Tuesday, February 11, 2014

AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM UNDER SIEGE


AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM UNDER SIEGE

By

Jimmie R. Applegate

American exceptionalism is under siege, and the battle line has been very clearly drawn.  To the right of the battle line are the bald, pale and gray religious American males, their mature spouses and mature seniors of various racial, ethnic and national backgrounds.  On the left side of the battle line are, for the most part, the younger males and females, the so-called have nots, the less educated, those with various sexual and cultural orientations, the large number of immigrants who refuse to assimilate and the illegal aliens living in the United States sans legal documentation.  Without question activists on the left outnumber the entrenched on the right.  Demographics and actions by the current socialist statist government ensure an ever increasing discrepancy.

There are other reasons why those Americans on the right side will remain outnumbered by those on the left.  The $17.3 trillion national debt is placing, at the current rate, a $191,671 dollar debt per citizen and a $752,167 dollar debt per family.  And there is not much doubt but what the national debt ceiling will be raised again.  In addition, since Republicans are in the majority on the right side, their ad hoc comments regarding women, other gender and religious issues as well as the involvement of the United States in international affairs will continue to “turn off” potential members.

Fortunately many of the above issues are generational; i.e., the foci on the right side must be on the future.  The embers of American exceptionalism still burn.  For them to once again blaze brightly those on the right must take action on several issues.

First and foremost we must plan for the future by reviewing and emphasizing the past.  We must stand by John Winthrop’s charge to his fellow Pilgrims while at sea enroute to the New World “…for wee must Consider that wee shall be as a Citty upon a Hill, the eies of all people are upon us.”  Winthrop prayed to the “one God” and closed by saying, “But if our heartes shall turne away soe that wee will not obey, but shall be seduced and worshipp other Gods our pleasures, and profits, and serve them, it is propounded unto us this day, wee shall surely perishe out of the good Land whether wee passé over this vast Sea to possesse it; Therefore lett us choose life, that wee, and our Seede, may live, by obeying his voice, and cleaveing to him, for hee is our life, and our prosperity.”

Then we must renew our emphases on recreating and maintaining the American exceptionalism so explicitly described by Alexis de Tocqueville in “Democracy in America” published in 1835 following his travels throughout America.  This quotation of his is prescient, “Democracy and socialism have nothing in common except for one word, equality.  But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude”.

Additionally we must read and reread, understand and follow the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights and the writings of the authors of these documents in the Federalist Papers.  The United States is a Constitutional Federal Republic with a government of by and for the people with clear descriptions of the rights of states and a limited central government.  The separation of church and state is clear even though religion was central in the lives of early Americans.  The separation of powers language describes in unequivocal language the limitations of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of government.

Other contemporary actions can be taken.  The actions that emphasize the distinctions between the social progressives left of the line and the moral religious Americans on the right must be modified in tone.  I am not suggesting those on the right minimize for example their strong religious feelings.  But we can reduce the perceived bluster of the “religious right” in political debate by focusing on the solid religious history of America from John Winthrop and de Tocqueville until today, and on the traditions and moral values that made America exceptional.

Those on the right side must focus immediately on weakening the position of the liberal, progressive, socialist statist President of the United States for the remainder of his term.  This can be done within the separation of powers in the Constitution.  Current elected representatives of the people and local, state and federal courts including the Supreme Court of the United States must be challenged by the people through jury nullification, if necessary, to become less activist.

The voting citizens of the United States on both the left and the right must not elect another President so lacking in qualifications, so secretive and as opposed to traditional American values and exceptionalism as is President Obama.  In his 2010 book, “The Roots of Obama’s Rage”, Denish D’Souza described the influences of Obama’s background and on his actions resulting in the implementation of liberal, progressive, socialist, statist and anti-American exceptionalism principles of government.  American voters had only to read D’Souza’s book to know before the 2012 election what has come to pass.  D’Souza has every right to proclaim loudly, “I told you so”.   The call to action is to read it now to ensure President Obama is not followed by more of the same, male or female.

Americans must elect Democratic or Republican Constitutional Conservatives to offices at all levels of government if we wish to rekindle the fire of American exceptionalism so it blazes brightly on the shining city upon a hill.

This can, and must be, done to return America to a nation of laws, of assimilated legal immigrants, of a return to the traditional values of a single, almighty God and a society with a strong moral foundation, a clear work ethic, self-sufficiency, independence, responsibility and an understanding of the phrase, “the pursuit of happiness” (underline added for emphasis).  As I wrote in an earlier document, “Now is not the time to be politically correct, timid or afraid to speak our minds.  We must do so in defense of the traditional exceptional American values we inherited so we can say we did all we could to pass them on to our children and grandchildren.  Otherwise, we will be judged indefensibly guilty of ignoring reality by sticking our heads in the sand.  The decisions we make and the consequences therefrom are ours!”

Only then will the blaze of American exceptionalism burn brightly and illuminate the “shining city upon a hill”.