THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume IX, Issue # 123, July 1, 2007
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
CELEBRATING & DEFENDING LIBERTY
By Alan Caruba
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS A BEACON OF LIBERTY & DEMOCRATIC ORDER TO THE WORLD: THE COMMON
NATIONAL CULTURE WHICH DEFINES THE AMERICAN NATION & DISTINGUISHES IT FROM EVERY OTHER NATION ON EARTH
-- AMERICA'S CULTURAL HERITAGE OF CONSTITUTIONALISM, INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY UNDER LAW, POLITICAL & ECONOMIC
FREEDOM, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICANISM, & DEFENDING & PROMOTING THESE VALUES, BELIEFS, & INSTITUTIONS -- THE
U.S.A. AS WORLD LEADER IN DEFENDING FREEDOM & CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY AGAINST THE NEW ENEMY,
ISLAMISM & ITS VERY DEADLY INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC TERRORIST NETWORK
FULL STORY:
Sometimes, I fear America has become the Paris Hilton of the world, forever in the media, an incredibly wealthy, pretty
creature that often appears to be vacuous, in need of an occasional spanking, and yet fascinating for reasons that defy an
easy explanation. Whatever the nation does, however, it does from a set of fundamental values, basic beliefs, and common
historical traditions that comprise the American cultural heritage -- a cultural heritage which defines the American nation
and sets it apart from every other nation on earth.
America's cultural heritage of constitutionalism, individual liberty under law, economic freedom, and defending and
promoting these values, beliefs, and institutions needs to be taught in our schools and spoken of around the dinner table
and in all the institutions of the nation. These key components of America's common national culture need to be taught
and spoken of as a constant reminder of why America is such an economic dynamo, a source of endless innovation, and a
place where one can literally travel from coast to coast and consistently be greeted with courtesy and warmth by complete
strangers.
Writers are, by nature, people who love the written word and turn to it for answers. Let’s look at some thoughts that
celebrate freedom and liberty in a world where it exists only for a lucky few of the six billion people who share our planet.
In his book, The Case for Democracy, Natan Sharansky, who defied the might of the Soviet Union, later emigrated
to Israel and has become a figure of international renown, poses the question: “Is freedom for everyone?”
After examining the challenges to freedom, particularly in the Middle East, he concludes:
“My source of confidence that freedom truly is for everyone
is not only that democracy has spread around the world,
allowing so many different cultures and peoples to enjoy its
bounty, my confidence also comes from living in a world of
fear, studying it, and fighting it… There is a universal desire
among all peoples not to live in fear. Indeed, given a choice,
the vast majority of people will always prefer a free society
to a fear society.”
There is much concern and debate over the role of the United States of America, frequently called the only superpower in
the world, when it comes to engaging in conflicts far from our shores. Historically, however, Americans have been
reluctant to engage in foreign wars.
The subject was widely debated after World War I, when Woodrow Wilson proposed that the U.S.A. join the League of
Nations, the precursor to the United Nations. U.S. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge opposed membership, but, in a speech on
August 12, 1919, he said:
“We must set aside all this empty talk about isolation. Nobody
expects to isolate the United States or to make it a hermit nation,
which is a sheer absurdity.
“But there is a wide difference between taking a suitable part and
bearing a due responsibility in world affairs and plunging the
United States into every controversy and conflict on the face of
the globe.”
Lodge went on to say, “I will go as far as anyone in world service, but the first step to world service is the maintenance
of the United States.”
This was an argument for the absolute necessity of national sovereignty; the right of the nation to protect its borders,
determine the makeup of its population, and consider its own national interests before entering into agreements with
other nations. The U.S. Senate voted against membership in the League of Nations, an institution that proved incapable
of defeating the totalitarian ambitions of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and of a Japan which sought hegemony in the Far
East.
Generations can and do forget the legacy of those who fought and died to protect and preserve our freedom and liberty.
America was unusually fortunate in the company of men who fought the Revolution that achieved our independence
and then took up the job of creating a government that would maintain it. George Washington’s farewell address, after
serving two terms as President, offered some advice present candidates for that high office and every voter should keep
in mind. Washington witnessed the first evidence of partisanship, the divisions of opinion regarding how the American
nation should be governed.
He warned:
“They [the partisans] serve to organize faction, to give it an
artificial and extraordinary force; to put in the place of the
delegated will of the nation, the will of the party, often a
small but artful and enterprising minority of the community,
and, according to the alternative triumphs of different parties,
to make the public administration the mirror of ill-concerted
and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of
consistent and wholesome plans digested by common
councils and modified by mutual interests.”
Such felicitous use of the language, in fact, describes the divisions within our society today, as parties and groups seek
to impose legislative bans or mandates or as others advocate laws based on seriously flawed and even fraudulent
science.
These “factions” [i.e., special interest groups and ideologically-driven political organizations] may believe they have the
best interests
of the nation at stake, but the vast majority of voters reject their initiatives, knowing they will harm the economy, threaten
our sovereignty, and degrade the U.S. Constitution by virtue of too much control by the central government over vast
swaths of our national life, such as our educational and health care systems.
America, for all its faults, remains a beacon of freedom and constitutional democracy to the world. We have assumed a
sacred trust by virtue of the oldest living Constitution in the world. In 1990, when Vaclav Havel assumed the Presidency
of Czechoslovakia, a country that had lived under both Nazi and Soviet domination before attaining independence, this
former prisoner of Communism, told his fellow citizens the following:
“You may ask what kind of republic I dream of. Let me reply:
I dream of a republic that is independent, free, and democratic;
a republic with economic prosperity, yet social justice; a
humane republic that serves the individual and therefore
hopes that the individual will serve it in turn; a republic of
well-rounded people, because, without such people, it is
impossible to solve any of our problems, whether they be
human, economic, ecological, social, or political.”
America is a federal republic composed of separate regional republics, its fifty states. Our Federal Constitution clearly
delineates and limits the powers of the U.S. central government and allocates other powers to the states. The further we
move from that formulation, the greater the power that is ceded to the central government, the more we endanger the
true power of governance that resides in the people.
All around the world, people will look to America as it celebrates the Fourth of July, its day of independence. In the
dawn of the twenty-first century, we must not be distracted from the new enemy of freedom and constitutional
democracy, the Islamofascists who openly seek to kill us and to kill the American dream, a dream that continues to
inspire millions in far-off places.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
Political Culture, Patriotism, & American National Identity
American Foreign Policy -- Constitutional Democracy:
U.S. Promotion of Constitutional Democracy in Foreign Countries
Islamism & Jihadism -- The Threat of Radical Islam
Page Three
Page Two
Page One
American Foreign Policy -- The Middle East
International Politics & World Disorder:
War & Peace in the Real World
Page Two
Page One
------------------------------------------------
CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY & OTHER POLITICAL REGIMES
Modern Constitutional Democracy:
Fundamental Character & Essential Ingredients
Constitutionalism: The First Essential Ingredient
of Modern Constitutional Democracy
Dictatorship: The Opposite of Constitutionalism
Representative Democracy: The Second Essential Ingredient
of Modern Constitutional Democracy
Direct Democracy & Representative Democracy
Political Culture & Modern Constitutional Democracy
Modern Constitutional Democracy:
Summary & Conclusion
----------------------------------------------
THE AMERICAN SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
American Government -- Constitutional System
The Constitution of the United States of America
The American Political System -- Politics &
Government in the U.S.A.: Political Science Course
The American Constitutional System -- Origins:
English Antecedents
The American Constitutional System -- Origins:
Colonial & Early American Antecedents
The American Constitutional System -- Origins:
The Federal Constitutional Convention of 1787
The American Constitutional System -- Origins:
The U.S. Constitution -- Ratification & Adoption
The American Constitutional System -- Origins:
The U.S. Constitution -- The Scheme of National Government
The American Constitutional System -- Principal Characteristics:
Constitutionalism, Republicanism, Separation of Powers,
Checks & Balances, Legislative Bicameralism,
& Balanced Government
The American Constitutional System -- Principal Characteristics:
Federalism -- Fedural Union of States
The U.S. Constitution -- Underlying Political Theory:
The Federalist -- Selected Essays
Alan Caruba is a veteran business and science writer, a Public Relations Counselor, and Founder of the National Anxiety Center, a
clearinghouse for information about media-driven scare campaigns. Caruba writes a weekly commentary, "Warning Signs," posted
on the Internet website of the National Anxiety Center, which is located at
www.anxietycenter.com.
Caruba’s new book, Right Answers: Separating Fact from Fantasy, has been published by Merril Press.
© Alan Caruba 2007
Published with Permission of Alan Caruba
ACaruba@AOL.Com
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Conservative & Free-Market Analysis of Government, Politics & Public Policy, Covering Political, Legal, Constitutional, Economic,
Cultural, Military, International, Strategic, & Geopolitical Issues
Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity