What will history say about our stewardship of this great American experiment? It’s been said that events require a hundred years before their impact on history can accurately be evaluated and conclusions drawn. Although I understand that view, it doesn’t stop me, a rank amateur from speculating.
Here are some
snippets of what I believe Americans could be reading in the 22nd
century about 20th/21st Century
* First and foremost,
I’m convinced that future historians will write that grassroots Americans were
the most industrious, generous and self-sacrificing people on Earth.
They gave of themselves in every way—their fortunes in helping the down
trodden and their lives in freeing the oppressed around the world and it was
they that made
* Unfortunately,
they’ll also write that
*America was too globally oriented, spreading themselves far too thin around the world in an attempt to have their hands in the business of practically every country on earth—well intentioned or otherwise. This at the same time they were cutting the resources necessary to enforce such a policy of globalism—their military. Many countries around the world resented America’s attempts to influence events and cultures even when accompanied by huge sums of foreign aid. The world bit and resented the hand that helped free and feed them but American politicians just didn’t learn. They ignored their founder’s advice to avoid entangling foreign alliances and they eventually paid the price for that ignorance.
* Their Presidents
and Congress inexplicably lost concern for their own country and ignored their
solemn oath of office to preserve, protect and defend.
They were far more concerned with power, pandering, self-enrichment and
globalism than they were about
* Modern liberal
philosophy as practiced by both political parties in the 20th and 21st
century irreparably converted the original American dream of 1776 to a
socialistic nightmare. “Progressive”
politicians were thinly veiled socialists and communists who were intent on
transforming
* There was never a proper accounting by government for the funds collected and expended or how any piece of legislation adhered to the established constitution. The people seemed to be willing to overlook violations of their own constitution if it was accompanied by promises of additional handouts from the public treasury.
* As Jefferson feared, the dream of ’76 mutated into the nightmare of the 21st century as they allowed government to grow unchecked in an ill-advised search for a paternalistic government that would provide more and more of what was once considered personal responsibilities. Once people discovered they could successfully vote funds into their own pockets, the dream was doomed.
* Americans ate their
own and seemed to relish in self-flagellation—particularly with those in the
press. There was a period in
American history when it seemed to be a sign of “journalistic enlightenment”
that every problem, conflict or political struggle in the world was reported as
* Somehow the concept
of freedom of religion morphed into freedom from religion and God was run out of
* Numerous deceitful
acts of government back then were sold to the average American using the ruse
that it was for the good of the children. In one tragic example, countless
Americans were duped into surrendering their right to keep and bear arms on the
pretext that a gun-free society was safer for the children.
Unfortunately, they paid a heavy price for this shortsightedness. Defenseless and unable to resist criminals and unscrupulous government
agencies, many perished. A once
strong spirited and independent people went down without a struggle—unarmed,
intimidated and defenseless. Had it
not been for a small but staunchly loyal group of Traditional Constitutionalists
who refused to surrender their arms and who upheld the original values of the
constitution,
I know there are
other significant extracts from
Contact Colonel Dan: coloneldan@bellsouth.net