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On Amendments and Constitutional Purity
Given the resurgent popularity of the Constitution in many conservative political circles as of late, ideological opponents have taken to looking for weaknesses in position and policy that are susceptible to attack. One of the more tiresome and ignorant retorts deals with the desire by some proponents of the Constitution to amend it.
The argument goes something like this: how can a person who claims that the Constitution is inspired and so important simultaneously advocate that it be changed without appearing hypocritical?
The Misplaced Ire of Citizens United
The U.S. Supreme Court recently announced a ruling which has been divisive both among the justices of the Court and the people at large. In Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Court determined in a 5-4 vote that corporations could independently spend money to support or oppose a candidate for a federal office.
Citizens United is a conservative nonprofit organization which wanted to run TV commercials promoting its documentary “Hillary: The Movie” which was critical of then-Senator Clinton. Additionally, they desired to broadcast the film just before the election. Both of these actions ran contrary to the onerous restrictions imposed by the notoriously anti-free-speech McCain-Feingold bill. After the appellate process, the case made its way to the Supreme Court, where the divided justices ruled in favor of Citizens United, overturning the previous restrictions on corporations to independently promote election-related information.
For all of the fuss being made by those who both support and oppose the Court’s ruling, few people have bothered to address the underlying forces at work to determine why all of this is even an issue to begin with.
Why the Latter-day Saints Prepare
I gave the following talk in my ward today:
Latter-day calamities
Ask somebody how they feel after reading or watching an hour’s worth of news, and they’re likely to reply that it makes them feel depressed. It seems that the entire world is in a constant state of commotion, whether due to natural or man-made disasters, which perhaps led to Enoch asking the Lord “when shall the earth rest?” How are we, the Latter-day Saints, to view and react to these events?
Brigham Young reminded us that what we now consider to be a barrage of bad news is merely a preface to the clamor of latter-day calamities the Lord will unleash in the future:
The Failure of Foreign Aid
Almost half the world—over three billion people—live on less than $2.50 a day. The condition of humanity’s well-being is, in the aggregate, a story of poverty, suffering, and deprivation.
Sympathetic Americans have, to their credit, and due to their more affluent position resulting from their relative economic freedom and capitalist system, been a major factor in trying to correct this imbalance. A recent Hudson Institute study (PDF) notes that yearly private philanthropy from individuals in the United States of America stands at an impressive $37 billion.
Contrasted with government aid at $21.8 billion, we immediately can put to rest the erroneous assertion, often made, that people do not donate enough and government can do more. Indeed, as the study further shows, the aid offered by the government pales in comparison to the total financial flow from the USA to developing countries. When the $79 billion of yearly remittances (money transferred by individuals to their families/friends in another country) are factored in along with private investment in these countries, government aid accounts for only nine percent of the pie.
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness… Unless You’re in Utero
By the time their reign of terror had finally come to an end, the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazis) had murdered roughly 20 million people. So abhorrent were these crimes (though they pale in comparison to Josef Stalin and Mao Zedong’s), that in an attempt to distance themselves from the sins of those responsible, Germany has made it a criminal offense to even display or use the Swastika (the party’s symbol), except for academic purposes. Documentaries have been made, books written, and a cultural disgust for all things Nazi has permeated society—and rightly so.
What, then, has been the cultural reaction to the collective mass murder of over twice the number felled by the Nazis? Today marks the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a Supreme Court case that serves as a large stain on America’s heavily-soiled standard of liberty. Since that time, the lives of roughly 52 million unborn children have been extinguished outright with the blessing of the federal government.
Utah Senator Bob Bennett is No Friend of the Constitution
Due primarily to the influence of a large number of members of the LDS Church, Utah has an interesting political dynamic with regards to the Constitution. A majority of residents would agree with the statement that the Constitution is an inspired document, and many profess a love of and respect for this foundation of our government. More importantly, there are many who are willing to promote and defend its principles—evidenced by the swelling ranks and increased activity of organizations such as the Campaign for Liberty, Tea Party Patriots, 9/12, Patrick Henry Caucus, John Birch Society, and others.
At a time when our Constitution is being ignored, subverted, and dismissed as an anachronistic piece of history, we have seen a number of individuals who are concerned enough to offer their services in its defense by stepping into the 2010 Senate race. Many of the positions held by these candidates are familiar to Utahns because they are based in the Constitution, founded upon the principles of liberty, and resonate with individuals seeking to get the federal government off of their backs and out of their wallets.
Three-term incumbent Senator Bob Bennett, however, appears clearly out of step with this adherence to the Constitution and out of touch with his constituents. So foreign is his message to those he portends to represent that in one recent “fireside chat” he stated that he was holding such meetings to “reintroduce [himself] to the people of Utah.” A recent poll showed that 73% of Republicans voters feel that congressional Republicans have lost touch with their base. Senator Bennett, then, certainly has plenty of company.
On Whether to Tear Down or Build Up
A recent article by Utah attorney Jerry Salcido touched on the battle many patriots face when they realize the magnitude of our awful situation: do we focus our time on outing conspiracies and pointing out corruption, or do we study and advocate correct principles to win people over to the cause of liberty?
Salcido’s article, also published here, elicited a flurry of responses both of support and opposition. Many commenters had a problem with his seeming abandonment of the fight to expose conspiratorial individuals, and felt that his advocacy for learning philosophy and principle instead of focusing on conspiracy and corruption was only aiding the enemy’s efforts by not joining in the fight against them.
John Birch Society President John McManus himself jumped into the fray, penning a rebuttal to Salcido’s article. Contesting Salcido’s central claim that conspiracy theories (and the effort to expose them) are counterproductive to the cause of liberty, McManus states:
The Redemption of the Republicans
Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican party, admits that his party has “screwed up”, while selectively pointing to some (of the many) errors made in the past couple of decades. While only a little surprising (after all, he didn’t make these statements while his own party was still in charge), this is a welcome first step in the process of redemption—a recognition of fault.
As recovering alcoholics, children who have stolen candy from a store, and repenting Christians all know, recognition is only the first step. What follows is (or, well, should be) a change in one’s behavior, bringing it in line with the standard being sought after. Only then will the recognition be seen as somewhat valid, rather than a feigned attempt to show contrition while lacking sincerity or any commitment to improve.
The Criminalization of the Citizenry
The centralization of power at the apex of the political pyramid requires placing other individuals at a lower level. This is done through the force of government and the imposition of laws, taxes, and regulations that turn otherwise sovereign and innocent individuals into a branded and targeted group of criminal citizens to be persecuted, fined, jailed, or otherwise punished.
In Atlas Shrugged, this pattern emerges when the imploding government is scrambling for resources to consume and redistribute. An array of new laws are passed whose primary (but unstated) goal is to artificially manufacture a scenario by which the government can legally acquire what it wants. At the conclusion of a showdown between a government agent and an individual who has become targeted by one such law, the government official openly explains the purpose behind such laws:
Punishing the Many to Protect the Few
Terrorists are not admittedly intelligent individuals, by and large, though they seem to consistently outsmart those who have been tasked with ensuring this nation’s safety. At least, one easily comes to this conclusion by casually observing the responses enacted by politicians and their bureaucratic minions following any sort of threat or actual attack.
What is terrorism? Stripped of its fear-inducing layer of propaganda, it is little more than an attempt to incite panic. One dictionary defines it as “the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature”. In this post, I’ll leave aside the blatantly obvious fact that most acts of alleged terrorism are actually retaliatory responses to our own aggressive meddling in others’ lives, and simply assume that the things we label as “terrorism” have no historical context and are purely meant to induce fear.
A New Year for Patriotism
America has long been on an IV drip of political poison, its vitality and well-being slowly being sapped as a result. This steady erosion of liberty has been augmented to an increased dosage in the past year under the rule and reign of Mr. Obama, his authoritarian Czars, and a socialist, statist Congress. From the outright nationalization of swaths of industries to the imposition of tens of thousands of pages of unconstitutional and oppressive legislation, this government has made clear that like a parasite, it aims to enlarge itself at the expense of its host.
For too long, the general public has tolerated this centralization of power and loss of liberty. Largely due to how slowly this process has occurred, many seem altogether unaware of how bad things really are. As Judge Andrew Napolitano has wisely noted:
GOED: Redistributing Utah’s Wealth
The following is an op-ed I wrote that was published in the Daily Herald today:
Republicans have rarely done a good job at identifying and rejecting socialism. Many seem to think that only Democrats enact such policies, and therefore anything passed by a fellow Republican must have some sort of basis in fiscal conservatism. Thus, conservative activists shake their fists in outrage at Obama’s stimuli, bailouts, and “spread the wealth around” administration, yet they ignore, excuse, or embrace similar policies being promoted in their midst.
For an example of this cognitive dissonance, one need look no further than the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) here in Utah. This agency has recently been in the news, with the board funneling nearly $2 million to a company owned by one of its own members, and the announcement of $4.4 million in incentives going to the company headed up by Fred Lampropoulos, the recent week-long Senate candidate.
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- On Amendments and Constitutional Purity
- The Misplaced Ire of Citizens United
- Why the Latter-day Saints Prepare
- The Failure of Foreign Aid
- Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness... Unless You're in Utero
- Utah Senator Bob Bennett is No Friend of the Constitution
- On Whether to Tear Down or Build Up
- The Redemption of the Republicans
- The Criminalization of the Citizenry
- Punishing the Many to Protect the Few
- A New Year for Patriotism
- GOED: Redistributing Utah's Wealth
- The Hyper-Sexual Indoctrination of Children
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