"Take our country back!" and "Take our government back!" are rallying cries for liberals, conservatives, libertarians, and—well, everyone but mugwumps. A mugwump is someone who sits on the fence with his mug on one side and his "wump" on the other.
When I was a small boy, before seat belts and child seats were mandatory, there was a toy that looked like a steering wheel and dashboard. Small children could pretend to be driving the car while the actual driver sat behind the actual steering wheel. Until he learned better, the child could deceive himself into thinking that he was really driving the car.
Unless "We the People" take the trouble to inform ourselves as to how things actually work, we the voters may become like the small child I just mentioned. Just changing faces in Congress will do little or nothing to put average Americans in the driver's seat.
Let's look at another aspect of the situation. A wag once said, "If the meek shall inherit the earth, who will step forward to claim it?" By themselves, temper tantrums in the streets will do nothing to take our government back. We must step forward to claim it.
Finally, remember the old remark about the dog chasing cars. What would the dog do if he caught one? What policies and attitudes must replace the kleptocracy that is now in place? If we can't answer that question, we'll only lose our government again.
In this work, I attempt to address all these issues. To read each article, just click onto the title of the article. Some of the articles are as yet unwritten and there's no link to them. With the Lord's help, I'll complete them well before the 2010 congressional elections.
These articles can teach, they can offer hope, they can provide inspiration; but they can not supply courage itself. For courage, each person must look into his own soul.
This article is an overview of the entire work.
The following section deals with the question, "What went wrong in Washington?" We have no way of understanding what's wrong with the Washington Establishment until we understand how it really works and what caused it to go wrong. This section also offers insight as to how to make things go right.
If you're like most people, you probably think that the competition among news outlets is a competition for news stories. The truth is, they mainly compete for advertising dollars. All of the major news outlets are owned by corporations and banks, and they must keep them satisfied. They also have to please managers and investors. Readers and viewers are much lower on the totem pole, but average people are not without resources of their own.
The titles of this set of articles say it all. We the People have been part of the problem. We're not going to change things in Washington unless we make ourselves part of the solution.
Civilization isn't all that it's cracked up to be, and the "noble savage" isn't necessarily a dreamy sentimentality. As the Bible says, Satan is prince of the earth. This series of articles describes how government and other trappings of civilization began, and how they really work today. According to a Greek myth, Pandora curiously opened a box and inadvertently unleashed all the world's woes upon it. Only one thing remained in the box: Hope.
How well do you know your congressman? If all you know is how your congressman dresses and grooms himself, how well he speaks, and what he tells you when he's running for re-election, you're probably part of the problem. Grow up. Accept the responsibility of seeking out more reliable sources.
When Congress is in session, no one's life, liberty, or property is safe. These articles offer proof of that assertion. During the nineteenth century, New York political boss William Marcy Tweed was asked if the accusation of wholesale embezzlement and corruption against him was true. He replied, "Even if it is, what're ya gonna do about it?" Congress today is packed with hundreds of men and women like William Marcy Tweed. Well, Americans, what are you going to do about it?
Now that recent events have awakened him, Rip van American would like nothing better than to go back to sleep. He's the infernal optimist who believes that everything will be all right simply because he wants them to be all right. Rather than accept the fatigue of supporting liberty, many Americans are willing to accept quick fixes that give them a false sense of security while they're getting shafted. This series of articles underscores the point, "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance."
What’s Wrong with the 28th Amendment, Part 3
What’s Wrong with the Con-Con?
What about Nullification?
What about Secession?
This series of articles, which covers a diverse range of topics, addresses some of the important issues of our time. Things aren't always what they seem.
"Divide and conquer" is one of the oldest political and military strategies in history. With consummate skill, the power elites use this strategy against us, and many Americans just eat it up. They use a particular form of "bait and switch" to further this strategy. Fear of terrorism is transmuted into a hatred of Muslims; fear of illegal immigrants is transmuted into a hatred of Mexican-Americans and other legal immigrants. Wedges are also driven between Democrats and Republicans, Republicans and libertarians, blacks and whites, liberals and conservatives, and so on. As long as the power elite can keep us divided against each other, we can't unite to reclaim representative government for America.
An Honest Look at Bigotry, Part 2
Illegal Immigrants
The Muslims among Us
This series of articles deals with political strategies: the strategies used by the power elite and suggested strategies for taking our country back and reclaiming our representative government.
Unwholesome Entanglements
Ronald Reagan once said something like, "If the world were invaded by hostile forces from outer space, the nations of the world would find ways to set aside their differences to defend the world against this common threat." The United States isn't being invaded by hostile forces from outer space; the United States is occupied by hostile forces on Wall Street. Our best hope is for honest Americans of differing political views, different religions, different races, and other differing reference points to put aside our differences to defend ourselves against the common threat. United, we can reclaim representative government for America.
Uniting Americans who have spent much of their lives at each others' throats will be quite a challenge. Borrowing a cue from game theory, how can we get people working together when they're unsure of each others' motives? We can accomplish this only if we adopt a new mindset, a new way of looking at things, a new paradigm. Here are a few suggestions.
Even if a majority of voters vote for candidates who offer hope for the reclamation of representative government, how can we be sure that the votes will be honestly counted? This article is a discussion of insuring that the mechanisms for counting are honest.
Finally, what should be our goals beyond the immediate goal of electing congressmen who sincerely represent their constituents? We can begin by reclaiming the values that we lost so gradually and imperceptibly that many of us are scarcely aware that we lost them. These are the values that make us fully human, part of the family of humankind, part of nature, and creatures purposefully loved by our Creator.
What is an Election Victory?
The Valley of Decision
