A Prophecy from the Past?

“…had they not at the urging of the President, assented to the dissolution of the courts of appeal, including the Supreme Court? Sections of the press had only too delightedly danced in the wake of the debased Government, shouting that the “enemies of the people” constituted all politicians and private citizens who exposed Communists in Washington bureaus and the great labor unions. Other enemies according to the White House and its subservient press, had been newspaper men who had denounced the growing power of the military and men and women who had testified in court as to Communist activities in public means of communications. (Still other “traitors” belonged to the American Legion, for the Legion had been to vigorous in its condemnations of all radicals, Communists, “progressives” and other nondescript bleeding-hearts and do-gooders with a grudge against prideful and self-respecting men. The Legion had been outlawed.)

…American Communists had received preferred treatment in both public and private employment…. They continued to work strenuously and anonymously in the Cabinet, itself, and had directed foreign policy. They had raised their voices only when they had denounced “reactionaries,” that is, men and women who were desperately concerned over the growing influence of Communism in every phase of American life. No honorable citizen had been immune from their attacks, which took the form of persecution by various bureaus, including the Bureau of Internal Revenue and local police departments. At the end, these infamous creatures had turned against their milky friends, the so-called “liberals,” when the latter had awakened to the nightmare which had invaded their nebulous reality.

It had been piteous enough when the “liberals” had finally understood what they had been enthusiastically supporting for several decades in the name of Socialism or “social justice.” When fully confronted by the monster they had helped to bring into being, they had been aghast, and had attempted a pathetic revolt. They had cried a feeble warning to the people. But the warning had come too late, not only for the people, but for themselves. The full fury of the monster had been turned against them and they had died by the thousands…” – Taylor Caldwell, The Devil’s Advocate (1952)

If you read the passage above again and substitute a few words ( mainstream media for subservient press, conservative talk show hosts for newspaper men, Tea Party for American Legion) and it starts to sound eerily familiar.

Today’s blog is a book review of sorts of Taylor Caldwell’s 1952 novel The Devil’s Advocate. This book is a must read for everyone who cares about what is happening to America.  This classic novel is a story about a future America which has descended into a government that has become a cross between a communist state and a dictatorship. While the primary storyline is about the fight to restore the republic and regain freedom the book contains numerous background passages that tell how America’s demise was engineered. What is frightening is that many of these passages align with the current events of today and recent years.

While some might try to draw comparisons to Orwell’s “1984” the difference is that Caldwell makes a direct connection to the early history of the “American progressive movement,” the deceptive seduction of “progressivism” and the loss of freedom that follows. The story’s subplot is about how the American people slowly trade freedom, liberty and dignity for the promise of “personal security” provided by an enormous federal government and corrupt labor unions. In her novel, Caldwell shrewdly points to events which leads to the country’s descent into a socialist dictatorship which include the abrogation of the Constitution, indoctrination of the young through the education system, the rewriting of history, the abolition of state’s rights, the use of national emergencies to create additional government power and the destruction of religion. She also describes the intentional creation of class warfare as a means to divide and conquer the citizens.

In another passage from the book, the speaker scolds the citizens about their roles in their own eventual enslavement by the government…

“But you, my people, were not guiltless, not guiltless in your own ruin. Freedom, once so imbedded in the hearts of all Americans, was surrendered by Americans who believed the sinister men who were determined to enslave them. It was to be for a limited time only, we were assured. But tyrants never relinquish the powers they have gained; they incorporate them in perpetual law. It was done so quietly, so skillfully. A nation will fight when its full liberty is threatened, and the full plot exposed. But if liberties are subdued, little by little, no provocation for a nationwide revolt is given. Like thieves in the night, who move stealthily and without sound, so did evil men move in your former free government, robbing away the heart and the body of your liberty, denuding your homes of its treasures, slowly stifling your tongues, imperceptibly silencing your press. They invaded the schoolrooms of your children, poisoning and debasing their minds, twisting them to their purposes so that future generations would not know of honor and pride and the might of free men.”

The themes of this book are powerful, timely and frightening. In the book the world has become an unrecognizable place. It is a world that is now controlled by the far left while a small group of patriots work to reinvigorate the down trodden citizens to restore the republic and American values. Using themes of social justice, political correctness, unity, duty and sacrifice the government has enslaved the citizens, making them a nationalized workforce and reducing all to a standard of living that breaks their spirit.

Wake up, America! We are at a major cross road in our history. Our current federal government is in expansion mode. They want control of everything and they will use all the tools at their disposal to gain it. We are witnessing an era of American politics unlike any other. The backroom deals to pass legislation, the arm twisting by the administration, the use of regulatory agencies to move forward agenda items when legislation fails, the coddling of labor unions, the open discussion of redistribution of wealth, the ignoring/belittling of the Constitution, the continued assault on the role of God in society and the demonizing of capitalism/free market economics… the list goes on and on, but never before have these happened in such quantity in so overt a manner.

It is time for those who believe that the America, that once represented a “shining light” to the world, should return to its former glory, to get involved and help lead the return. You can do this by using your voice and your vote to take responsibility for your country … it is your civic responsibility.

As the book warns:

“ While you still had a measure of liberty and could vote vile tyrants and corrupt men out office, you listened, instead, to the promises of those men, and you voted honorable and decent men out of office.”

And,

“On the day when you again allow abominable men to confiscate your freedom, your money, your lives, your private property, your manhood and your sacred honor, in the name of “security’ or “national emergency’ you will die, and never again shall you be free. If plotters again destroy your Republic, they will do it by your greedy and ignorant assent, by your disregard of your neighbors’ rights, by your apathy and your stupidity.

We were brought to the brink of universal death and darkness because we had become that most contemptible of people — an angerless one. Keep alive and vivid all your righteous anger against traitors, against those who would abrogate your Constitution…”

Restore the Republic, Defend the Constitution! Reject the Agenda of the Progressive Left!

“The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves” – George Washington

“The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground” – Thomas Jefferson

“Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness” – George Washington

Writer’s note:

Every American who is concerned about the direction of our country should read this book. The book reviews of the time said:

“If you are sure dictatorship can’t happen here – read this terrifying novel of the not so distant future … and be warned!” – Saturday Review

“… a novel to be thoughtfully read by Americans of all shades of political conviction.” – New York Herald Tribune

This book is out of print but is available, used on Amazon and other book sites on line.

The Double Standard – Liberals vs. The Tea Party

Recently, the mainstream media has ratcheted up their attacks on the Tea Party movement. There have been attempts to link it to every thing from militias to white supremacists. The truth, however is that for the most part the Tea Party is made up of married, educated middle class people that have a strongly rooted conservative political ideology.

The irony is; for a large part of the Bush presidency the far left liberals were equally vocal about all of George W.’s policies with which they disagreed – the difference they were afford media support as opposed to media outrage. O.K., so we all know the media leans left – this is not news. The problem in the case of the Tea Party they have crossed a new line. It is no longer a simple case of bias rather it has taken on a nasty tone full of misrepresentation and in accurate coverage. Here are a few of examples of what is being said in the media and on social media:

From CNN’s website: “Experts: Angry Rhetoric Protected, But Can Be Disturbing — Letting disgruntled citizens vent is important to national security, experts say but some messages emanating from angry Americans in recent weeks have pressed the boundaries of free speech.” The article goes on to loosely analyze the Tea Party and other movements on both sides of the aisle. The problem is that the Tea Party is always compared to the more extreme side of grass root organizations.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/04/16/protests.protected.speech/index.html

From The New York Times: Tea Party Lights Fuse for Rebellion on Right

An excerpt – “These people are part of a significant undercurrent within the Tea Party movement that has less in common with the Republican Party than with the Patriot movement, a brand of politics historically associated with libertarians, militia groups, anti-immigration advocates and those who argue for the abolition of the Federal Reserve”. In this article there is an attempt to tie Tea Party members to the militia movement. In the end this just another mainstream media smear job.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/us/politics/16teaparty.html?hp=&pagewanted=all

In an even more biased and unfair smear, Time Magazine took this shot after Joe Stack crashed his plane into an IRS office in Austin Texas. Time Magazine immediately drew comparisons between Stack’s anti-government writing and a “Tea Party mentality”. Even though Stack never mentions the Tea Party in any writings Time was willing to draw the comparison anyway. In a passage from the article, reporter Hilary Hylton writes, “The White House was quick to say the incident was not a plot by overseas terrorists. But was it terrorism nevertheless? In his note, Stack was very clear he was unhappy with the U.S. government. He complained about onerous and merciless taxation of individuals like him as well as corruption and the special treatment the executives of big corporations allegedly received after their companies failed. And he seemed to be as emboldened as any suicide bomber.” Hylton also said Stack’s manifesto “eerily reflected the angry populist sentiments that have swept the country in the past year”. Using this line of reasoning everyone that is upset or angry with the government is a candidate to crash a plane into a building and kill themselves.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1966476,00.html

The Washington Post took a similar path on this story. Jonathan Capehart wrote in the PostPartisan column for Post opinion writers, “Joseph Stack was angry at the Internal Revenue Service, and he took his rage out on it by slamming his single engine plane into the Echelon Building in Austin, Texas. We now know this thanks to the rather clear (as rants go) suicide note Stack left behind. There’s no information yet on whether he was involved in any anti-government groups or whether he was a lone wolf. But after reading his 34-paragraph screed, I am struck by how his alienation is similar to that we’re hearing from the extreme elements of the Tea Party movement.”

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2010/02/_joseph_stack_was_angry.html 

And of course there is the famous Nancy Pelosi comments about the Tea Party: 

“I think we all have to take responsibility for our actions and our words. We are a free country, and this balance between freedom and safety is one that we carefully balance. I have concerns about some of the language that is being used because I saw — I saw this myself in the late `70s in San Francisco. This kind of rhetoric was very frightening, and it gave — it created a climate in which we — violence took place. And so I — I wish that we would all, again, curb our enthusiasm in some of the statements that are made, understanding that some of the people — the ears that it is falling on are not as balanced as the person making the statement might assume. But again, our country is great because people can say what they think and they believe. But I also think that they have to take responsibility for any incitement that they may cause.”

Speaker Pelosi should be reminded that the people who scared her in the 70’s were from her side of the aisle. This brings me to my main point – why doesn’t the media give the same attention to the left? OK, it’s a rhetorical question. The bottom line is that most of the proceeding is innuendo and speculation. Look all movements attract some fringe element that will occasionally do something to make the main group look bad. However, when the media wants to stain a group they seek out the fringe and present them as the core. They also have a way of overlooking behavior of the left when it is unflattering. Here are some examples:

Do you remember this one?

April 9, 2010 LEFTIST PROTESTERS SUSPECTED IN BRUTAL BEATING OF GOP OFFICIAL & HER BOYFRIEND

A GOP official was savagely attacked after she left the Southern Republican Leadership Dinner last Friday night. Allee Butsch suffered a broken leg from an assault outside Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans. She had her leg which was broken in 5 places was operated on over the weekend. Her recovery will take several months. Her boyfriend Joe Brown suffered a broken nose, a broken jaw, and a concussion. They were attacked after leaving the Southern Republican Leadership Conference dinner at the restaurant.

Or this one?

August 6, 2009 Black Tea Party Activist Kenneth Gladney Beat by SEIU Thugs

During a demonstration Thursday evening outside a forum on aging called by U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis, in Mehville, Missouri, a Tea Party supporter was viciously attacked by union thug.

“Kenneth was attacked on the evening of August 6, 2009 at Rep. Russ Carnahan’s town hall meeting in South St. Louis County,” writes Gladney’s attorney, David B. Brown, in an email sent to Infowars. “Kenneth was approached by an SEIU representative as Kenneth was handing out ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ flags to other conservatives. The SEIU representative demanded to know why a black man was handing out these flags. The SEIU member used a racial slur against Kenneth, then punched him in the face. Kenneth fell to the ground. Another SEIU member yelled racial epithets at Kenneth as he kicked him in the head and back. Kenneth was also brutally attacked by one other male SEIU member and an unidentified woman. The three men were clearly SEIU members, as they were wearing T-shirts with the SEIU logo.”

So here are the facts – when liberals protest, (think: Cindy Sheehan, Code Pink, World Can’t Wait or Earth Liberation Front) the media more often sympathizes than criticizes. If you are not familiar with these groups I’d recommend you Google them and learn for yourself the kind of hate and disobedience they encourage. However, when conservatives exercise their rights to free speech and expression of their opinions the media is quick to characterize them as dangerous, racists or anti-government extremists. The mainstream media is so totally blinded by their left-wing bias that they all but condone what the left has been doing ever since Vietnam.

From the violent demonstrations outside the 1968 Chicago Democrat National Convention to violent left-wing agitators, such as Bill Ayers, who blew up the Pentagon, and the other Vietnam War era riots to recent riots against the meetings of the G5, the G8, the IMF, the WTO, it’s left-wing activists that have shown the most propensity for violence.

After Healthcare Reform passed we heard; politicians, such as Bart Stupak  have reported slurs as well as threatening letters and phone calls. Yet before the vote it was the left that was threatening Bart Stupak and his family with threatening letters and phone calls because angry pro-choicers thought he was going to change his vote. These were not Republicans or Tea Party people, they were from the left. It is the left that trains for and plans demonstrations and unruly protests. This type of behavior is inappropriate no matter which side delivers it but the left has a much richer tradition in this area.

So I ask you – where are the examples of violent demonstrations or rioting that was planned or organized by the Tea Party or other mainstream conservatives? Show me some real examples of ruckus and unruly protests planned by the Tea Party. Show me the people or organizations that train Tea Party members and conservatives how to riot? They simply doesn’t exist!

In possibly the most honest report that I have seen on the Tea Party, The Washington Post’s Robert McCartney writes, “I went to the “tea party” rally at the Washington Monument on Thursday to check out just how reactionary and potentially violent the movement truly was. Answer: Not very. Based on what I saw and heard, tea party members are not seething, ready-to-explode racists, as some liberal commentators have caricatured them.”

McCartney went on to say that he disagrees with 95% of their positions and there maybe some who are extreme or bigoted. (Note: It is worth mentioning that most of us who support the Tea Party also recognize this and we work to neutralize these individuals as they do not represent the core values of the movement. However it is impossible with a grassroots movement to entirely control the fringe that every large movement unwillingly attracts.) He went on to say, “Nevertheless, on the whole, they struck me as passionate conservatives dedicated to working within the system rather than dangerous militia types or a revival of the Ku Klux Klan. Although shrinking government is their primary goal, many conceded that the country should keep Medicare and even Social Security. None was clamoring for civil disobedience, much less armed revolt.”

See article at:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/17/AR2010041702652.html

I’ll leave you with these final thoughts. To continue to gain legitimacy with our fellow citizen’s regardless of their point of view, Tea Parties and conservatives must work to maintain a positive image. We must not allow our conservative movement to be legitimately characterized as extreme by rising to the race baiting, name calling and smear campaigns which will be launched against us. As John Adams said, “facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” If the facts continue to show that the core of this movement is based in civility and intelligent disagreement we can win. However, if we allow ourselves to be pulled down a path that frustrates us and brings out the worst in our character we will lose. We can not depend on fair media coverage – so be smart. We must work within the system to create the change we want. Be vigilant to ensure that the members of your groups behave with civility. Monitor your events and challenge those who bring inappropriate signs or behave in an inappropriate manner. They are a reflection on all of us.

We are making progress and waking the country up to our conservative message. Let’s give America an alternative to the path it is currently on. Let’s return to the values that were the foundation on which America was built. The time for choosing is here.

Restore the Republic, Reject the Agenda of the Progressive Left!

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” – John Adams

The Mount Vernon Statement – Constitutional Conservatism

From MountVernonStatement.com:

In light of the challenges facing the country and the need for clarity in the age of Obama, The Mount Vernon Statement, modeled on the Sharon Statement issued on Sept. 11, 1960, is a defining statement of conservative beliefs, values and principles penned by a broad coalition of conservative leaders representing a wide spectrum of the movement including fiscal, social, cultural and national security conservatives.

CONSERVATIVE LEADERS UNITE AND SIGN ON TO THE MOUNT VERNON STATEMENT

Historic Document Defines The Principles, Beliefs And Values Of The Conservative Movement

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Over 80 leaders, representing tens of millions of conservative activists nationwide, today signed The Mount Vernon Statement, a declaration of leadership for a new generation of conservatives that defines the principles, values and beliefs of the conservative movement.

“With this statement, and its many signatories, a new day dawns for the conservative movement,” said Edwin Feulner, Jr., president of the Heritage Foundation, and one of the drafters of the statement.  “It reasserts conservative principles, values and beliefs that are embraced by more people in this country than those of any political ideology.  Fifty years ago, the federal government threatened to grow exponentially.  Visionaries then gathered in Sharon, Connecticut, to articulate essential principles of American governance.  Today, that threat is even greater, and so we must articulate anew the nature of Constitutional Conservatism in the 21st Century.”

“This is an historic moment as, since the 2008 election, conservative leaders from across the country have been meeting and planning a comeback.  A year ago some pundits claimed that conservatism was effectively dead.  But today, as revelations about Washington’s futility in addressing America’s problems continue to mount, the movement is alive and poised for a resurgence of Constitutional Conservative leadership,” said Edwin Meese, former U.S. Attorney General under President Reagan and master of ceremonies for the signing event.

The Mount Vernon Statement 

Constitutional Conservatism: A Statement for the 21st Century

We recommit ourselves to the ideas of the American Founding.  Through the Constitution, the Founders created an enduring framework of limited government based on the rule of law. They sought to secure national independence, provide for economic opportunity, establish true religious liberty and maintain a flourishing society of republican self-government.

These principles define us as a country and inspire us as a people. They are responsible for a prosperous, just nation unlike any other in the world. They are our highest achievements, serving not only as powerful beacons to all who strive for freedom and seek self-government, but as warnings to tyrants and despots everywhere.

Each one of these founding ideas is presently under sustained attack. In recent decades, America’s principles have been undermined and redefined in our culture, our universities and our politics. The self evident truths of 1776 have been supplanted by the notion that no such truths exist. The federal government today ignores the limits of the Constitution, which is increasingly dismissed as obsolete and irrelevant.

Some insist that America must change, cast off the old and put on the new. But where would this lead — forward or backward, up or down? Isn’t this idea of change an empty promise or even a dangerous deception?

The change we urgently need, a change consistent with the American ideal, is not movement away from but toward our founding principles. At this important time, we need a restatement of Constitutional conservatism grounded in the priceless principle of ordered liberty articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

The conservatism of the Declaration asserts self-evident truths based on the laws of nature and nature’s God. It defends life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It traces authority to the consent of the governed. It recognizes man’s self-interest but also his capacity for virtue.

The conservatism of the Constitution limits government’s powers but ensures that government performs its proper job effectively. It refines popular will through the filter of representation. It provides checks and balances through the several branches of government and a federal republic.

A Constitutional conservatism unites all conservatives through the natural fusion provided by American principles. It reminds economic conservatives that morality is essential to limited government, social conservatives that unlimited government is a threat to moral self-government, and national security conservatives that energetic but responsible government is the key to America’s safety and leadership role in the world.

A Constitutional conservatism based on first principles provides the framework for a consistent and meaningful policy agenda.

• It applies the principle of limited government based on the
  rule of law to every proposal.
• It honors the central place of individual liberty in American
  politics and life.
• It encourages free enterprise, the individual entrepreneur, and
  economic reforms grounded in market solutions.
• It supports America’s national interest in advancing freedom
  and opposing tyranny in the world and prudently considers what we can and should do to that
  end.
• It informs conservatism’s firm defense of family, neighborhood,
  community, and faith.

If we are to succeed in the critical political and policy battles ahead, we must be certain of our purpose.

We must begin by retaking and resolutely defending the high ground of America’s founding principles.

 February 17, 2010 

We the undersigned join in our support of the guiding principles of The Mount Vernon Statement.

Edwin Meese, former U.S. Attorney General under President Reagan      Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America

Edwin Feulner, Jr., president of the Heritage Foundation

Lee Edwards, Distinguished Fellow in Conservative Thought at the Heritage Foundation, was present at the Sharon Statement signing.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council      Becky Norton Dunlop, president of the Council for National Policy

Brent Bozell, president of the Media Research Center       Alfred Regnery, publisher of the American Spectator

David Keene, president of the American Conservative Union      David McIntosh, co-founder of the Federalist Society

T. Kenneth Cribb, former domestic policy adviser to President Reagan     Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform

William Wilson, President, Americans for Limited Government      Elaine Donnelly, Center for Military Readiness

Richard Viguerie, Chairman, ConservativeHQ.com       Kenneth Blackwell, Coalition for a Conservative Majority

Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring      Kathryn J. Lopez, National Review

Sign the petition on-line here:  http://www.themountvernonstatement.com/

By signing the petition you can send a message to our leaders in Washington about what is important to us.  The text of the document lays the foundation for a conservative coalition. It reminds us of  the founding fathers’ vision for us. It is time for a return to the values and principles of government that made us a strong and prosperous nation. 

Restore the Republic, Restore the American Dream, Reject the Agenda of the Progressive Left!

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free”.  – Ronald Reagan