“… guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism; …”
George Washington - Farewell Address September 19, 1796
The question becomes, what did George Washington
mean by “pretended patriotism”? It takes no leap to understand that he meant American
patriotism that is focused on the principles and values of the Constitution of the United States
that culminated after years of fighting for freedom and liberty penned in the
Declaration of Independence (read
the rest of his farewell address). John Quincy Adams frames best what his
friend Washington may have been alluding to.
"The highest glory of the American Revolution
was this; it connected, in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil
government with the principles of Christianity."
John Quincy Adams
I know, those on the far left read this and
immediately shutdown because it triggers the separation of state and religion
button programmed by their sacred principles of socialism. But it is undeniable
that our nation was formed with ethical principles based in Christian morality.
That does not automatically presume all involved in the building of our nation
were Christians but rather they all agreed that the principles were the glue
that make it work.
No, you don’t need to be a Christian to live in
this great nation. No more than you need to be a Christian to attend church. You
don’t even need to be a Christian to call yourself a Christian. What makes you
a Christian is more than any of these things. It is as a follower of Christ,
with the intent and the goal to represent Him as best as you can. Many have
determined to make that distinction obvious by calling themselves born-again
Christians.
Guess what. You don’t need to be an American to
live in America. You don’t have to vote to be an American or even be an
American to call yourself one. No, to be an American you follow the principles,
as best as you can, that embodies the intentions laid out in the Declaration of
Independence, the US Constitution and Bill of rights.
So, to help others understand what I mean when I
say I’m an American, I’m going to qualify it by saying I’m a born-again American. I was born here, brought up in America
and taught very basic principles about being an American. But I didn’t really
become one until I decided to study and understand what it means to live in
America and keep it as our founding fathers intended.1 A time came
when I decided to become an American and not just wear the title.
In America we have politicians who make a career
out of handling the mechanics of government. It is a necessary function of our
national system and it can be a noble endeavor. It has developed into a
something the founders had not expected and warned about. George Washington
discussed this also in the farewell address mentioned above. Their idea was a
person would serve their country for a short time and then go home to their
business. George Washington despised the idea of parties, one vying against the
other. I think they would be upset to see what has happened. The framers saw
government as a means to serve the common good not to serve individuals good.
Abraham Lincoln later addressed the issue.
“We the People are the rightful masters of both Congress and the
Courts–not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert
the Constitution.”
Abraham Lincoln
A politician is no more than an American serving
his country, whether his original profession is a farmer, lawyer, businessman
or doctor. The career politician is a dirty word only when the people neglect
to make sure he serves them like Abraham Lincoln suggests. We might call them a
politician but the effective ones are the born-again Americans. One doctor recently
sums up well what the people expect as someone who serves them.
“I will
tell you that I’m not a politician, and I don’t believe in political
correctness. So I may say something that will offend someone. And I
frankly never plan on becoming a politician. It doesn't mean that I won’t do
something in public office, but I won’t be a politician in the process.”
Dr.
Ben Carson at the Americans for Prosperity’s Defending the American Dream
Summit 8/29/2014
Dr. Ben Carson is one of the best examples, in our time, of someone who
embodies what an American wishing to serve our republic talks about with a sense
of patriotism equal to our founding fathers. Ben Carson is someone with
knowledge and integrity equal to Washington and other founding fathers who,
with reluctance but same sense of calling, will step up to make sure America is
and continues to be the nation the rest of the world looks to.
Every American, but especially all born-again Americans needs to step up
now and let Dr. Ben Carson know that we feel his calling and back him up 100%. You
can go here to sign the petition in support. http://bit.ly/carsondraft
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the
government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking
care of them."
Thomas Jefferson
1 A
small sample of readings I suggest. The
Road to Serfdom - F.A Hayek, A Patriot’s History of the United States- Larry Schweikart and Michael
Allen, The Jefferson Lies - David Barton, What Works – Cal Thomas, The
American Boomerang – Nick Adams, America the Beautiful – Ben Carson with Candy
Carson, One Nation – Ben Carson with Candy Carson, The Five Thousand Year Leap –
W. Cleon Skousen, The Federalist Papers
