As the country gears up for the 2012 presidential election season it seems obvious it's going to be ugly. When it's all said and done billions will be spent trying to differentiate (i.e. mudsling, smear and annihilate), opposing candidates in order to win the support of the precious few who have not already picked a side. In the end we will have elected a new president from one of two parties which are really not that different in the first place. The worst part is the presidential election will bring more division, anger, resentment, and cynicism among the people I belong to -- Christians. There will be blood. There is no way out. It's happening. I think the best we can do is try and have a little fun with it.
So here goes the first of three installments comprising one evangelical Christian's take on the three major players: Republicans, Democrats and Tea Party. Republicans and Democrats because they are the two major parties and Tea Party because they're fun to watch!
First up: The Tea Party
The Tea Party has brought the subject of personal liberty to the forefront in American politics. Nearly every attempt to describe Tea Party demographics will reference anger and frustration with government infringement upon liberty and personal freedom as a bedrock principle for most Tea Party members. If you are a fan you call them colorful, if not you call them shrill, but if you cannot at least enjoy the wacky element -- shrink-wrapped and caricature-ready -- then you are taking them too seriously. Yet no movement gains this kind of political traction without hitting on a grain of truth resonating with a great many people. The Tea Party's grain of truth seems to be the size of the federal government. No society can spend all they want on entitlements, infrastructure and national defense while simultaneously lowering taxes. Critiquing the size of government is a winning issue with many of our citizens.
However, the size of government is not the Tea Party's most essential commitment. Their most essential commitment is to personal liberty as a universal good. Personal liberty underwrites the entire Tea Party agenda. Their most fundamental allegiance is to liberty as an absolute, and herein lies the difficulty. Liberty is most certainly a good, but when it is universalized it destroys itself. Liberty is only a virtue when held in tandem with the common good. Societies do not achieve liberty by pursuing liberty alone. Liberty is the byproduct of a just society. It is the pursuit of justice which ensures personal liberty, not the other way around. The pursuit of liberty without an equal commitment to the common good has a trajectory and momentum which is not trained toward democracy, but fascism. In a world of laissez-faire capitalism and absolute individual liberty, might is the only right -- that's fascism.
A strong commitment to the common good is the necessary counter-weight to personal liberty. The common good forces personal freedoms to be held in tension with the values of community and justice. No one can enjoy absolute liberty without undermining the fabric of a just society. Liberty is not an absolute. It must always be held in balance with the common good and the pursuit of social justice.
Justice is a non-starter with Tea Party folk. Glen Beck, a big fan of the movement, famously decried social justice as a Christian heresy. I don't expect the plea for justice to be a big hit with the Tea Party patriots. Yet to ignore it, they must first jettison the closing line of the pledge of allegiance: "... with liberty and justice for all." Liberty and justice are linked. Interestingly, the pledge was written by a Baptist minister named Francis Bellamy, who was a committed Christian socialist. The "justice" Bellamy had in mind was not trial by jury justice, but social justice: a commitment to the common good, social equality, and the solidarity of all humankind. Shouldn't we all be fans of that?
The Christian's first commitment is always to follow the teachings of Jesus, who was certainly concerned about the common good. Jesus told a story about the sheep and the goats in which he made it clear that social justice was the divider between those who were living truthfully, and those who were living a lie (Matt. 25). The folks he identifies with are those willing to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the alien, care for the sick and all manner of behaviors which will not come anywhere close to making the Tea Party platform. While many Christians seem to have joined with the Tea Party movement, the rhetoric of absolute personal liberty seems to be at odds with the gospel Jesus taught. The Christian can wholeheartedly support the cause of personal liberty, but only while supporting the cause of the common good with equal measure.
Two great challenges the Tea Party faces:
First, the Tea Party's inability to come up with the sentence which comes after "no big government" is linked to their disregard for the common good. What are the next ten words? Tea Party rallies and personalities have deftly united the religious right, libertarians, and the NRA by saying "Get the government out of my life," but they have not yet offered a positive agenda that can unite those same people while addressing the common good. They never say, "Let our churches and communities take on poverty, racism, pay inequality and violence." They only say, "No more big government." Without the next ten words what they are really saying is that poverty, racism and the lot can fix itself. That's not a solution. Until they find the next ten words they are not building a movement, they are Monday morning quarterbacking.
Second, the patent anti-intellectual "plain-folks" mentality which covers the flank of the movement leaves the Tea Party devoid of rich theological self-awareness. While the Tea Party has swept many Americans into the all-out pursuit of liberty it has simultaneously deprived them of the means and rationale for self-critique. The party will never grow deep roots without that ability.
The irony of the Tea Party is that their attitude about liberty has become so overly individualistic that it actually threatens democracy instead of protecting it. By elevating individual liberties so far above the common good -- without reference to justice -- those who absolutize these virtues unwittingly undermine democracy instead of shoring it up. If you want to ensure personal liberty, pursue justice. If you want to undermine personal liberty, join the movement to abstract individual liberties and freedoms from their essential roots of social obligation and the common good.
Follow Tim Suttle on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Tim_Suttle
Lawrence Lessig and David Segal: Report from the Conference on the Constitutional Convention
Tea Party movement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tea Party Patriots - Official Home of the American Tea Party Movement
Tea Party Supporters: Who They Are and What They Believe ...
If they want less of those negative traits, I suggest the people you belong to simply stop practicing them.
Just so.
What seems to be happening is that tyrannical christians are adopting their beliefs from Jesus to Ayn Rand's pseudo-intellecual tripe and the philosophy that selfishness is a virtue.
Tea Party and right-wing christians seem to be combining into a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Tea-Publicans seek to rejuvenate their "white christian" nation as they fashion their view of the founding fathers based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood. To achieve this, fascists purge forces, ideas, people, and systems deemed to be the cause of decadence and degeneration.
The first goal is to drown the government in the bathtub and achieve libertarian anarchy.
At that point, of course, as Mao said, "“Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.”
Which is just what the corporate sponsors of all of this hope for. They have, already, arranged the private armies of mercenaries to enhance their corporate domination.
"A fascist state's government is led by a supreme leader who exercises a dictatorship over the fascist movement, the government, and other institutions of the state". (wiki)
"often capitalized : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition" (webster)
Fascism, like socialism and communism, is simply another form of total government control, regardless of political Left or Right orientation. A fascist government would instititute something like the TSA for the "common good" or "the good of the nation". It is the opposite of free market capitalism and individual liberty.
The blogger said that when you pretend there are no social limits on liberty you end up in a situation where: "Might makes right" as stronger individuals steal the liberty of others.
You agree on what fascism is! Total control of the strong! Hug and make nice.
I do, however, fully agree that fascism is the total control of the strong, government, to steal the liberty of others. The Patriot Act is, sadly, still very much alive and well.
Hugs are good :)
Check out Rachael Maddow's Friday night interview with Frank Schaffer at one of the following links
aspiechristian.blogspot.com
aspiechristian.tumblr.com
You'll be glad you did.
Some folks were laughing their heads off looking at a video on a laptop and I came over to look. On the screen were a bunch of folks - some in costume of early colonists - chanting:
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NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!!!!! NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!!!!
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Now I like cosplay and historical re-enactments. So I was immediately sympathetic to the protesters with their tri-corners and said harshly to the people laughing at them:
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Hey now!!! D.C. has a bum deal. They have no seats in the House or the Senate so their taxes are set by a bunch of people from other states completely without their say! They have a very good point!
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At which point one of the chucklers said to me:
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Smile! They aren't in D.C.! They are in South Carolina! They are mad that their candidate *lost* the election!
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Oh.
Um ...
Er ....
So you mean these people ... are invoking the imagery of the early revolutionaries not because they don't have a vote ... but because *they lost the vote*. ...
I looked at the screen ... was this kids being sarcastic? Nope. Adults. Deadly serious and sincere.
WTH????
Complete liberty is only possible when you are completely alone. Good fences make good neighbors.
But what is a fence if not a restriction on your liberty? Here is a line. You may not cross it.
James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
James 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
James 4:11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
James 4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
amen ?
BTW I copy all my comments..to prevent and have proof of censorship
I am poor,have needed gov help many times in my life..starting when my mother abandoned me and my brothers and sister ,when I was 4.I was put in foster care..6 homes in 2 3/4 years. I was also pregnant at 15 and needed help to have and raise my son. so I DO know the need for safety nets,from experience.
Ron Paul deserves to be heard out,so I try and help with that,,the estab and fed reserve and MIC will do all they can to prevent him from a fair and FULL hearing out.
here are some links I have read and collected..I will probably have to send in 2 parts..BE absolutely sure that what you think now,is the best way,read the discussions and debates in the commenst section after the blogs..MANY Paul supporters and True liberals ( who aren't paid off by big corps ) gave a VERY interesting and thorough discussion on these issues
here read these
To give you an idea of how brilliant this man , the estab.economist and politicans call a Kook,really is,
Take a look at his willingness to offer Obama the 2 years he said he needed and a way to solve the debt ceiling debate without cutting anything OR raising taxes..paul had this simple idea ( the fact that they didn’t force Gitner to do this,tells me that Gitner is indeed bullying Obama and running the show) .Gitner also tried to force Obama to go around the constitution to Force Gitners will on debt ceiling..rather than just do what Paul suggested..Read PaulSupporters Comments and Discussion with Liberals ( Both sides not owned by corps,just reg people,who Know their stuff :)
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/07/ron-paul-suggests-using-fed-to-end-run-debt-ceiling-impasse.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-trice/ron-paul-11-point-plan_b_947832.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robin-koerner/jon-stewarts-liberal-chal_b_984563.html?ref=mostpopular
http://www.ronpaul.com/2011-02-20/ron-pauls-opt-out-offer-pay-10-to-get-the-government-off-your-back/
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20109638-503544.html
We Trust Ron Paul..all the others say and never do..they tell us what they have spent millions on finding out we want to hear.
But Ron Paul has been consistent in his message for over 30 YEARS..and though I do not believe in mixing religion with Politics..I will say this
KNOW them by their fruits.. only God really knows who are his,
But,it is MY bet that Ron Paul is a true child of God, if ever I have seen one outside of a religious setting
his every action and his consistency and his continuing GROWTH..he is 76 years Old and STILL maturing !
example..his view on the death penalty,when he discovered many were found guilty and put on Death Row..when DNA started showing innocence..he changed his position..and is for the ban of it at state and fed level
though he is a christian,he voted to repeal DADT..he found that many were being kicked out unjustlyt..he judges people by their charactar and NOT their sexual orientation.
He is against all wars of aggression and nation building..he is pro life AND PRO CIVIL LIBERTIES
There are still some real liberals and conservatives out there..they aren't a "cult"
and since this is a "religious thread"
read this
James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
James 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
James 4:11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
James 4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
(Mods I copy all my comments..too many of you censor, even here)
have to take a bit of issue with: "They never say, "Let our churches and communities take on poverty, racism, pay inequality and violence." Who is stopping their churches and communities from taking on poverty, racism, pay inequality and violence? Nobody, and certainly NOT our government!
The truth is that they have NO intention of tackling these things because maintaining these horrible problems is central to the TB's vision of America - they stand for these things as social GOODs, and will never try to defeat them. That is why real Americans and real Christians loathe them.
Once the govt. has taken that power for itself, it tends to determine which freedoms need further be removed in order to create a more "just" society. Unfortunately, "justice" is perceived in different ways by different individuals. Hence, once those individuals determine justice is to be as THEY see it and not as others see it, liberty evaporates and totalitarianism takes over. We can see it clearly inthe Obamacare legislation, where a person is forced to "purchase" insurance.
How did the world ever exist before powerful people forced their will upon others?
So, no matter how difficult is to understand that liberty and freedom are not something that everybody understands in the same way, I'd advise you, as one educated person to another, to read more on the concepts. I'd recomend a pretty old (1941), but still very relevant book "Escape from Freedom" by Eric Fromm, one of the most humane thinkers of the last century.
Government has provided a counterbalance to the forces in my life that have actually tried to oppress me. My family would have denied me education. "Why pay for college? She'll just get married and waste it" my father once said. If compulsory education wasn't in place it is quite possible I would be barefoot and illiterate right now.
But government said ,"No. You may not keep her ignorant. You may not keep the light of knowledge from her". And so I went to school despite the preferences of those who would oppress me Realized I loved it and was very good at it, and eventually got to college on my own ... with some more help from government.
This schooling enabled me to become economically self sufficient which has done more to liberate me than anything else possibly could. Government gave me the tools to help myself.
Nobody else was going to.
I've had plenty of people try to force their will on me. When government has noticed me its been to help.