Politics - Where do
you start to restore the country? Look in the mirror
June 20th 2006
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Republicans in
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Butler Shaffer, professor of law at Southwestern University School of
Law, in a June 15 commentary,
The Price of Madness, contemplated the direction America has turned
since 9/11.
He has concluded that the nation has undergone an erosion of character
that, “...arose from within, not within some amorphous collectivity
called 'America,' but within the minds and souls of individuals who
comprise society....It is a dreadful mistake to blame political leaders,
the media, or corporate-state structuring for our problems.
By default—if not enthusiasm—we have been the authors of our own
madness....This madness is destroying our sense of what it means to be
human being, including our relationships with other people.”
This is an assertion that does not settle well with those who consider
themselves “conservatives” or Republicans. The completion of their long
march to power came, supposedly, because Democrats and liberals were
corrupt, thoughtless, intellectually bankrupt, and thoroughly immoral.
Republicans and conservatives, however, challenged Democrat power with
“clear visions” that rewarded work by dismantling the welfare state and
protected private property with promises of tax cuts and less intrusive
government.
Republicans and conservatives largely stood in defense of traditional
moral boundaries, pledged to protect marriage from same-sex intrusion
and, if they could not engineer a total ban on abortion, they would at
least attempt to convince the majority to agree that the procedure
should not be used as a convenient method of avoiding the circumstances
of mindless debauchery. Conservatives would not be so base as to cajole
college girls to service the secular needs of their most powerful
officials or to rent the influence of their power to the highest
bidders.
Republicans and many who call themselves conservative no doubt believe
they have been true to their claims and reject the notion that their
integrity has been impeached--except in rare individual cases--during
their hold on power. George Bush, after all, does not have a blue dress
in his background and various, isolated charges of bribery and influence
peddling are seemingly brought by politically motivated liberal
prosecutors.
Victors, after all, not only have the pleasure of writing history, but
they are also relieved of the burden and emotional turmoil of
self-assessments or scrutiny. Could any clear-headed conservative
Republican possibly disagrees with Garrison Keillor when he sings
We're all Republicans now, :
We're all Republicans now,
We've all come around somehow
We'll stay the course,
No regret or remorse
We're all Republicans now.
Taxes are terribly high,
Especially on people who die.
The economy's booming prosperity's here
Yes, we're in debt but there's nothing to fear.
New Orleans is gone but hey it's okay
None of our friends liked that town anyway
We're all Republicans now.
Keillor's song, however, has a much broader application because
Republicans largely feel secure with their political power because too
many of their Democrat opponents have the same smug, self-important
moral superiority complex that has rationalized Republican refusal of
introspection. Generally America has become a nation that is glutted on
pride and unwilling to accept the idea that each of us are contributing
to a national downfall.
We will criticize the government for spending too much money or spending
for the wrong reasons, but we are unwilling to control consumer debt
which has the nation outspending its total income. Conservatives
champion private property, but when ownership of land stands in the way
of profitable real estate development, eminent domain is used to prefer
profit over private property. Democrats decry the Bush Administration
for mismanaging the invasion and occupation of Iraq, but they had no
indignation for the Clinton Administration's impeachment eve bombing of
Kosovo and the horrors it caused, or of the invasion and kidnapping at
the home of Elian Gonzales. Republicans ridicule the intellectual
bankruptcy of Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry and
the Democrat Party at large, but they won't entertain any debate with
the growing number of self-exiled conservative intellectuals who raise
valid and well-reasoned critiques of their hold on power for the last 12
years.
If the institutions that exist to put order and deliver justice to
American society are corrupted—and this includes the Democrat and
Republican Parties—where can Americans turn to restore integrity to
those institutions and still preserve a semblance of liberty? The
suggestion here is that we as individuals act upon our own liberty to
turn our backs on the ideas and systems that are causing harm to the
culture, government, and economy of the country and turn to those who we
can most trust.
Those who we can most trust are those who we can best influence. Start
with who you find in the mirror and suggest to that person that they
devote themselves to the service of those who live under the same roof.
Then pledge to withhold activity in any political or community
activity—including voting—until the culture of that home is stable,
sane, and secure.
By
Bob Strodtbeck
Columnist
Bob Strodtbeck has been writing editorial
commentaries since 1993. He has professional experiences in
pharmaceuticals, radio, and education. He has also served as a church
elder in an Orlando congregation where he has made his home since 1986.rvstrodtbeck@peoplepc.com
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