This, being something actually constructive, is something he is much less likely to succeed at. Don’t look for bipartisan hosannas over this.
Pray aloud--- and cry out to the Living God, for forgiveness of our many national sins -- and deliverance from dark forces that have usurped authority -- and threaten our liberties.
*******
Just food for thought...
Nah. None of those steps will work. God gave his formula for such things in 2 Chronicals 7.
If Christians will
1) Humble themselves
2) Pray
3) Seek God’s face
4) Turn from their wicked ways
Then He’ll heal our land. That’s it. The fact that all this is happening is proof that we’re failing to do all of those 4 things.
RESIST: To Name A Few Actions You Can Take: Defy every state directive. Withhold every dollar from government. Stop spending. Stop buying. Stop donating. Resign from volunteer groups. Withdraw from all banks. Resist passively. Drive very slow. Report any infraction by a democrat to the police. Stop liberal subscriptions.
Government itself is not the enemy. The enemy is people who seek to misuse government.
“Im getting irritated at the overuse of the term ‘civil war’. Law-abiding rhetoric isnt.”
Agreed.
In fact, I would use “misuse” instead of “overuse”.
IMO, the issue is more a matter of “defending the Consitution” rather than civil war.
Keep talking like that and you will become a passive couch potato.
I believe that you are cautious. However, more and more of us are recognizing that we have been unwilling participants in a civil war that has been waged against us in the name of tolerance and diversity and justice.
We have not recognized that while we thought that we were just in disagreement, the other side had declared war on us.
Pardon my confusion; which/whose incarnation of that phrase do you refer to?
It’s a popular notion, but failing actual “boots on the ground”, this isn’t. It’s not the moral equivalent thereof. The only anecdote that _could_ fit the concept was the “Cold War”, which could have gone hot in 30 minutes flat from any moment - not as a matter of rhetorical theory, but because fingers were on triggers waiting only for the command.
Heck, what’s being discussed doesn’t even reach the level of “civil disobedience”. For all the “I won’t comply” rhetoric, I await the tunes years hence when we finally meet “pay the fine or go to jail”. 99.999% will continue following the rules/laws, talking as if that’s something special.
I’m not advocating anything, just lamenting the neutering of all “CWII” stands for.
While Left implies more government, they need to be tied more firmly to ideas that establish government planning and control.
Thanks for the link. Search must be malfunctioning.
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