Pickett’s Charge & American Liberalism
I
recently visited Gettysburg and had an opportunity to tour the
battlefield with my wife and relatives using a recorded tour CD. The
guide who made the CD did a terrific job of describing the events of
those momentous days. And, of course, part of his narrative included
Pickett’s Charge, which history now recalls as the high water mark of
the Confederacy. Of course, as General Pickett and his 12,500 men
stepped out across that mile long open field on July 3, 1863, no one
then knew that this would indeed be the high water mark of the
Confederacy. In fact, even after thousands had died in that ill-fated
charge at Gettysburg, no one would have proclaimed that the war had been
won. In fact, the war continued for two bloody years. It was only
after the fact, that it was possible for historians to look back and say
that Pickett’s Charge was the high water mark of the Confederacy.
Similarly,
today it is impossible to know with certainty when a watershed event
has occurred. It is only by looking back that we can see that it was
indeed a turning point.
When Jimmy Carter
was elected it soon became clear that his was a disastrous presidency.
Why? Because his policies were completely at loggerheads with the
American people and because it was evident that he was in way over his
head. However, little did conservatives know that the Carter victory in
1976 would lead to a triumph of the conservative movement with the
election of Ronald Reagan in 1980.
No, we
can’t look into the future or even read current tea leaves to understand
the flow of human events. However, I’m beginning to feel a great
sameness between the presidency of Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama. The
Obama presidency is, as I suspected, simply Jimmy Carter on steroids.
More
than that, each day the Obama presidency is looking more and more like
the high water mark of not only Obama, but American liberalism. There’s
a certain shock value to electing someone who runs as a moderate
promising bipartisanship, low taxes, and bringing Americans together,
who turns out to be someone who believes in the Marxist values of
redistribution of income.
The Fabian
Socialist movement came to the United States in the early 20th century
and built up a head of steam in the heady days of Franklin Roosevelt.
The Fabians challenged the foundations of American society. They
opposed free enterprise, they sought a welfare state, and by and large
they rejected God as the foundation of a free society.
After
the failure of many of their utopian programs and the realization of a
real Communist menace, the impact of the Fabians receded for a number of
years until re-kindled under Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society. The Great
Society spent billions and billions of dollars in the greatest social
experiment in US history only to make living conditions and
opportunities worse for those in poverty. Johnson tried, in vain, to
substitute entitlement for opportunity and in doing so, sentenced
America’s poor to permanent poverty.
The
civil rights movement of the 1960’s breathed new life into liberalism.
And indeed, the success of liberalism in supporting equal rights for
African Americans was its one shining success. But liberals saw that
success not as one for Black Americans, but for them to use to create a
permanent Democrat majority. Liberalism corrupted its own success by
taking the focus off of opportunity for African Americans and turning it
into a means of making Blacks dependent upon them for subsistence
living. It was at this point that it became in the interest of liberal
politicians to keep Black Americans in poverty and to limit opportunity
in order to control their vote. In this they have been quite
successful.
After Watergate it looked like
the end for the Republican Party. But, in fact, from the ashes of the
Nixon Presidency sprang the victory of Ronald Reagan. Scoffed at as
“just an actor,” belittled by liberal pundits, and discounted by “self
styled” intellectuals, Ronald Reagan had the last laugh.
Entering
office at one of the lowest points in American history, Ronald Reagan
restored an economy not only afflicted by Great Depression unemployment,
but inflation that soared past 22%! Deregulation and tax cuts led to
the longest period of prosperity in American history. Contemporaneous
with this success, the Reagan Doctrine not only restored respect for
America around the globe, but brought down the Soviet Union.
Were
the Reagan years the high water mark of conservatism? Perhaps, but I
think it more likely that they were just a harbinger of things yet to
come. Reagan proved once and for all that a nation cannot spend itself
into prosperity. The facts are on the record—tax relief that puts money
back into the hands of the citizens is the key to economic prosperity.
We
are through the dreary years of Bush ’41, the embarrassing years of
Clinton, and the confused years of Bush ’43. But unfortunately we now
are forced to endure the wrong headed policies of a very young,
inexperienced ideologue who, like Carter, is in way over his head.
The
problem for President Obama is that what he is selling, the American
people aren’t buying. They were understandably tired of Bush, they were
uninspired by John McCain, but they didn’t vote for “hope and change”
that included government takeover of the American economy.
President
Obama has had many opportunities to get the American people on his
side, but he has muffed each one of them. He didn’t help himself by
going around the world apologizing for America.
He
didn’t help himself by cozying up to dictators like Hugo Chavez and
supporting the legally ousted, Marxist President of Honduras. He didn’t
help himself by appointing two dozen non-confirmed “czars,” such as Van
Jones who believes that George Bush and the Israelis destroyed the twin
trade towers in New York City.
And
President Obama will only fall further in the eyes of the American
public by forcing through a government medical care scheme that no one
wants. To continue advancing such policies is political hara-kiri.
Obstinately continuing down a course that is overwhelmingly unpopular is
a sure road to defeat.
Is that the road
Obama, Reid, and Pelosi are headed down? The early sign will be the
outcome of the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia on
November 3. If the Republicans win convincingly in both contests,
especially in the heavily Democratic state of New Jersey, then Obama and
the Democrats are in real trouble.
If
that scenario turns into reality it would take a total about-face by
Obama from his current out-of-touch liberal policies to have any chance
of keeping 2010 from being a total bloodbath for the Democrats.
Has
liberalism in America reached its apogee? That’s my bet. Polls of the
American people show that the majority now identify themselves as
conservatives, and only a tiny fraction identify themselves as
liberals. While that’s good news for Americans who treasure individual
freedom, the disaster left behind by this inept and ideologically
motivated President will take generations to clean up. Perhaps, just
perhaps, American conservatism is on the cusp of its greatest triumph,
providing we select a genuine conservative to head up the Republican
ticket in 2012. Is the Obama presidency the high water mark of American
liberalism? May we be so blessed.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
From SNL to Stockholm
From SNL to Stockholm
The Saturday Night Live parody of President Barack Obama was funny because it is true. Even liberals can smile at the lack of any substantive “accomplishment” by the new Administration. Conservatives can join in the laughter and, at the same time, breathe a sigh of relief.
Thus far the ill-conceived government takeover of the health care system is stumbling. The job killing Cap and Trade (cap and tax?) legislation dealing with an ever more scientifically dubious “climate change” issue (formerly “global warming”) seems to be going nowhere. The big political payoff to the union bosses’ “card check” bill has been checked.
The troops are still in Iraq and the President is “committed” to the war in Afghanistan. Guantanamo is not closed. The Patriot Act is still in place.
Just what is it that justifies giving the Nobel Peace Prize to an unaccomplished, new President who has served less than 9 months in office?
Perhaps it is just as FOX anchor Chris Wallace has said, “He’s not George Bush.”
What great fun! The Nobel Peace Prize committee has provided comic relief for decades. With only a few exceptions, the list of Nobel Peace Prize recipients reads like a “Who’s Who” of nut cases and screw balls:
All things considered, I think that the selection of Barack Obama in 2009 is a good choice. It is in keeping with the common sense and practical approach of the majority of past recipients. The President should feel quite comfortable in the company of such distinguished and successful peacemakers.
The Saturday Night Live parody of President Barack Obama was funny because it is true. Even liberals can smile at the lack of any substantive “accomplishment” by the new Administration. Conservatives can join in the laughter and, at the same time, breathe a sigh of relief.
Thus far the ill-conceived government takeover of the health care system is stumbling. The job killing Cap and Trade (cap and tax?) legislation dealing with an ever more scientifically dubious “climate change” issue (formerly “global warming”) seems to be going nowhere. The big political payoff to the union bosses’ “card check” bill has been checked.
The troops are still in Iraq and the President is “committed” to the war in Afghanistan. Guantanamo is not closed. The Patriot Act is still in place.
Just what is it that justifies giving the Nobel Peace Prize to an unaccomplished, new President who has served less than 9 months in office?
Perhaps it is just as FOX anchor Chris Wallace has said, “He’s not George Bush.”
What great fun! The Nobel Peace Prize committee has provided comic relief for decades. With only a few exceptions, the list of Nobel Peace Prize recipients reads like a “Who’s Who” of nut cases and screw balls:
- 1925 – Austen Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister who made a deal with Hitler that sold out parts of Eastern Europe for “peace in our time.” Appeaser without parallel.
- 1927 – Ludwig Quidde, German Parliament Member who attended various peace conferences designed to end future wars in Europe. So very nice.
- 1929 – Frank Kellogg, ex US Secretary of State who successfully got the European nations and the US to sign a pact outlawing war. That obviously worked well.
- 1931 – Nicholas Butler, President of Columbia University, for promoting the Briand Kellogg Pact. Another brilliant choice.
- 1934 – Arthur Henderson, former English Foreign Secretary and Chairman of the League of Nations Disarmament Conference. Stopped WWII. Well, maybe not.
- 1935 – Carl Ossietzky, journalist and pacifist, first cousin of Adolph Hitler (I made that last part up).
- 1950 –Ralph Bunche, Harvard professor who brought peace to Palestine. Oops. Maybe not.
- 1959 – Phillip Noel-Baker, English MP, “life-long ardent worker for international peace and co-operation.” Me see no evil, me hear no evil, me do no evil.
- 1962 – Linus Pauling, with a great peace plan: Let’s unilaterally disarm the US in the hopes that the Soviet Union will follow suit.
- 1973 – Le Duc Tho, North Vietnam, for negotiating the Vietnam peace accord in 1973, which North Vietnam (who brought about the war through aggression in the first place) proceeded to break. Great choice, guys.
- 1982 – Alva Myrdal, Swedish writer about peace. How nice.
- 1990 – Mikhail Gorbachev, USSR dictator who presided over the break up the Soviet Union (another peacemaking organization) brought about by Ronald Reagan.
- 1994 – Yasser Arafat, the pistol packing Chairman of the PLO terrorist organization.
- 2001 – Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General, Mr. “Skim a little off the top for me and my family.”
- 2002 – Jimmy Carter, the fellow who successfully destabilized both the Middle East and Latin America when he was President. The nice touch was his trashing the US and George Bush in his acceptance speech.
- 2007 – Al Gore, for something or other. Inventing tin hats with antennas on them? Founding the Flat Earth Society? Something great, I’m sure.
All things considered, I think that the selection of Barack Obama in 2009 is a good choice. It is in keeping with the common sense and practical approach of the majority of past recipients. The President should feel quite comfortable in the company of such distinguished and successful peacemakers.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
God Is Back
God Is Back
The book, God is Back, by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge, may well be the most important book I have read in the last 10 years. Published by Penguin Press, this book is, in respect to religion, a 21st century version of Democracy in America, written by the Frenchman, Alexis de Tocqueville, after his visit to America in 1831. It appears that de Tocqueville was attached to, but not active in, the Catholic Church. Some have even gone so far as to describe him as an agnostic. Micklethwait and Wooldridge, editor in chief and Washington bureau chief of The Economist respectively, are natives of England, both educated at Oxford. They identify themselves as a Catholic and an atheist, although they do not identify which is which.
Like Democracy in America, God is Back is a book of observations on the state of religion in the world, with a special focus on what they call “American Style Christianity” and its impact around the globe.
For anyone who is involved with or actively participating in para-church organizations in the US, and for anyone who cares about spreading the Gospel, this book is worth reading. The data provided is surprising, even stunning.
For instance, did you know that by the Chinese government’s own estimates, Christianity in China has grown from “14 million in 1997 to 21 million in 2006”? But, when you add in numbers from the house churches and the underground Catholic Church, today there are “at least 65 million Protestants in China and 12 million Catholics.” The authors surmise that “by 2050, China could well be the world’s biggest Muslim nation as well as its biggest Christian one.”
In discussing the European version of state-run Christianity vs. the American model of choice by the individual, the writers state that the American model “…is winning. America has succeeded in putting God back into modernity partly because it put modernity, or at least choice and competition, back into God.”
They deal with Voltaire, de Tocqueville, the French Revolution and its impact on religion. Darwin, Freud, Huxley, Hardy, and Carlyle are covered in regard to their prediction that faith and religion would disappear as science and modernity proved religion to be false.
The authors contend that “America was not born religious.” But that it “…became religious.” They cite evidence that “Church members never made up more than a third of the adult population of New England before the revolution…” For instance, they say that “by 1683 some 83 percent of the taxpayers confessed to no religious identification.”
They cover the Great Awakenings in the 1730s and 1740s “ignited by America’s first significant theologian, Jonathan Edwards.” And they talk about results, “In 1769-74, the number of Baptist churches in Virginia jumped from 7 to 540.”
The primary uniqueness of the American approach to religion cited by the authors is that while Europeans, especially in the French Revolution, ran away from faith and saw religion as a roadblock to freedom, “revolutionary America embraced religion alongside liberty, reason and popular government.” It is this harmony of religion and freedom that, according to Micklethwait and Wooldridge, set apart the United States from Europe and is still the dividing line today.
“By 1850, the Evangelical churches taken together employed twice as many people as the post office, then the most important instrument of the federal government. They even delivered more letters...They formed societies of every kind—American Bible Society, the American Sunday School Union, the American Temperance Society and so on.”
The information I have provided thus far covers (very lightly and briefly) the first 70 pages of this magnificent book that runs 373 pages in length.
Even if you are just interested in history, this is a book worth reading. You’ll learn about the amazing growth of the Methodist Church, the somewhat strange beginning of the Pentecostal Church, and the astounding size, scope, and influence of modern churches. The rather odd story of Aimee Semple McPherson and the church legacy she left behind is also covered in God is Back.
Billy Graham, Bill Bright, Rick Warren, and James Dobson also play a role in the fascinating story told of Christianity in America. You’ll learn about the astounding financial power of Christianity in America today and what two professional groups are the most active in and leaders of the Christian cause in the US. I predict you’ll be surprised by the answer.
The pace doesn’t flag, the writing is excellent, and the story is amazing and encouraging. You’ll be captivated and inspired. Read this book!
The book, God is Back, by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge, may well be the most important book I have read in the last 10 years. Published by Penguin Press, this book is, in respect to religion, a 21st century version of Democracy in America, written by the Frenchman, Alexis de Tocqueville, after his visit to America in 1831. It appears that de Tocqueville was attached to, but not active in, the Catholic Church. Some have even gone so far as to describe him as an agnostic. Micklethwait and Wooldridge, editor in chief and Washington bureau chief of The Economist respectively, are natives of England, both educated at Oxford. They identify themselves as a Catholic and an atheist, although they do not identify which is which.
Like Democracy in America, God is Back is a book of observations on the state of religion in the world, with a special focus on what they call “American Style Christianity” and its impact around the globe.
For anyone who is involved with or actively participating in para-church organizations in the US, and for anyone who cares about spreading the Gospel, this book is worth reading. The data provided is surprising, even stunning.
For instance, did you know that by the Chinese government’s own estimates, Christianity in China has grown from “14 million in 1997 to 21 million in 2006”? But, when you add in numbers from the house churches and the underground Catholic Church, today there are “at least 65 million Protestants in China and 12 million Catholics.” The authors surmise that “by 2050, China could well be the world’s biggest Muslim nation as well as its biggest Christian one.”
In discussing the European version of state-run Christianity vs. the American model of choice by the individual, the writers state that the American model “…is winning. America has succeeded in putting God back into modernity partly because it put modernity, or at least choice and competition, back into God.”
They deal with Voltaire, de Tocqueville, the French Revolution and its impact on religion. Darwin, Freud, Huxley, Hardy, and Carlyle are covered in regard to their prediction that faith and religion would disappear as science and modernity proved religion to be false.
The authors contend that “America was not born religious.” But that it “…became religious.” They cite evidence that “Church members never made up more than a third of the adult population of New England before the revolution…” For instance, they say that “by 1683 some 83 percent of the taxpayers confessed to no religious identification.”
They cover the Great Awakenings in the 1730s and 1740s “ignited by America’s first significant theologian, Jonathan Edwards.” And they talk about results, “In 1769-74, the number of Baptist churches in Virginia jumped from 7 to 540.”
The primary uniqueness of the American approach to religion cited by the authors is that while Europeans, especially in the French Revolution, ran away from faith and saw religion as a roadblock to freedom, “revolutionary America embraced religion alongside liberty, reason and popular government.” It is this harmony of religion and freedom that, according to Micklethwait and Wooldridge, set apart the United States from Europe and is still the dividing line today.
“By 1850, the Evangelical churches taken together employed twice as many people as the post office, then the most important instrument of the federal government. They even delivered more letters...They formed societies of every kind—American Bible Society, the American Sunday School Union, the American Temperance Society and so on.”
The information I have provided thus far covers (very lightly and briefly) the first 70 pages of this magnificent book that runs 373 pages in length.
Even if you are just interested in history, this is a book worth reading. You’ll learn about the amazing growth of the Methodist Church, the somewhat strange beginning of the Pentecostal Church, and the astounding size, scope, and influence of modern churches. The rather odd story of Aimee Semple McPherson and the church legacy she left behind is also covered in God is Back.
Billy Graham, Bill Bright, Rick Warren, and James Dobson also play a role in the fascinating story told of Christianity in America. You’ll learn about the astounding financial power of Christianity in America today and what two professional groups are the most active in and leaders of the Christian cause in the US. I predict you’ll be surprised by the answer.
The pace doesn’t flag, the writing is excellent, and the story is amazing and encouraging. You’ll be captivated and inspired. Read this book!
God Is Back
God Is Back
The book, God is Back, by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge, may well be the most important book I have read in the last 10 years. Published by Penguin Press, this book is, in respect to religion, a 21st century version of Democracy in America, written by the Frenchman, Alexis de Tocqueville, after his visit to America in 1831. It appears that de Tocqueville was attached to, but not active in, the Catholic Church. Some have even gone so far as to describe him as an agnostic. Micklethwait and Wooldridge, editor in chief and Washington bureau chief of The Economist respectively, are natives of England, both educated at Oxford. They identify themselves as a Catholic and an atheist, although they do not identify which is which.
Like Democracy in America, God is Back is a book of observations on the state of religion in the world, with a special focus on what they call “American Style Christianity” and its impact around the globe.
For anyone who is involved with or actively participating in para-church organizations in the US, and for anyone who cares about spreading the Gospel, this book is worth reading. The data provided is surprising, even stunning.
For instance, did you know that by the Chinese government’s own estimates, Christianity in China has grown from “14 million in 1997 to 21 million in 2006”? But, when you add in numbers from the house churches and the underground Catholic Church, today there are “at least 65 million Protestants in China and 12 million Catholics.” The authors surmise that “by 2050, China could well be the world’s biggest Muslim nation as well as its biggest Christian one.”
In discussing the European version of state-run Christianity vs. the American model of choice by the individual, the writers state that the American model “…is winning. America has succeeded in putting God back into modernity partly because it put modernity, or at least choice and competition, back into God.”
They deal with Voltaire, de Tocqueville, the French Revolution and its impact on religion. Darwin, Freud, Huxley, Hardy, and Carlyle are covered in regard to their prediction that faith and religion would disappear as science and modernity proved religion to be false.
The authors contend that “America was not born religious.” But that it “…became religious.” They cite evidence that “Church members never made up more than a third of the adult population of New England before the revolution…” For instance, they say that “by 1683 some 83 percent of the taxpayers confessed to no religious identification.”
They cover the Great Awakenings in the 1730s and 1740s “ignited by America’s first significant theologian, Jonathan Edwards.” And they talk about results, “In 1769-74, the number of Baptist churches in Virginia jumped from 7 to 540.”
The primary uniqueness of the American approach to religion cited by the authors is that while Europeans, especially in the French Revolution, ran away from faith and saw religion as a roadblock to freedom, “revolutionary America embraced religion alongside liberty, reason and popular government.” It is this harmony of religion and freedom that, according to Micklethwait and Wooldridge, set apart the United States from Europe and is still the dividing line today.
“By 1850, the Evangelical churches taken together employed twice as many people as the post office, then the most important instrument of the federal government. They even delivered more letters...They formed societies of every kind—American Bible Society, the American Sunday School Union, the American Temperance Society and so on.”
The information I have provided thus far covers (very lightly and briefly) the first 70 pages of this magnificent book that runs 373 pages in length.
Even if you are just interested in history, this is a book worth reading. You’ll learn about the amazing growth of the Methodist Church, the somewhat strange beginning of the Pentecostal Church, and the astounding size, scope, and influence of modern churches. The rather odd story of Aimee Semple McPherson and the church legacy she left behind is also covered in God is Back.
Billy Graham, Bill Bright, Rick Warren, and James Dobson also play a role in the fascinating story told of Christianity in America. You’ll learn about the astounding financial power of Christianity in America today and what two professional groups are the most active in and leaders of the Christian cause in the US. I predict you’ll be surprised by the answer.
The pace doesn’t flag, the writing is excellent, and the story is amazing and encouraging. You’ll be captivated and inspired. Read this book!
The book, God is Back, by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge, may well be the most important book I have read in the last 10 years. Published by Penguin Press, this book is, in respect to religion, a 21st century version of Democracy in America, written by the Frenchman, Alexis de Tocqueville, after his visit to America in 1831. It appears that de Tocqueville was attached to, but not active in, the Catholic Church. Some have even gone so far as to describe him as an agnostic. Micklethwait and Wooldridge, editor in chief and Washington bureau chief of The Economist respectively, are natives of England, both educated at Oxford. They identify themselves as a Catholic and an atheist, although they do not identify which is which.
Like Democracy in America, God is Back is a book of observations on the state of religion in the world, with a special focus on what they call “American Style Christianity” and its impact around the globe.
For anyone who is involved with or actively participating in para-church organizations in the US, and for anyone who cares about spreading the Gospel, this book is worth reading. The data provided is surprising, even stunning.
For instance, did you know that by the Chinese government’s own estimates, Christianity in China has grown from “14 million in 1997 to 21 million in 2006”? But, when you add in numbers from the house churches and the underground Catholic Church, today there are “at least 65 million Protestants in China and 12 million Catholics.” The authors surmise that “by 2050, China could well be the world’s biggest Muslim nation as well as its biggest Christian one.”
In discussing the European version of state-run Christianity vs. the American model of choice by the individual, the writers state that the American model “…is winning. America has succeeded in putting God back into modernity partly because it put modernity, or at least choice and competition, back into God.”
They deal with Voltaire, de Tocqueville, the French Revolution and its impact on religion. Darwin, Freud, Huxley, Hardy, and Carlyle are covered in regard to their prediction that faith and religion would disappear as science and modernity proved religion to be false.
The authors contend that “America was not born religious.” But that it “…became religious.” They cite evidence that “Church members never made up more than a third of the adult population of New England before the revolution…” For instance, they say that “by 1683 some 83 percent of the taxpayers confessed to no religious identification.”
They cover the Great Awakenings in the 1730s and 1740s “ignited by America’s first significant theologian, Jonathan Edwards.” And they talk about results, “In 1769-74, the number of Baptist churches in Virginia jumped from 7 to 540.”
The primary uniqueness of the American approach to religion cited by the authors is that while Europeans, especially in the French Revolution, ran away from faith and saw religion as a roadblock to freedom, “revolutionary America embraced religion alongside liberty, reason and popular government.” It is this harmony of religion and freedom that, according to Micklethwait and Wooldridge, set apart the United States from Europe and is still the dividing line today.
“By 1850, the Evangelical churches taken together employed twice as many people as the post office, then the most important instrument of the federal government. They even delivered more letters...They formed societies of every kind—American Bible Society, the American Sunday School Union, the American Temperance Society and so on.”
The information I have provided thus far covers (very lightly and briefly) the first 70 pages of this magnificent book that runs 373 pages in length.
Even if you are just interested in history, this is a book worth reading. You’ll learn about the amazing growth of the Methodist Church, the somewhat strange beginning of the Pentecostal Church, and the astounding size, scope, and influence of modern churches. The rather odd story of Aimee Semple McPherson and the church legacy she left behind is also covered in God is Back.
Billy Graham, Bill Bright, Rick Warren, and James Dobson also play a role in the fascinating story told of Christianity in America. You’ll learn about the astounding financial power of Christianity in America today and what two professional groups are the most active in and leaders of the Christian cause in the US. I predict you’ll be surprised by the answer.
The pace doesn’t flag, the writing is excellent, and the story is amazing and encouraging. You’ll be captivated and inspired. Read this book!
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