My family and I watched the spectacle of the presidential debate last night. It was horrifying. I went in not rooting for either of the candidates, having decided months ago that I cannot vote for either Clinton or Trump. I had no intention of watching the debate, until one of my kids asked about it and said they wanted to see it.
My kids stay abreast of current issues and news. Not nearly as much as a freak like me does, but I’d guess much more than the average kid their age, and probably even more than the average adult. They’ve had fun and have received an education while consuming the news and events surrounding the presidential campaign. It’s been quite the joy to have my oldest daughter listen to, or read, Clinton’s proposals and ask, “Wouldn’t that be illegal?” My oldest son fell into gleeful hysterics when he read this response of Trump when he was asked what Easter means to him:
“Well, it really means something special I’m going to church in, uh, a hour from now and it’s gonna be, uh, it’s a beautiful church I’m in Florida, and it’s just a very special time for me and it really represents family and get together and something. You know, if you’re a Christian, it’s just a very important day.”
Although I fear and distrust both Clinton and Trump, my wife and I figured the debate would be historically significant. We would be witnessing the continual death of civility and liberty, and the suicide of our republic. As much as I knew it would pain me to witness, I agreed that our family should watch it.
It was horrifying. It was depressing. It was pathetic.
The one and only thought I had when the debate was finally over was, “Really?! Out of all the candidates that started out in the beginning of the campaign, these two suicide pills are the best we could come up with?! Really?!”
The Idea of America
The idea of America was never mentioned last night. Individual liberty, providence, self-government, and the eternal laws in The Constitution were never defended or supported last night when the two candidates recited memorized and calculated responses of progressivism, nor when they spewed vitriol and words of bunk and despotism.
And please, please don’t tell me that Trump defended the 2nd Amendment. He did nothing of the sort. He gave lip service to it. He had several opportunities to point out “Why are there so many murdered by gunmen in Chicago even though there are strict gun laws there? Because gun control doesn’t work! It only keeps the guns out of the hands of people who respect the law.” The reason Trump never brought that up is because he either has never thought of it or he doesn’t believe it. Furthermore, Trump supporting the ban of gun purchasing if one is on the no-fly list violates the 2nd Amendment. It also violates the right of due process guaranteed in the 5th Amendment. He believes that a person is guilty until proven innocent, the opposite stance of our founders.
Yep, Hillary Clinton mention the unconstitutionality of “stop and frisk” but failed to mentioned how it would violate The Constitution. Furthermore, She uses the phrase “unconstitutional” like an unrepentant pedophile priest uses the word “immoral.” Because she has repeatedly disregarded and violated the law, she has forfeited all authority when discussing the constitutionality of things.
Neither of them mentioned liberty or the providence of God. And in case you don’t know what liberty is, I will define it for you as liberty was seen over 200 years ago. But first, let me state what liberty is not.
Liberty is not the right to a government program or entitlement. Liberty is not a guarantee of success. Liberty is not the right to have irresponsible sex and then kill the unwanted life that was created. Liberty is not the freedom from consequences. Liberty is not the freedom from religion. Liberty is not the freedom from having your feelings hurt.
Liberty is freedom from the government acting upon you. You can say whatever you want to say. You can associate with whomever you wish. You can self-govern. You can make your own decisions about how to operate your business. You can decide how your children are to be taught and what they are to be taught. You can worship God how you see fit and exercise your religion. You can be secure in your own home, free from the government intruding without warrant on your property or into your smart devices. You can protect yourself from harm. Liberty is the idea of America. Liberty is of God.
Who Will Stand Up For The Idea Of America?
At the federal level, I don’t know. At the local level, my family and I feel alone standing for liberty and The Constitution. I don’t know if there are any local people in my community who feel as I do. Thanks to LBJ and his anti-liberty 501(c)(3) regulation, most people at my church are fearful to bring up anything that could be related to politics in any way. Therefore, our at-risk constitutional freedoms are rarely discussed at church. I don’t know whom to stand with.
At the federal level, I made a mistake supporting Ted Cruz. I thought he was a George Washington type, unflinchingly principled. After his endorsement of Trump, I now see that the people who told me he was just another calculating smarmy politician were correct. I apologize. I have not figuratively turned my back on Cruz, but I don’t trust him any longer.
Gary Johnson is not a libertarian. He is not a constitutionalist. He does not stand up for the idea of America. No one can convince me otherwise. He may claim to be a libertarian and a limited government constitutionalist, but he supports many huge federal departments, such as the EPA, which violate individual liberties and The constitution. The EPA is a perfect example of good intentioned progressivism turning into tyranny. Furthermore, The Constitution which he claims to follow, does not give the federal government power to protect the environment. Therefore, according to the 10th Amendment, that responsibility and power falls to the individual states.
He gives lip service to religious freedom, but he will likely not defend it.
He is pro-abortion, which ignores the liberty of a child.
So I ask again. Who will stand up for the idea of America that individuals can self-govern? Who will stand up for liberty? Who will stand up for a strict adherence to The Constitution and its eternal laws? Who will stand up for state powers? Surely, my family and I cannot be the only pro-liberty people.