Posted by
thinking right on Monday, September 17, 2007 12:34:48 PM
The first series of blogs on this site will be offered as an introduction of just how one conservative (me!) views the world. It is my hope that questioning and (therefore) thinking liberals will stop, read this blog and be challenged enough to respond. I WILL at times provoke a challenge in order to open dialogue and debate.
I was driving my children to school one morning-I was forced to drive them across town to a public school that offered better academic and moral standards than my local one. You know, the kind of school where your children can almost receive the kind of education you have in mind when paying taxes. As I dropped them off, the morning program on the car radio blared out the latest news with an announcement of a great technological achievement from England. With a crisp, practical explanation, a British engineer spoke of his remarkable invention, titling it with pride, a "Smart Car". He went on to describe the function of this newly invented automobile. It, being a vehicle designed to read the speed limits in any given area and not allow its driver to exceed posted speed limits by exerting control over the accelerator and gas flow. He asserted that this car would be in use quite soon in England.
As a mother who often welcomes outside controls in agreement with mine in order to guard the behaviors of my children, my first instinct was to say, "way to control those disobedient little speeders!" That impulsive thought however was very fleeting and easily gave way to incredulity and disdain for a society that felt the need to micromanage its citizens in order to have structure, peace and order. I wondered, is America becoming that sort of place where, in the name of ensuring safety and welfare, a government can incrementally exert control over some of the most basic functions of a free people? And if so, how and why?
Since it is always important to know who you are and where you've been in order to figure out where you might be headed, a look to the past is always a great place to start!
Once upon a time, there were a group of idealistic men with strong Judeo-Christian ethics who held deep convictions produced by those ethics. These morals were tempered and reasoned by a passion for western philosophy with its ideals of free thought, Democracy, and civil liberties for the individual. These men confident of the moral truths they endorsed, fought for them in the forming of a new nation dedicated to these truths. And truly, by the grace of God, succeeded in the creation of the United States of America.
Alex DeToqueville, a young French aristocrat was sent to America in 1831, to study the Amreican Penal system. What he instead offered history was his observations of American life in the early 19th century. He left us with his opinion of the New World through his oft quoted words, "America is great because America is good. When America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great."
What DeToqueville found was a rollicking, energetic, and hard working society. What he also found was a crude, "in your face" people who cared about their future and their land with passion and optimism. People willing to work hard for what they wanted. The young Frenchman also found a moral people who enjoyed their freedoms and gave credit to a creator for them. Steeped in the continuity of a society where moral standards were universal, American citizens for the most part, looked to a set of higher standards for inspiration. While not always achieving those standards of moral excellence, people for the most part, at least aspired to them in their efforts and were the better for trying. American society as a whole, grew and thrived in the belief of God-given rights while they learned to uphold the obligation of the moral duties those rights inherently required in order to maintain them.
Fast-forward to a new generation and the equation is similar-almost. America is still energetic and for the most part a hard-working place. Opportunity still abounds and compared to the rest of western societies, is pretty moral. But a deeper look into the moral aspect reveals a real crack in the foundation that guards our civil liberties and our future. Universal standards of morality are no longer der rigueur. The laws that govern based on these moral laws are under continual attack. The very civil liberties that the structure and order of basic moral laws provide a secure foundation for, are actually being eroded by misguided demands for total freedom without discernment or ethical controls. There are more moral laws than ever and more governmental interference in individual lives than ever. Civil libertarians invoking the spirit of their forefathers raise concerns as they see this regression of freedoms and guaranteed rights, but at the same time do little to address the root cause.
How is it that the quest for greater freedoms in America seems to be leading instead, to greater oppressions?
I think the answer can be found in examining the most fundamental and foundational areas of our "great society".
Next time; A look at those critical and fundamental areas of our
American society and where the challenges lay.