By Chuck Baldwin
August 13, 2002
Free thinkers who loved
both God and liberty founded America.
Our ancestors were also
courageous risk-takers. They created the
greatest free nation
on earth by thinking "outside the box." From
the Mayflower to The
Alamo, Americans defied logic, reason, and
pragmatism to put everything
on the line for faith and freedom.
The current generation
of Americans, however, seems to have lost
this noble American virtue.
Because of this, America is fast
returning to the Machiavellian
mold from which it had originally
broken free. The most
glaring example of this is the way today's
Americans approach politics.
The vast majority of voters
today cannot think outside the two
major parties. To them,
any alternative to robotic support for one
of the two major parties
is both illogical and evil. Even though
George Washington warned
that such party loyalty was not only
un-American, it was downright
dangerous, today's voters seem to
have granted divine-like
status to their chosen party. They actually
believe they are serving
both America and God by serving their
party.
Robotic loyalists from
both parties are equally guilty of putting
party loyalty above the
best interests of the country and even above
their stated allegiance
to God. They seem eager to compromise
both on the altar of
party loyalty, willing to surrender any virtue
and compromise any principle
to keep their party in power. Such
an attitude is a recipe
for disaster.
For example, constitutional
requirements and prohibitions mean
absolutely nothing to
these party puppets, except when they apply
to the other party! Neither
do the virtues of honesty and integrity
mean anything, except
when applied to the other party.
If the other party's incumbent
lies or cheats, he is a rotten bum that
must be replaced "for
the good of the country." However, if their
party's incumbent does
the same thing, his sins are regarded as
merely "mistakes from
a guy who means well." If the other party's
incumbent violates the
Constitution, he is "destroying the country."
If their party's incumbent
violates the Constitution, he is "doing
his best under the circumstances."
However, neither major
party is divinely appointed. Neither party
has a monopoly on truth
or justice. There are good and bad ideas
and good and bad people
in both parties. Not only that, there are
very legitimate times
to look outside both parties. There are times
when to accept the status
quo is totally unacceptable.
It should be obvious to
any thinking person that we are living at a
time when it is absolutely
necessary for people to start thinking
"outside the box." Both
major parties are mostly marching in the
same direction. They
are leading America away from
constitutional principles
and independence into socialism and
internationalism. Both
major parties have sacrificed truth and
justice for the benefit
of building partisan political power.
If the American people
don't soon break away from these "Pied
Pipers of Party Puppetry"
and start thinking in terms of what is
right and wrong, what
is constitutional and unconstitutional, what
is good for the country
and what is bad for the country, there is
little hope for America's
future.
In the end, what difference
does it make if it is a Republican or a
Democrat that leads us
into oppression and servitude? Our
freedoms will be just
as lost.
© Chuck Baldwin
is
Published by:
Rhine
Publishing Co.
If you would
like to have your essay published
as part of
the American Wisdom Series
submit your
manuscript to Rhine Publishing Co
at the address
above for consideration, or e-mail us
at the address
shown on our home page.
Click Here to Return to "The American Wisdom Series" home page.