by Peter Pavarini
Many remember what Thomas Paine, the British-American political thinker and author, said about the American revolutionary period:
“These are the times that try men’s souls.”
But how many are familiar with the rest of that quotation?
“What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly. It is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.” [i]
On this 243rd anniversary of our Nation’s founding, I hope all Americans take a break from their barbeques and fireworks to celebrate their freedom.
The Importance of 1776
The importance of what happened in Philadelphia in the early summer of 1776 cannot be overstated. The 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence knew that, by affixing their signatures to that document, they were not only taking an unprecedented step in self-government, but also engaging in a treasonous act, the penalty for which was hanging. They were dead serious when they pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to gain freedom from the tyrannical rule of the British monarchy.
As proud as I am of our country and its heritage, I can’t ignore the fact that fewer than half of Americans recently polled say they feel the same way.[ii] For the past few days we’ve heard about Nike’s decision to cancel the introduction of a new athletic shoe featuring the “Betsy Ross” version of the U.S. flag because a few celebrities considered it to be the equivalent of a Nazi swastika. At least two Democratic candidates for president applauded Nike’s decision. Excuse me for being dense, but what in the world does a historic version of the Stars and Stripes have to do with white nationalism?
A Political Breaking Point
These diametrically opposed views of America have me wondering whether we are close to a breaking point – similar to the way things were in 1861. Bryon York in an opinion piece in the Washington Examiner put it this way:
“The toxicity of the resistance to President Trump has risen in recent days, with the nation’s most respected newspapers publishing rationalizations for denying Trump supporters public accommodation and for doxing career federal employees, while a journalist found himself under physical attack from the so-called anti-fascist group Antifa, which has stepped up its violent activities since Trump’s election.”[iii]
Lately, those on the Left have been heard to boldly assert that “new rules apply” when a “tyrant” like Donald Trump occupies the White House. If this sounds familiar, it should. Abraham Lincoln, arguably one of America’s best presidents, was also called a “tyrant” in 1861 for initiating a military campaign against the southern states without a Congressional declaration of war, suspending habeas corpus and greatly expanding presidential authority. Such criticisms have not been limited to Lincoln, however. Similar things were said about Woodrow Wilson (e.g., crackdown on dissidents during WWI) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (e.g., internment of Japanese-Americans).[iv] Indeed, the political opponents of any president can be expected to become unhinged whenever they fail to stop executive action they disapprove of.
The Risk and Rewards of Self-Government
The Founders of this Nation knew there were inherent risks in the previously untested system of self-government they created. They knew that by giving people the right to express their views – even those that are antithetical to the founding principles of our country – could result in turmoil if not civil war. Yet, they believed those risks were outweighed by the potential of every human being unleashed by individual liberty. That’s why they sought to limit the powers of the federal government in favor of what is guaranteed to the people and the states by the Bill of Rights. Never would they have countenanced:
- Identifying favored and unfavored groups by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic status, or religion to keep the public in a perpetual frenzy of political correctness and tribalism.
- Painting your political opponents as greedy racists who would collude with foreign enemies to seize and keep power
- Blaming one’s political opponents for anything wrong in the U.S. no matter how far-fetched that claim is
- Stifling good faith debate by denigrating one’s opponents as too stupid to understand complex issues like climate change
- Using the “Big Lie” – repeated falsehoods – to promote dogma such as “the United States was never great” (tell that to the European countries we liberated more than once)
The Founders would have been dumbstruck to hear U.S. Senators and other professional politicians promise everything a “just and benevolent” central government could provide the public (e.g., free healthcare, free college, minimum income) under the oxymoronic banner of “democratic-socialism”. This is precisely the sort of “bread and circuses” rhetoric the American Colonies rebelled against. Why would anyone want it back?
Drinking Out of a Toilet
With less than 18 months before the next election, the Left is no longer willing to just spar with the Right over policy issues like immigration, the census, taxes and such. Everything must now be framed in superlatives, especially ones that produce a visceral response like “drinking out of a toilet”. Why use a nondescript slogan like “climate change” when you can declare a “climate emergency?” That sounds much more ominous even if nothing has changed factually. Trump may be a boorish egotist, but everyone already knows that and roughly half of them don’t care because he has delivered on so many of his 2016 promises. So, we should not be surprised to see his opponents resort to vitriolic language like “he’s another Hitler or Mussolini”, “he’s just a pawn of Putin”, and “if he gets re-elected, it will be the end of America as we know it”.
Okay, I’ll admit, ideological purists and other gullible people will accept such slogans at face value and vote accordingly in 2020. However, conservatives, Republicans (including never-Trumpers), right-of-center independents and any remaining centrists have yet to get up to bat. When they do, they will remember the “new rules” that the Progressive Brown Shirts now accept as business as usual. They will remember being mocked by the political elite, lied to by the mainstream media, suppressed by the educational establishment, and censored by Silicon Valley tycoons. They will also remember the many acts of violence against Americans who were only guilty of exercising their right of free speech, or in the case of Representative Steve Scalise only playing infield for the Republican’s baseball team. And, last but not least, they will remember the previous Administration’s abuse of executive power to “buy an insurance policy” in case Trump won.
Alexis de Tocqueville, the French historian/philosopher, captured the spirit of America this way:
“The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.”[v]
When Americans sort through the hysteria of the past few years, I am hopeful – bordering on confident – that they will reject the opinions of those who oppose the founding principles of our country and embrace the freedoms that the bravest among us have fought and died to preserve.
Happy Birthday, America.
[i] Thomas Paine, The Crisis Papers (1775)
[ii] V. Ravikumar, “Proud to be an American? Gallup poll hits historic low of 45% ahead of Fourth of July holiday”, USA Today. July 3, 2019.
[iii] B. York, “Anti-Trump fever takes a threatening turn”, Washington Examiner, June 30, 2019.
[iv] J. Weber, ”Was Lincoln a Tyrant?”, New York Times Opinionater, March 25, 2013.
[v] Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (1835)
Excellent Article Pete….Keep it up!!!