The Promise of America

I am taking an online course through Hillsdale College, one of the few really conservative institutions left in the US today.  The course is “The American Left: From Liberalism to Despotism”.  I am reading a hardcopy of “War on The American Republic” by Kevin Slack, one of the Hillsdale professors associated with the course.

In the introduction to the book, he spells out very succinctly where we are today.  “…the ideas that most Americans had tolerated as absurd and relegated to academia – transgenderism, anti-white racism, censorship, cronyism- are now endorsed and carried out at the highest levels of political power.  What formerly were the ideals of the radical Left are now the policies of an entire cosmopolitan class that includes much of the entrenched bureaucracy, the military, the media, and government-sponsored corporations.  It seems there is little that can be done.”

That last sentence is troubling, to say the least.  Since I am only beginning the book, I am anxious to see if an Article V Convention is a part of that “little”.

He does identify the crux of the problem though…academia.  It begins with how we are defined as a nation.  The founding fathers went to great lengths, after studying the forms of successful governments throughout history to that point, to create a Republic and not a democracy.  To my knowledge, the word democracy cannot be found in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution or any other of the founders documents.

The preponderance of democracy’s use, in the lexicon of ever evolving terms used in the media today, would have a master of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, smiling.  “It would not be impossible to prove with sufficient repetition and a psychological understanding of the people concerned that a square is in fact a circle.” 

Which brings us to problematic player number two, per Mr. Goebbels.  “Think of the press as a great keyboard
on which the government can play.”

And government, beginning in the early 1900’s via the progressive movement’s nurturing of the bureaucracy and the media, has learned to play us very well.  

“Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.”  Ibid J. Goebbels

Hence, the prevailing belief in society today that we are a democracy.  The square is now believed to be a circle.  It is not, but it is now almost impossible to change that perception.

Quite simply, in a democracy the majority of citizens get their way.  The founding fathers realized that the average citizen was not well informed enough to allow majority rule.  Hence, as an example, Senators were chosen by, supposedly better informed state legislatures, until the progressives in 1913 ratified the 17th Amendment and gave that responsibility to the majority of citizens, i.e. democratic rule.  It’s pretty much been downhill since then.

Consequently, the Promise of America, “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” has been all but forgotten by the masses.  Life has become a series of “they want to do what?”  Liberties are in short supply and being infringed on daily.  Hence, happiness is on life support, except for children and grandchildren.  Academia and the press are pretty much a lost cause.  

We can, however, do something about rehabilitating the Republic.  An Article V Convention to address term limits on federal officials, encourage fiscal responsibility, and reign in out of control federal power would go a long way in restoring “The Promise Of America”. 

Bottom line is…to paraphrase Smokey, “only you can prevent the demise of the Republic”.

For more information on the process of an Article V Convention of States and to sign the petition, click here.