The True “Miracle†That Made America
I have long been convinced that the founding of America was a sort of miracle. Not in the sense of magic or some manner of mystical intervention, but in the sense of what had to happen to allow and cause that founding.
Now that the Republic that was founded is likely coming to an end, it seems only proper to reflect on the why and the how of both the beginning and of the end.
For sure, the establishment of our Constitution seems a sort of miracle in itself and I revere the document and all it stands for. Yet, that Constitution is actually a result of the true miracle and not the miracle itself.
So, what then is this “true†miracle that I refer to? It is simply that fact that a particular group of people occurred at the same place, at the same time, and with a common goal that they were willing to risk everything for. I refer, of course, to the likes of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, John Adams, George Washington and a host of supporting players. Truly, what are the odds that such a group would coalesce just when and were they were needed? How seldom has such a thing happened in the known history of mankind (if ever)? And, please note that we-the-people did not chose our Founders. They simply occurred, hence the “miracleâ€.
We Americans are prone to say that we are “a nation of laws, not of menâ€. While I admire the sentiment intended by this, it is not now and was never actually true. The “laws†in question were the work of men (men meaning humans). They are obeyed (or not), are enforced (or not) by men. And, they have been slowly but surely destroyed by men – through a process of neglect combined with intent.
It is a testament to the Founders that they constructed a body of law so nearly perfect that it took lesser men over 200 years to destroy it. Yet, these very Founders knew at the time that their work would, indeed, be destroyed. They even told us how and why lesser men would cause that destruction. This is because they understood history and they understood the nature of men.
They also knew that what they did was the crowning result of a continuum of human progress toward individual liberty that began around the Mediterranean centuries ago.
We Americans have acted as though the Founders bequeathed to us a gift when, in fact, what they gave us was a challenge – a challenge we were ultimately not up to.
Let us revisit the list of notable Founders from above: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, John Adams, George Washington. All of them statesmen of the highest order… men whose combined efforts, along with those of others of like mind, helped create the greatest Republic in the history of mankind.
In contrast, let us list a few of those who try to pass themselves off as “leaders†in the present: Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Eric Holder, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell. Hardly a list of statesmen is it? Indeed, it reads more like a list of un-indicted felons. Yet, however sorry this lot may be, never forget that they hold their positions at YOUR pleasure. YOU put them where they are and YOU return many of them, election after election.
If you still do not get my point, simply consider two famous statements — First, the absolute majesty of: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…†then the absolute stupidity of: “We have to pass the bill so that we (you) can find out what is in it…â€
To repeat a statement I have made elsewhere in this blog, our Republic did not fail us – we failed our Republic. 200 years of neglect have finally crippled the product of the miracle.
My only remaining question is whether such a miracle can happen again, and, if so, when and where? Clearly, if it occurs again, it will not be the outcome of a general election by the indifferent, the uninformed and the incapable.
Can I tell you the exact day and time that America will fail? Of course not. But, anyone who cares to look can see the sickness and sense the inevitability.
Several years ago, one of my dearest friends developed an aggressive form of lung cancer. Did any of us know in advance the exact moment when his body would succumb to the inevitable? Of course not. Yet, there was no doubt that it would. The same is true in the sad case of our Republic. BTW, my friend’s cancer was the almost inevitable result of the abuse of tobacco, just as the sickness killing our Republic is the almost inevitable result of the abuse of liberty.
Many of the American people have willingly voted away their liberty in exchange for the false promise of trinkets and trash. Yes, many others of us did not actually cast such a vote, preferring instead to leave that task to others. But we all know that neglecting to decide, neglecting to participate, is itself, both a decision and an action. Still others of us cast equally wrong votes hoping to reshape government into a cudgel that we could use to force others into acceptance of some belief system or other prejudice. While frightfully few of us tried to defend the Constitution that was the essence of our Republic.
The bill will soon come due.
Think about it.
Troy L Robinson
P.S. I realize that I come off like a prophet of doom. Far from it – I think humanity’s finest hours are still in the future. But the fact is that nation/states are like any other organism in that they come into existence (are born), they live a while, and then they die. As an analyst, my task is, to the best of my ability, to project the various processes at work within our own nation/state, at this place and time, and try to determine the most likely near-term outcome. I would be delighted to be totally wrong in my current assessment. Yet, I see what I think I see and I know what I think I know. TLR
Well said, Troy, and I concur with your assessment of our pending demise. Your discussion of the ‘Rule of Law’ reminded me of my old “Civil Disobedience” essay. â—„Daveâ–º
Next question is: will there be a Civil War or will we simply succumb quietly? BTW, if there is a Civil War, it would be our first. The invasion of the Confederate States by the United States was not a true Civil War. In a true Civil War, forces contend for the control of a single country. In the late war of northern aggression, one nation made war on a group of states who tried only to separate themselves and form a completely separate nation.
If I had to make a prediction, I would predict small pockets of disorganized resistance that would soon be put down, excepting, perhaps, in the more rugged, sparsely-populated mountainous areas.
The worst will be the rioting in the major cities when the various gravy trains cease to run. But that will amount to self destruction, not Civil War.
Troy
I take your point; but to me revolution and civil war are one and the same thing. Thus, yes, I believe we are destined to very soon experience the third such event in our history. The TSA is preparing for massive civil unrest, and have contingency plans to round up dissidents for placement in FEMA camps. States like Texas et al won’t cotton to these Feds trying to operate in their sovereign territory. I can see Perry calling out the National Guard to defend his citizens. The ghettos will burn, naturally; but in a few days without truck deliveries, they will run out of food, and then it will spread as they venture out to find some. It will be ugly anywhere near a big city.
There are small militia units scattered all across flyover country. You are right that the resistance will be disorganized; but that might be a strength. An insurgency without a leadership hierarchy would necessarily spread the government forces pretty thin. The insurgency will win in the end, just because they will refuse to give up, and the Feds will soon tire of the attrition. We live in interesting times. Too bad we are too old to actually enjoy the thought of participating in the righteous battle ahead… â—„Daveâ–º
Isn’t it interesting that we think that violence is the way to get change. What other groups can you name that have taken the same path in the worlds history. Change comes but is it always the outcome that was wanted or envisioned? Look at the so called Arab spring! There is a way to get change without a civil war. However, it will take a large number of people who have somewhat the same ideas and can put together a coalition. At present we have a lot of competing groups with conservative ideas and we need to bring them together to bring about a majority. Even the Republican party is fragmented and needs to be revitalized. I believe that change can be made but it will take time, effort, and we will need a lot of help from the younger generation. This past election showed that approximately 40% of the voting population was single or unmarried living with a partner. Single women went for the current administration as well. Those were the numbers that actually carried the election and not the minority vote. If there is to be change then we have to get the younger generation educated on the founding principles of our country. This takes education. Knowledge is power and that is what will change the way we perceive the role of government. There are just to many people that have become comfortable with having the government do what they should do for themselves. We can change the way our government behaves if we build this coalition of the like minded. Strength is in numbers.
Thanks for the comment, Larry. Lest you think I am advocating violence, we have struggled for years hereabouts trying to find a way to avoid it. I have been personally cautioning militia types for twenty years to always think of their mission as defense, and never give the oligarchs an excuse to move against them. See: “Gun Collecting” for an example of my efforts to keep a lid on this thing.
I was merely responding to Troy’s query with an honest assessment of what I see the near future to hold for us. When I am honest with myself, I realize there just isn’t enough time for the education you suggest is needed. See the post just before this one, “Rogue Party Proposal” for evidence that I still don’t want to give up; but Troy is even more pessamistic than I am. Please favor us with your take on that proposal. â—„Daveâ–º
Statistics are an interesting way of looking at everything. We use it to make our arguments in favor of this or that. If statistics played a part in our founding of this country then we would still be under the British Commonwealth. Only about 20% of the population were in favor of independence. However, the rest got with the program as time went on. I guess time does have something to do with change. Opinions are never easy to change and usually it takes some kind of hardship for change to take place. I believe we are now in the beginning of feeling those hardships. I am not saying that some of us haven’t been feeling it for a long time. I just think more of us are becoming aware. With awareness comes the opportunity for change to take place. I do believe that with these hardships there will be the potential for individuals to act rashly. It then takes a “long” time to recover from those actions. We have many that fear change and that is why it becomes difficult if not impossible to find a path to change. Either the government is trying to take something away or burden us with things we don’t want. It is never perfect. Our country is a melting pot of different cultures, ideas and opinions and that is what makes our country great. We are always going to be in controversy over one thing or the other. It is who we are. In our country one size does not fit all! I may be in the minority that believes we have the opportunity to change the way we think and act through gaining a larger consensus and through educating the uneducated. My hope is that this is the path that will give us real change and not trying to force change through other means. This conversation has been enlightening and it has made me think quite a bit on what you and others have said. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my comments and I will look forward to future dialogue on this or other subjects.
Troy what you said and how you presented it was well said. Anything that is built has to have a strong foundation to build upon. Ours was very strong. I have said more than once that our learning institutions have done a poor job of teaching what our country is about and how and why it was formed. We as parents probably did not reinforce those ideals as well since our education was lacking as well. We are required to pay taxes under penalty of fines or jail. Are we required to participate in the process of electing our representatives, no we are not. Should we be? If it is such an important part of our system then why not? I am not sure what the penalty should be? Would it be better to have a larger group of non-informed people voting for officials who don’t actually represent the interests of “we the people”. I don’t think so. So what is the solution. I believe it is going back to re-educate our young on the founding principles and as you said to let them know what a statesman is rather than a politician. If we are a great nation then we can change our path. If we are not then we are doomed to repeat the history of all those other nations who started with a great ideal and then was lost in time. If you can’t learn from history then you are doomed to repeat it.
Larry,
Thank you for your comments. As for the implication that all of us should be required to vote, I could not disagree more. IMHO, the universal franchise is one of the things that has led to our near destruction. We have had many past discussion here regarding how people should be awarded the franchise (or not). So far, no foolproof method has been discovered. However, the idea that a person can cast a vote to have government plunder one citizen for the benefit of another cannot lead to anything but ruin.
Again, IMHO, the two forces most responsible for our present situation are: 1) entitlements, and, 2) the failure of our education system. Both of these promote ignorance and irrational behavior. Entitlements do this by seeming to separate cause from effect. Leaving people to deal with the consequences of their own actions and their own decisions, can provide as good an education as formal schooling.
The failure of our education system was and is intentional. A nation of well informed critical thinkers would in no way tolerate what passes for governance today.
Troy
Thank You Troy you are a great writer of truth. Yes we know all too well why America is in the decline and it is the fault of those people who were unable to decipher truth from lies. I will say that also over time college professors and school teachers have taught leftist views and not real history. People who feel they have been left behind will tend to reach out for what they have been convinced is the answer. If one is a true believer in the miracle of the founding of this country are those 47% that could decipher truth froms lies. Of the 53% that voted for change are now seeing that the promised change has been a lie. God Bless this nation and thank you Troy for a very good article.
Richard,
Thanks for your response. I am not sure how many of us are simply unable to tell truth from lies and how many have other motivations. For instance, there are those who simply do not care. Then there are those who seek some manner of retribution from those they believe have harmed or denied them in some way (and, our president promotes this in every way he can). Lastly, there are those who believe in taking whatever they can get today — by whatever means they can — and let someone else worry about tomorrow.
Troy
I think the reason our nation appears to have a miraculous birth is that many of our founders had an interest in philosophy and history. The “Age of Enlightenment” set the foundation for the Republic. Unfortunately a philosopher, Emanuel Kant, set a path to destroy the age of reason. His influence has been expanding with time. The cancer we have to face is housed in the philosophy departments of our major universities. These departments influence and guide the economics and history departments etc. This is why we have revisionist history and Keynesian economics. An assertion has been made that the American Revolution was the first truly revolutionary movement in history to that point. It broke with the power struggles between authoritarian bodies to establish the concept that individuals had rights and were not the property of the state, commune, religion or whatever. However imperfect the Constitution may have been it was a truly remarkable and revolutionary document.
From The Philosophers Song by Monty Python:
Troy