Pragmatist
to Purist
Charlie Earl
Perhaps it
is a function of my age, but I have given up on pragmatism as a solution for
our national condition. Pragmatists are committed to finding “common-ground”
solutions. Pragmatists perceive the resolution of the problem to be the primary
goal rather than an insistence on a principle as the ultimate outcome. In many
instances pragmatism may be a workable model, but when the “liberty factor” of
a nation slides beyond the point of minimal return, then pragmatism is no longer
a feasible option. I have become a purist. I desire that our nation and its
leaders faithfully adhere to The
Constitution of the United States …. every jot, every tittle, every clause,
every phrase and every word.
When the
distance between the reality of today and total tyranny in the future is large,
then pragmatism may have an alluring appeal. We do not want to waste valuable
time and resources arguing about every little issue that confronts the
government. There are not enough anti-acids in the world to justify a state of
constant contentiousness about every matter whether great or small. Peaceful
co-existence seems so much healthier and easier than bickering and battling.
So…the pragmatic option is preferable to the political bloodshed from fighting
over somewhat meaningless issues. That is….until we discover that every
pragmatic solution has led to an incremental loss of our liberty.
Over the
years the pragmatic approach has led us further down the dark path toward
tyranny. Each little concession or accommodation has chipped away another
fragment of our personal liberty. I must admit that at one point in my life I
viewed the pragmatic style as “good governing,” but I have come to realize that
it’s merely a subtle form of surrender. It is the equivalent of a death by a
thousand cuts rather than the sudden impact of a guillotine. Either way your
hopes and dreams are dead but one style prolongs the agony. Finally… I realized
that the unrelenting need for bandages and transfusions was not a prescription
for freedom or opportunity. My government has been transformed from my
protector to my nemesis.
Pragmatism
can be a successful strategy for negotiating our daily lives. It is always
pragmatic to spend less than you earn and to have a systematic savings plan. It
is pragmatic to place some plants in shady areas and others in full-sunlight.
Regular servicing of your automobiles is a pragmatic method for assuring that
you will eke some value out of a depreciating asset. Pragmatic governance,
however, is a different matter particularly when the purpose of pragmatism is
either to pass legislation or to avoid conflict. Conflict resolution is often
overrated. When principles are at stake, the only acceptable outcome is the
total reinforcement of the principle. Any other result leads to the dilution of
the principle and is the first step on the slippery slope of surrender.
So…here I am
in the final trimester of my life declaring myself to be a proponent of
absolute purism in the realm of governance. Just as there are no “almost
virgins,” there can be no almost constitutional government. Political
officeholders are no purer or stronger than are we. They are subject to the
same temptations and weaknesses that we are. If a short-cut is available and no
one complains, they’ll take it. If pragmatic “giving-in” yields positive
approval ratings, they’ll do it. The only mechanism that will infuse our
political careerists with the titanium spines of principle is a resolute
citizenry. We cannot expect our political leaders to hold fast when we are
unwilling to hold them accountable.
Therefore….as
much as the bickering and role-playing annoys me, I cannot, I must not yield to
my avoidance impulse by accepting a less-than-perfect outcome for any issue or
legislation that is being considered by our governments. I, and you, must stand
for the purist principle by rejecting any compromise …. or compromiser…who
chooses pragmatic expediency over the principle of individual liberty. Any
stance that is not purist in its nature becomes an admission of defeat. Defeat
is not acceptable.
Charlie Earl
