The cult of personality

So, I'm sitting here tweaking my blog page, trying to figure out what everything is and how to make everything work. I was told that ads increase exposure and draw readers. My whole point in writing what passes as "wisdom" is to get more people to think about the long-term effects of the current assault on the Constitution, so I signed up for some ads. No problem (and I neither encourage nor discourage clicking on any of them).

I just noticed one ad, sitting between a couple of posts. It reads, "Official Obama Website - - Barack Obama Needs Your Help to Change Washington. Sign Up Today!" Now, I'm all in favor of letting reasoning people check out those who intend to destroy the Constitution, because any thinking person understands what made us the most successful, most generous, most powerful nation in the history of the world. So I don't fear the ad. (It's the same reason why "fair and balanced" FOX buries the rest of the market: anyone who is willing to think freely gets disgusted by the Progressive ideologue guests who won't give a straight answer or honest statistic.)

What troubles me is that, 240 years ago, America was a group of individualistic colonies living under the quixotic and oppressive dictates of one man. Every resident was, or descended directly from someone who was, from a country where one all-powerful king, queen, chief, warlord, or whatever, called all the shots (or ignored whole districts) based on his particular whim that day. It pleased George III to ignore America most of the time, but then to decree tax after tax without any responsive representation at all. Each was retracted, after long delays, only to be replaced with another. Also, "justice" and protection were sporadic, going from micro-managed and flinty to "who are you people?"

Finally, George decreed a penny tax (that's like $1 now, not huge) on stamps. Not postage stamps, but "official" stamps - kind of like a notary's stamp. Every document (will, deed, bill-of-sale, publication, public notice, local law, etc) had to have a stamp from the Crown. This was a moderate expense and a huge imposition.

So, uppermost in the minds of the framers was freedom from the whimsy of one or a few men, provided by the Rule of Law. A Constitution: limiting and balancing with protections the powers that are necessary to govern a large group. Three branches of government, states rights holding most of the cards and federal rights limited but superior, ultimately rule of the governed by consent of the governed. They would have also eliminated slavery outright, but southern Democratic states would never have signed, since their economy was powered largely by slaves. The result: everyone (except for slaves until 1,000,000 Union casualties enforced Republican Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation) gets an equal shot at "happiness" (property, family, liberty...), but no one is guaranteed equal results - - you buy success with hard work and good decisions. Rights come from our Creator (however you wish to envision Him), and cannot be granted - or taken away - by politicians.

Fast forward: we have a Constitution that has been often amended, more or less following the strict rules. But now it is often ignored altogether and under actual attack by people who see it as only an obstacle to their personal power. They want to be part of what they think will be a small, powerful group, able to take or control anything at all, with none of those nasty checks and balances. Several disparate, anti-American groups join in this effort, each thinking that they can "game" the others and take over, or will be included in the ultimate cabal. They all promise everything to their members and "allies". History has shown that in EVERY case, Socialists (including National Socialist NAZIs) who actually end up with the power toss every other semi-powerful entity under the bus. They all go: enemies, allies, rivals, churches, bloggers, unions, knitting clubs, etc. - - it just depends on where you are in the process. Check Greece, Cuba, China, USSR, Germany, Korea, Albania, Nicaragua, Venezuela, etc, etc.

Now the government is no longer restrained. We have been driven away from doing our own little services, or helping churches and charities do big ones, by privation caused by overburdening taxes and regulations. Giving is still surprisingly high - - Americans are tenacious when trying to help others, but donations and financing are down by more than half, across the board. Finally, we are told that in order to "serve" you need to "sign up for Obama". Not just for the government or the President (whoever may be in power), which the founders opposed with all their might, but "Barrack Obama needs your help to change Washington". This is not good.