States Must Resist the Tyranny of the Federal Government (Issue #468)

As parties to the compact that created and empowered the U.S. Government, States have legal standing to check the federal government’s use of powers that States did not delegate. Inaction and refusal to comply with an unconstitutional federal mandate is the primary tool that States can employ. An example of this peaceful, efficient and effective resistance to federal meddling is the response to The Real ID Act 2005, which requires States to implement certain driver’s license and identification card standards and sharing of the same with other States. Most States simply have done nothing, or in fact have passed resolutions opposing it. Neither have they funded the program or implemented it. The Tenth Amendment is very important for state officials to understand because it authoritatively explains that: (1) the States and the people have kept all powers which they did not specifically delegate or specifically give up to form the Union; and (2) U.S. authority at the national federal level is limited, defined, and delegated by the States. The first point reminds us that Texas is independent and sovereign and has the wherewithal to take care of herself. The second aspect reminds us that the U.S. is not an unlimited and all powerful master but rather, a steward charged by the States with certain duties.

The original Constitution was quickly amended with the “Bill of Rights” (the first Ten Amendments) because there was considerable concern among the Founding Fathers that the original Constitution, without it, might be later misconstrued or misunderstood. The Ninth and Tenth Amendments, in particular, do not add or subtract anything in the way of powers or authority. They do, however, explain to subsequent generations what the Founders explicitly meant by the original Constitution—in military parlance, they communicate the Founders’ “intent.” The Ninth and Tenth Amendments are simply authoritative declarations which, like a monument, mark a boundary for future generations, and like a fence, keep some things on and some things off your property. If Texas is to remain sovereign and independent, Texas officeholders must wisely, peacefully, but immediately endeavor to take care of the State’s own affairs and its people and to defend the State and its people against the Federal Government’s use of “powers not delegated to the United States.”

But what happens if Texas does not preserve local self-government? What happens if the U.S. exercises “the powers not delegated” to it by the Constitution? What if Texas gives up local self-determination either voluntarily or otherwise? What if the U.S. Government overreaches into the affairs of the States and individuals? Is it of any consequence? Article 1, Section 1 of the Texas Constitution indicates that it is of grave consequence: “The maintenance of our free institutions and the perpetuity of the Union depend upon the preservation of the right of local self-government, unimpaired to all the States.” ‘Houston, I’d say we have a problem!’

In fact, we’ve had a dual problem for quite some time: (1) the abdication or neglect of self-government by States; and (2) the usurpation of “the powers not delegated” by the U.S. Federal Government. Both acting in tandem make for a perfect storm, in terms of endangering our freedoms and the national Union itself. Patriots are passionate about the Tenth Amendment because it is the cornerstone of our Federal Republic. If we ignore it and fail to line up the other stones in the Constitutional edifice with it, the entire building is in jeopardy of collapsing, and this is very much the way the Founders explained their rationale for building a federal structure with dual State and Federal sovereignty in the first instance. To violate the intent and letter of the Constitution in this regard is illegal, in that it violates the Organic Law of the land. Moreover, it is risky, imprudent and foolish from the basis of history and politics, which the Founders understood extremely well. But this does not need to happen!

If your neighbor begins to build a greenhouse on your property, the neighborly thing to do, is to go talk to your neighbor and point out the problem, i.e., that he has crossed the property line and is on your property. If necessary, you may need to uncover boundary monuments and get out a survey instrument to demonstrate to your neighbor where the boundary line is and how he is encroaching upon your property. This usually solves the problem, especially if it is done in a timely manner. The first point of the illustration is that there is a dual responsibility: one must not encroach, and the other must be diligent enough to identify and defend against such encroachment. This is especially true for a federal republic made up of independent sovereign states. The second point is that vigilance and timely defense is necessary to avoid costly disputes. Even reasonable neighbors are very slow to admit and correct encroachments that are left uncontested for years. Unfortunately, the States have for a long time acquiesced to encroachments on their rights and the rights of the people—often because an unconstitutional federal action appeared to be beneficial.

If Texans are to be free and our Union preserved, then Texas officeholders must wisely, peacefully, incrementally but immediately endeavor to restore our State’s self-government, which is now impaired by the Federal Government’s use of “powers not delegated to the United States.” There are two areas where the General Government of the U.S. is presently seeking to unconstitutionally extend its authority: (1) healthcare; and (2) environmental regulation. Other areas of overreach include firearms regulation and legal tender laws. Moreover, the General Government of the U.S. has not merely usurped State and individual rights, but it has also failed to faithfully execute the immigration laws of the United States. All of which means that, as a sovereign, independent State Texas must refuse to comply with, facilitate, or enact unconstitutional federal legislation. We do not fund or budget it. We do not manage or implement it. We do not allow the Federal Government to harass or serve warrants, unless they are for Constitutional laws. This is a tall order but absolutely essential if we are to escape abject tyranny. May God turn us back to Him, and may God save Texas and keep these United States.

What Would Jefferson Say? No Good Government Here (Issue #467)

As a modern Jeffersonian Republican, my political philosophy can pretty much be summed up by Thomas Jefferson’s First Inaugural Address.  In that speech, he outlined what he considered to be the sum of good government.  Jefferson, Author of the Declaration of Independence and our nation’s third president, said that good government consists of these attributes: (1) it is wise and frugal; (2) it keeps men from injuring one another; (3) government otherwise leaves men and women free to their own pursuits of industry and improvement; and (4) government does not take out of the mouth of labor the bread that it has earned.  The first two of the attributes have to do with the limited nature of civil government itself, whereas the second two posit an expansive view of the human individual.

Good civil government is first of all wise and frugal.  Wise is an adjective purporting wisdom, and wisdom is the right application of knowledge.  Scripture says the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God.  So how does that apply to civil government?  Directly, in that, wise political leaders are humble, recognizing that they are not omniscient; good civil magistrates recognize their limitations and govern from a felt sense of humility—they do not profess to know everything.  Wise political leaders are cautious, recognizing that though they wield much power, rarely do they achieve the ends which they set out to accomplish.  There are sad and unintended consequences to the careless use of power, as with mishandling a loaded gun.  Wise political leaders recognize that they too are subject to live under the same laws as they put upon others; and all men and women, including themselves, are subject to fundamental principles of right and wrong and correct behavior.

Frugal is also an adjective meaning thrifty, economical, careful, cautious, prudent, provident, not wasteful, sparing, scrimping; abstemious, abstinent, austere, self-denying, ascetic, monkish, Spartan; parsimonious, miserly, penny-pinching, close-fisted; tightfisted, tight, stingy.  Today our present civil government is hardly that and indeed closely resembles the opposite or antonym of the word frugal—our government is extravagant and is therefore not a good government on that basis alone!

Good civil government secondly, according to Jefferson, keeps men from injuring one another.  This too is hardly the case along our southern border with Mexico, and yet this is the fundamental and essential purpose of civil government—to protect life, liberty and property.  A Jeffersonian view of humanity recognizes that individual men and woman are sovereign; that they have inalienable rights that are not conferred; not granted by governments or compacts, but bound up in their very nature in who they are—free and responsible and special (according to Scripture made in the image of  God).  The purpose of government is limited and not extensive.  It is simply to protect individuals from harm.  Civil governments are necessary only because of irresponsible behavior, specifically aggression.  If we were angels we would not need civil government.  Sovereignty of the state is only an extension of the sovereignty of individuals.

Good civil government, thirdly, leaves men free to their own pursuits of employment and improvement.  Civil government is not to direct the actions of individuals, only to keep them from harming others.  Sovereignty again is essentially individual and not collective.  Today regulations and requirements and the threat of legal entanglements, are so pervasive and onerous in relation to just about anything one might try to do.  Government literally stands in the way of individual pursuits and dreams contrary to the vision of our Founders.  At the same time taxes kill anything you might actually accomplish!

This brings us to Jefferson’s Fourth attribute, namely, good civil government does not take out of the mouth of labor the bread that it has earned, i.e., does not steal from the fruits of our labor.  Government today steals from Peter to pay Paul and Paulette, and sustains a huge bureaucracy to enforce the terms.

A modern Jeffersonian view of civil government is humble; sees itself as a servant of sovereign individuals and not as their master; recognizes that the fundamental action and authority of civil society is left to free and responsible actions of individuals.  Today everything is turned on its head.  Instead of individuals having the most responsibility and freedom, civil government controls almost everything.  Civil government should be the least of all governments, because remember there are many governments (self, family, church, etc.).  Moreover, civil government of the State of Texas should be a far more prevalent factor than, say, the national federal government.  Again everything is turned on its head.  Mayors every day contend with extensive burdens placed on city government and local schools by a multitude of unconstitutional federal mandates.  And oh by the way, the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution is not merely a federal issue to be interpreted by the federal government; rather, it is an issue of great consequence for state lawmakers who, among other state officials, are responsible to defend Texas sovereignty and independence.  This is underscored by the requirement that every office bearer in Texas must swear: to the best of his or her ability to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and laws of the U.S. and of this State.

The U.S. Government has grown so large, so powerful and so intrusive, that the States are in very real danger of losing their self-determination and sovereignty.  One of the reasons for this growth is the misconception that the federal government itself is the final interpreter or sole arbiter of whether it has exercised “the powers not delegated” to it by the Constitution.  It is commonly believed the U.S. Supreme Court has the final say concerning whether or not the U.S. has exceeded its constitutional bounds.  If this is the case, we find ourselves in a situation akin to Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, where the creature cannot be checked and may in fact overcome its own creator.

Two Cents’ Worth and the Penny Saved (Issue #466)

You may have recently noticed a new penny.

Obviously the penny isn’t worth much, well maybe a penny but not one red cent’s worth of value. The penny pincher knows it hasn’t always been made of pure copper, but since 1962 the “cent” was minted with 95 percent copper composition and only 5 percent zinc. Today the penny has reversed itself, with 97.5 percent zinc and only 2.5 percent copper. The 2010 penny practically blows away, and practically speaking it might as well be the same denomination as a paper bill, a.k.a. Federal Reserve Note. The coin doesn’t jingle so much as clink, like some subway token or cheap fake. The penny is emblematic of the debasement of U.S. currency that has taken place under our very noses. There is more than one reason why passers-by, have long since ceased to pick up a penny, or even a nickel or a dime. There’s no dime’s worth of difference.

Speaking of emblematical debasement, one will also notice on the new Reverse side that Captain America has lent his shield to the occasion. The cartoon reflects the insubstantial and fictitious nature of the cords that bind this Union together, as well as the marshal nature of domination perpetrated by the federal government in the Twenty-First Century. The symbol is actually intended to convey that message.

According to the U.S. Mint, the design evokes Abraham Lincoln’s “preservation of the United States…as a single and united country.” Lest the country get carried away somehow by remembrance of Freedom or Liberty, it was required by the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005, Title III of Public Law 109-145. While the obverse or heads side bears the familiar Victor David Brenner likeness of President Lincoln which has appeared since 1909, the reverse now shows a union shield. The shield dates to the 1780s and at first represented the united nature of political resistance to and military defense by Thirteen Original Colonies against British tyranny. The union shield was co-opted and used widely in the North during its prosecution of the War Between the States. According to the U.S. Mint, it is the foregone conclusion and symbolic representation of this shield today that thirteen vertical stripes represent all fifty states joined into “one compact union to support the federal government, [as] represented by the horizontal bar above.” This then becomes the meaning of the inscription E PLURIBUS UNUM—“out of many, one”: that all fifty sovereign states exist to support the Federal Government. Oh great, now that the Federal Government is run by a unitary Chief Executive and his appointed czars, in order to wage wars indefinitely and to command the un-free market economy! Heaven help us.

It would sure be nice if a candidate for Governor, for instance, would start sounding a theme so many Texans are wanting, and waiting to hear; namely, that the 1st and the 10th Amendments still mean what they say, and all the Bill of Rights in between. In terms of policy this could and probably does mean a return of prayer in public schools to help give our children and society the foundational set of values we need to build upon again. From a Constitutional perspective, this is Freedom in fact, and the truth of the matter is that we have not got the sort of Republic our Founding Founders intended. Self-determination is Freedom; and matters of faith and education are left entirely within the purview of the States, according to the Constitution. It is time to ‘Just say No’ to the Federal Government.

The Colonies that united together during the American Revolution did so, on the basis of self-determination and the sovereign political will of their respective peoples. They did not do so because the Federal Government ‘represented by the horizontal bar above’ screwed and bolted them down in a vertical alignment, and declared unilaterally that is how it was going to be. Ironically, the patina on the Statue of Liberty covers copper, rather than zinc, and figuratively that copper is more malleable than a steel rod or iron, intimating the way that separate societies of the several states are supposed to be able to seek and expect an accommodation with the federal government, to pursue those solutions and prescriptions the Constitution had left them free to pursue.

Prayer to Save Texas and America (Issue #465)

On August 19, 2010 an important “Save Texas” rally and concert was held at the Mayborn Convention Center in Temple, Texas.  YouTube sensation Krista Branch presented a vibrant concert performance, featuring patriotic and inspirational Christian music.  She started with her song hit entitled, “I am America” and gave an encore performance of the same song at the end of the evening.  The worship event was hosted by Dr. Andy Barron, Central Texas area orthodontist and a devout Christian, who subsequently filed on August 24th to be an official write-in candidate for the Texas Governor’s race.

Barron has stated simply that, if elected Governor, Texans will be free once again to have prayer back in their public schools.  The plank comprises much of his platform.  The following is a slightly altered version of the opening prayer presented by Yours Truly at the “Save Texas” rally and concert.  Prayer of course has a powerful alterative effect, whenever people of faith fervently invoke the Name of God, whether silently or audibly.  Prayer can change the course of nations, as well as the paths that people walk.  Please think of this as you read, in order to infuse the words with power and bring a blessing into your own experience.

“Dear Lord, our God: Thank you for being with us and meeting us always where we are; and Lord thank you for your Son.  Thank you for your mercy and for all the many blessings we enjoy.  Thank you for bringing us to this spot—this physical spot, as well as this place in our lives, this time in history.  We pray for a safe journey and return Home.

“Thank you for the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coastguardsmen; and for law enforcement and border patrol and all those who protect us.  Lord—we pray that you’ll protect them, and grant them Victory as You would have it done.

“God grant us peace in our time.  We pray that you will always steer us clear of violence and evil.  Keep us secure also from temptation.  Keep safe those whom we love.  Protect the innocent and the unborn, the frail and weak.  And Lord, if it be Thy will that we must ever confront evil let us not be afraid when doing so.  Be with us in our hour of need and darkness; give us strength and heart, as well as the courage to prevail.

“O Lord our God we pray earnestly for our Country: for healing in our Economy, for a rejuvenation of our civil society; for resuscitation of the Body Politic and regard for the U.S. Constitution and the Rule of Law.  Deliver us from the Evil Tide and from the imposition of socialism and communism in Your Land of Liberty.

“We pray also for your Church.  And Father, in the name of Jesus, we come before you remembering 2 Chronicles 7:14, which says: ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’  We know your promise is true, even at this grave hour.  We pray for your forgiveness and for healing in the land.  May we do what is required of us to obtain the blessing contained in this your promise.  God grant us vision Lord, as that peculiar people who are called by Your Name.  God save Texas to be that beacon that America so desperately needs, to light the way for our fellow countrymen.

“Enable us to restore the Republic of our Fathers—and so honoring the God of our Fathers again in the Schoolhouse, at the Courthouse, in all manner of private and public discourse.  Let our worship of Thee be always pleasing.  May the love of Christ enter in and bless and sanctify us wholly, that we may abound to every good work and know and follow the leadings of Truth.  Give every self-professing Christian the courage to attend to his or her civic and sacred responsibilities: to participate and to vote, as well as to live according to his or her convictions.

“Lastly, we pray that the Church will awaken to a higher sense of righteousness in every denomination, in every body of believers; that we should begin to unify under the bloodstained banner of the Cross.  Let the message be only this: Christ crucified and resurrected.  And may we know and feel with a calm assurance that He lives and reigns forever.  O God, we give Thee praise because He lives.  To Thine be the glory in our daily walk.  Amen.”

Post Script: Glenn Beck hosted the “Restoring Honor” rally in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, 28 August with a very similar religious theme.  Like Dr. Andy Barron, he urged his audience to pray more.  Krista Branch was also there at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial performing, and several members of the Central Texas Tea Party were in attendance too.  More than 100,000 people gathered to hear speeches by Beck and Sarah Palin.  The rally coincided with the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.  With so much of substance accomplished from that original Dream of his (itself from the Declaration of Independence),  it is ironically time now to begin to  restore key features of the American Dream based upon the United States Constitution, rather than to transform further.  For a very large Christian audience in America, that’s what the November 2nd Mid-Term Elections will be about.

Doggett, Edwards Deal Constitution another Blow in the Name of Education (Issue #464)

Austin Congressman Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX District 25) recently sponsored an amendment to H.R. 1586 that is grossly unconstitutional, and his friend Rep. Chet Edwards (D-TX District 17) of Waco supported it enthusiastically.  It just goes to show how any good cause these days, particularly if it is a winner politically, will trump adherence to the U.S. Constitution or the intent of the Founding Fathers.  Doggett’s amendment essentially places an education spending mandate on the State of Texas alone of all the fifty states.

H.R. 1586 refers to The FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act.  The bill like so many others is a veritable grab-bag of bailouts and legislation pertaining to unrelated topics such as education, Medicaid, and nutrition—not to mention a massive bailout for state governments.  The total cost is $26 billion, which costs every American family approximately $126 per year.  The bill also allocates $10 billion for jobs in education nation-wide, of which $831 million would go to Texas, in order to pay for 14,500 teacher jobs.  The bill’s controversial amendment introduced by Rep. Doggett and voted for by Congressional Democrats including Edwards, requires Texas to maintain the same level of funding in education for the next three years.

Never mind the Governor has no such authority to guarantee or to direct the State Legislature to spend a certain amount of money, or to possibly bind future Legislatures.  As U.S. Congressmen from Texas, Doggett and Edwards should know that.  Beyond that, one would hope that they appreciate the U.S. Constitution too and the understand the fact that Court precedent precludes federal legislation from treating States unequally.  The idea being that all States, old and new, do and should share an equality of constitutional right and power as a condition of belonging to the Union in the first place.  States are equal in power, dignity and authority, each competent to exert that residuum of sovereignty not delegated to the United States by the Constitution itself.  To maintain otherwise would be to say that the Union, through the power of Congress might come to be a union of States unequal in power, including States whose powers were restricted only by the Constitution and others whose powers had been further restricted by acts of Congress!

It is clear from the legislation that Texas has some Democrat congressmen, who are either unaware of constitutional limits to their authority, or else they are outright traitors to the State.  Doggett’s Amendment would require the Governor to offer some sort of presumably written assurance to the feds to receive the funds earmarked for Texas.  Even if that assurance amounts to a prediction and there are no claw-back or enforcement provisions in the legislation, the Governor does not work for, or report to, the Federal Government.  Hence the language of the Amendment is an attempt to extort certain behavior quid quo pro for the funds, and it amounts at least to implicit infringement on State sovereignty.

Doggett sponsored his amendment essentially to pick a bone: he was unhappy that Governor Perry used part of the money Texas received from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (a.k.a. the federal stimulus package) to offset regularly scheduled spending.  Hence Doggett is trying to ensure Texas uses federal money to supplement rather than supplant funds for education with money it receives.  Clearly it is a continuation at federal level of partisan wrangling over Texas legislative priorities and Texas State budget.  If taken on its face, the Amendment doesn’t even satisfy Federal legislative priorities or U.S. Congressional intent.  The federal stimulus package was, well, for economic stimulus—not all about education.  Likewise, this current polyglot bill is for stimulus too.  Education spending clearly has merit, even in the area of stimulus, but there are many other things money can be spent on to foster recovery and economic growth: to put people back to work and take economic pressure off families; to keep students in school and to enable the workforce to pursue education and wellbeing.

Both Representatives Lloyd Doggett and Chet Edwards are myopic at best and, quite frankly, they lack a larger vision—conservative, progressive or otherwise.  In hindsight, Doggett apparently begrudges the fact the Texas economy is doing so well, or that state government is in a far better position than virtually any other state.  Now that Texas faces an $18 billion shortfall next year, he wants to limit flexibility and virtually assure that Texas follows the path of a California or a New York to bankruptcy.  Texans simply cannot know today whether or not they will be able to afford exactly the same percentage of the budget going towards public education.  No one doubts the Governor’s commitment to education, but limiting his and the Legislature’s flexibility in bad economic times is particularly imprudent, even foolhardy.  Not only that, the offset using federal dollars for “scheduled spending” actually includes things like textbooks and other costs which support education.  Indeed, there really is no quantifiable harm for the offset using federal funds that Doggett complains about.  Education is far more complex than that, and benefits do not accrue dollar for dollar.

Doggett’s approach would literally preclude the realization of cost savings ever (so much for improving efficiency or trying innovation to get a better return on investment, or better results in the classroom either).  The Amendment is really a stunt designed to embarrass the Governor, given that economic imperatives are likely to drive him and the Legislature to make hard choices, in order to balance the budget next year.  Doggett was elected in 1994, and if doesn’t know this then he has been in Washington, D.C. too long, having forgotten that unlike the U.S. Congress, States are required to balance their budgets!  In the bigger scheme of things, education is important but economic opportunity for high school and college graduates, as well as the solvency of state government is more important.  Typically there is not a wide trade-off and certainly it isn’t zero-sum, but during the Great Recession and for the next couple of years it could be.  Only Doggett and other liberal Democrats in Congress would attempt to play ostrich with the situation and put their heads in the sand, refusing to acknowledge the reality of high unemployment, the slowness of the recovery, the uncertainty of business environment.  For Chet Edwards’s part, he was first elected in 1990 and was considered for President Obama’s Vice-Presidential pick in 2008—largely for his adept record at looking and acting conservative while supporting liberal politics, such as the anti-Texan and unconstitutional Doggett Amendment to score points for supporting education while empowering the federal government even more.

Public Universities: Proliferation of Leftist Dogma at Taxpayer Expense (Issue #463)

The next sit-ins on campuses across the country really need to be staged by rightists.  Of course, “right-wing” in the context of the modern public university could simply mean an individual who doesn’t entirely despise his parents or America.  A “right-wing bigot” then is someone who doesn’t intuitively understand why universities should erase the names off of buildings, because those names belonged to people whose opinions and attitudes in their time do not conform to the in vogue truths of today.  Rename them all Freak-side, just to be inclusive.

As one University of Texas professor and administrator informed the state legislature recently, even “The name ‘Western Civilizations and American [Traditions]’ sounds really right-wing.”  So does ham and eggs; and red, white and blue.  The administrator made no attempt to reconcile his assertion with the stated commitment of the university to “advance a free society” or prepare “educated, productive citizens” through academics that “enrich and expand the appreciation and preservation of our civilization.”  As if we had a civilization—heck, who are you fooling?  Imagine instruction that provides students with knowledge about the country in which they live!  What will right-wing nutcase teabag rednecks think of next—Shakespeare?

We all know that words mean nothing anymore, not in the Constitution and certainly not in some university’s charter or propaganda to parents for “PR” purposes.  Most public institutions of higher learning trace their heritage to land grant legislation in the 19th century and still rely on legislative funding to some degree.  Beyond the taxpayer money, however, their link is severed between education and the health of American democracy.  Their mission no longer has to be consistent with creating an informed citizenry.  Just give them your money and shut up!

Regarding U.S. history, the past decade has featured aggressive schemes to “re-vision” U.S. political and diplomatic history around themes of race, class, and gender, the same pedagogy that already dominates contemporary humanities and social sciences departments.  Increasingly, U.S. history is only taught through the prism of a race-class-gender trinity.  Moreover, the arrogance of universities has reached such a level, that academic freedom now means freedom of the liberal majority in academe to evade all public criticism.  Just leave them alone you stupid moron!

The dirty little secret on campus is that if you want to go somewhere and actually do something with that degree, particularly if you are post-graduate and aspire to a Ph.D., you had better tow the party line.  Only if one does this, might one earn the coveted key to the kingdom and certain access to do damage to the other little minds out there.  Students who do not agree with the liberal ideology of the Prof do not have an appropriate “disposition,” you see, to teach anyone else.

The university curriculum is thoroughly radicalized, and leftists control the academic departments of the major public universities throughout this nation.  Universities no longer serve, as it were, the pursuit and transmission of knowledge but of leftist dogma.  To reach into history—that poorly overlooked oblivion, today’s public universities smack of the kind of corporate corruption that Montesquieu described in The Spirit of the Laws (1748), in which those who govern renege on the fundamental principles of that system they were empowered to serve and protect.    

The surest way to destroy a civilization is to erase its collective memory and reduce chronology to the present tense.  After that, well, power brokers and puppeteers of the mind are free largely to mold it to any and everybody’s Progressive dream of Utopia.  The process is just about complete at every level of education in these United States, including at the highest.  Thanks to you and your hard-earned cash, and to a negligent inattention to where that money is going.  Your mediocre representatives and outright corrupt lawmakers are bloated on the swill of debt liquidity.  They have bought you public universities, anathema to learning and averse to the very future of your children and grandchildren.  They shall have bankrupted their minds and pockets simultaneously, the better to lead the next docile generation to a slaughter.  Taxpayers and concerned citizens, all—those who still hold the purse string and pull the lever to vote: it is time now again to sit in.  It is time to listen and to tell a thing or two.  The answer my friend is blowing in the wind, and a hard rain is going to fall.

Andy Barron’s Strange Stand against the Evil Tide (Issue #462)

Dr. Andy Barron of Belton, Texas is an orthodontist running for Governor in the Great State of Texas. He says the nation is a sitting prey, about to lose the war of “incrementalism.” As an orthodontist, he knows how to move teeth around incrementally little by little, so he thinks he recognizes a similar but evil process at work in American politics. He just announced his candidacy in late July. He is definitely not to be mixed up with the New York City councilman and former Black Panther, one Charles Barron who announced entry into the gubernatorial race for his state a month earlier. What Charles Barron is to the Democrat Party in New York, however, Andy Barron is to the Republican Party of Texas. Both are sorely tired of “Republicrats” and to that extent, they mirror a very large discontent across the country with both major political parties, as well as an advanced polarization of American politics and the fragmentation of old coalitions whether conservative or liberal.

Andy comes at Republicans from the religious Right; whereas, Charles attacks Democrats from the radical Left. The “Barron” of New York is black and a racist, while the “Barron” of Texas is Anglo, supports the Tea Party movement, and is decidedly not a racist. The latter is inclusive of every race and color, empathically and ideologically, notwithstanding the reference he makes occasionally to “the evil tide” of Socialism happens inadvertently to echo a title of an obscure white racist’s autobiography. People of many stripes have, after all, talked and written about rising tides and stemming tides, not to mention bad moons rising for centuries.

Timing as they say, especially in politics is everything, and Andy says “our time has come,” by which he means time for serious Christians to take a stand, conscientiously in politics as elsewhere based explicitly on their worldview. In Texas, two-term Governor Rick Perry has already won the Republican Party’s nomination, fending off challengers Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Debra Medina and avoiding a run-off. Likewise, Bill White soundly beat Farouk Shami for the Democrats’ nod, while Kathie Glass beat her opponent Jeff Daiell to earn top spot on the Libertarian Party ticket. That was all back on March 2nd! Moreover, the Green Party of Texas successfully met a May 24th deadline for new parties, submitting more than enough signatures on their petition to qualify for ballot access. Now enter Andy Barron, the Johnny-come-Lately who has to be the largest underdog in the race for Governor ever in the history of the State. Not to worry though, because if his endeavor seems quixotic, the reason he gives for entering the race four months after Primary elections are over is equally compelling: God told him to do it.

As a political phenomenon, Andy Barron offers anecdotal evidence as to the undercurrent of a movement not yet fully self-aware. Witness the thousands of people from various conservative factions and groups, who protested the president’s mere visit to Austin August 9th chanting the words, “Hands off Texas!” Andy Barron speaks in similar terms of wanting to save Texas, not necessarily the entire United States—because that may not be possible. Texans are not too keen on raising their taxes or spending a dime, in order to bail out the likes of profligate spender states like California, Illinois or New York. Texans have their own budget challenges ahead to face in their own way. Peggy Noonan in a recent op-ed observed more urgently than she did before in 1994 prior to Republican takeover of Congress, that there is a clear tendency and potential in American politics to extricate political sovereignties from consolidated national government, particularly if the country’s national leadership have remained tone deaf for extended periods of time ignoring the people’s fundamental concerns and demands.

From time to time my “horse sense” has alluded to the apparent metaphors in life, i.e., to the physical and material happenings which correspond to deeper spiritual reality and meaning. Believers are more accustomed to this unique method of understanding, since the wars we fight in daily life typically have their spiritual dimension. So I was taken by a certain reference Andy Barron made to “the evil tide” of Socialism, indeed as black oil from the BP spill washed ashore on the Gulf Coast. This was similar in fact to comparisons and interpretation of events in something that Dr. Charles Stanley, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta, preached July 4th in his sermon. Speaking of “Turning the Tide,” a primary focus of that sermon was on the clash between Christianity and Socialism. Dr. Stanley: “We find ourselves as a nation, violating the laws of God and heading in a direction that is going to be disastrous for us, for our children and for the generations that are to come, unless there is a change…. There is a tide that has touched our shores and reached the heart of our nation. It is a tide that is bringing with it ideas and philosophies, actions and attitudes, that will ultimately destroy the way of life that you and I have.”

Referring to Socialism, Stanley exclaims: “This tide is bringing in [a] control that will attempt to silence the truth, and will attempt to squash the religious devotion and worship of the people of God. There will be a collision with Socialism and the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” whereas Christianity, Stanley said, interferes with the spread of Socialism. On that basis, one may assert that the loss of freedom regarding religious expression and public display of religious symbols, and especially the removal of opening day prayers from the public schools beginning in 1962, were a prerequisite not only to the advance of secularism but also to the accomplishment of the progressives’ transformational agenda that leads to a Socialist state. Andy Barron says that our youth are left without foundation. In that context therefore, everything of a policy nature that does not address our relationship with God becomes the treatment of symptoms rather than a cure for disease. He propones matter-of-factly that, if a substantial majority of people in Texas believe that we ought to have prayer in our public schools—which is what he and the polls consistently find—then by God, we ought to institute the same regardless of what a national government says.

His reasoning is also very interesting and something quite a bit more than academic neo-federalist constitutionalism or the Southern impulse towards a strict construction, Original Intent and textual definition. He says that Texas is at the center of resistance to evil these days, and Central Texas is at the Heart. A squeeze, as from a constrictor is coming to Texas, and Texas must brace herself and resist with all her might. Andy Barron speaks of a dream he had, in which he is inside a corral with other people. Its gate is about to be shut, and all the while he sees the enemies of freedom perched to shoot inside and kill the people there, as soon as the gate is securely closed. He says he knows with a certainly, that it is now or never to make our move to escape.