Gentle Spirit, Bad Attitude

Gentle Spirit/Bad Attitude

Charlie Earl

Despite my curmudgeonly demeanor, I am a cuddly type of guy. Violence isn’t my thing although I’m not afraid to ferociously respond when my loved ones are threatened. I’d rather get along with people and talk things out even though I can be rather pig-headed at times. My family tells me that I am a verbal bully….not abusive, but so self-assured in my beliefs that I discourage dissent. In addition, I am a bigot. I detest people who act as if thinking is too difficult. I loathe people who see their life’s mission as telling me how to live mine. I abhor thoughtless clowns who perceive government as the final arbiter for all questions of morals and policy. I hate those who believe my previous statements are “hate speech.” In our present politically-correct climate I am an outlier…a fossil… persona non grata….and an anachronism. But I am lovable although not universally beloved.

Although I cannot cite the exact physiological ratio, I seem to recall a statement that smiling requires fewer muscles than frowning. That may be true, but it causes me to cheerfully ask, “What about scowling?” By now you have detected an element of schizophrenia in this column. I simultaneously am happy and despairing. Giddy with joy and fuming at the social and political mayhem that surrounds me. It seems impossible to be happy and filled with rage at the same time. But yet….that’s where I am. I know there are skeptics who suspect that believers in Christ are delusional and misguided. I shared their views once upon a time, but since my conversion some thirty years ago, I have truly experienced and enjoyed the happiness of eternal hope while anguishing about the state of the “world” … and our nation.

Any evangelist can tell you about the internal struggle between glorious happiness and utter despair. Certainly… Christian evangelists and secular proponents of political liberty share similar ebbs and flows. For example the evangelist moves through earthly life with a conviction or certitude that is a mystery for most people while at the same time, the preacher yearns for others to share the promise. When they reject it, deny it or demean it, his heart is broken, but his personal joy remains intact. The true evangelist for liberty has a nearly intuitive understanding of the happiness that engulfs the unfettered life. Liberty’s advocates share a similar fate with the warriors of the Gospel. They know the power of freedom, but are saddened by the failure of others to understand. Simultaneous joy and pain.

Anyone who fervently believes in a noble cause has been gifted with a purpose. Too many people drift through life seeking “meaning.” Those who have repented and accepted the gift of salvation cherish the life-altering moment. Similarly….those individuals who are obsessed with a meaningful purpose are driven to achieve their goals. It is the unfocused person who traipses from one guru to the next, from one panacea to another seeking something to live for and to die for. It may seem contradictory, but if something isn’t worth dying for, it rarely is worth living for. Even though many seek to institute a valueless society here, the people who have made value judgments to go “all-in” for a worthy cause are the happiest among us.

They are the saddest as well because they are often ridiculed, shunned and ignored. The Word of God informs believers that they will persecuted for their faithfulness. At a somewhat different level so, too, will be the zealous advocate for liberty….or any worthwhile endeavor. People generally prefer to slide through life without too much resistance, but once someone has discovered a worthy purpose, opposition is sure to arise. So it is possible to possess a gentle spirit and a bad attitude at the same time. In fact if one believes in something strongly enough, it is inescapable. If you are one who has a noble purpose that will not be denied, you will be identified by your caustic tongue when you utter with love, “Stick it up your a$$. I’m moving on and you can take it or leave it.” Just remember to say it with a warm smile.

Charlie Earl

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

http://thelibertlegation.blogspot.com

   

Extreme Angst

Extreme Angst

Charlie Earl

Woe is me. Some of my recent columns have prodded readers to call me an “extremist.” Me? Curmudgeonly, grandfatherly, jocular me…an extremist? Following a nano-second of introspective analysis, I must concur with my critics. Yes, dear misguided souls, I am an extremist, but a lovable one (immodest poetic license). In 1964 Senator Barry Goldwater accepted the GOP nomination for President and uttered these words:

          I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty

          is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in

          the pursuit of justice is no virtue!

Barry Goldwater did not get my vote in his ill-fated campaign against LBJ. I was eighteen that year, and 21 was the legal age for voting in 1964 (something we should reconsider to dilute the low-information-voter pool). If I were eligible, I would have cast my ballot for AuH2O even though I was largely unaware of the importance of his statement. Each and every day…the Senator from Arizona’s words are more prescient and necessary. Extremism is a natural result of passion, and if we have no passion for liberty, we may as well chain ourselves to the walls of tyranny.

It is possible for passion to lead from extremism to ultra-loonyness. An historic example might be John Brown, an abolitionist who believed so fervently that he initiated a nearly-suicidal attack on the armory at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. Passion and extremism do not always lead to insane action and demented behavior, though those who distrust intense beliefs may characterize them as crazy. Lethargy morphs into indifference and perhaps sloth, but not all lethargic people are non-productive. Likewise with the passion to extremist model: Not all true believers are deranged. Think back to junior high school when you may have had a crush on someone who failed to acknowledge your existence. You probably pined for attention and notice. You may have undertaken some absurd actions to gain your beloved’s awareness, but so long as you weren’t a stalker or an invader of private space, your passion and your unrequited love were not dangerous. Puppy love can be sweet.

Obviously…I submit that extremism has unnecessarily and unfairly become a pejorative in our political discourse. Progressives and their Marxist cohorts passionately argue for “fairness and equity” yet their nonsensical extremism is tolerated, celebrated and endorsed. Their passion for instituting a Marxist agenda is mistaken for compassion for the downtrodden. Yet…their extremist goals and strategies are largely ignored because they have the cover of “caring.” Why should “extremism in the defense of liberty” be treated any differently? Particularly by those who claim to be conservative, constitutionalists or small-government activists. People who support a given political goal or ideological position should not be too quick to criticize and demean those who passionately embrace the cause. It should be a given that the passionate extremist should not be violent (unless necessary for self defense) or abusive (though so-called verbal abuse is often twisted for the “victim’s” advantage). Our movement to protect and re-assert our natural rights must have extremists in the vanguard. People will not follow the timid when urged to charge the barricades of despotism and tyranny. In fact…the timid and the “civil” advocates will not lead…it is too unseemly. They wouldn’t want anyone to get the idea that they believed too passionately about “that freedom thing.” Intuitively…I suspect those within the freedom movement who repudiate the extremists and radicals who are passionate for liberty are really in their hearts-of-hearts longing for positions of power and influence with the old-order statists. Consequently, they are fearful of making waves and resent those who do. Just my suspicious interpretation based on gut analysis.

Clearly this column is a self-serving justification for my alleged extremism. I don’t “feel” like an extremist. I have no trouble resisting the impulse to choke career politicians. I, so far, have managed to avoid knee-capping any sneering representatives of the bureaucracy. I do believe that I have a rational basis for my fear that our individual liberties are in “extreme” peril. Many of them have been discarded or modified already, and I fear the insatiable appetite of the Big Government monster cannot be satiated. The leviathan must be stopped. It must be dismantled. It must be discarded, and no tiny remnant should be allowed to grow again. I am an extremist and always will be.

The man was right. “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.”

Charlie Earl

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

http://thelibertylegation.blogspot.com

  

 

Pragmatist to Purist

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

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

http://thelibertylegation.blogspot.com

Fictions and Factions

Fictions and Factions

Charlie Earl

Public service is supposed to be a noble pursuit. That’s the way it has been described in our history books and civic classes. Given that our elected and appointed officials have assumed a stance of imperial superiority, they are neither servants nor noble, and they often ignore the will of the public. Public service today is a sentimental fiction…somewhat like Santa Claus or Roy Hobbs. Compounding the myth of service is the sense the governments consistently lie, misrepresent or “misspeak” to us. It’s a veritable cornucopia of fictions heaped one on top of another. And…when governments do not lie, they classify important information so that we cannot discover what mischief they are pursuing.

We are surrounded by fictions. Most of our entertainment is fictitious including so-called “Reality T.V.” Our athletic superstars are caught using illegal substances to enhance their performances, our singing diva lip-syncs the National Anthem at the inauguration, and our preachers and priests are buggering children. Nothing or no one can be taken at face value anymore because we are inundated with fictions and deceit. Given how many lies and fictions permeate our daily lives if you’re not cynical or skeptical, then you probably do not deserve to consume oxygen. If you do not view nearly every statement from every imaginable source as doubtful, you are undoubtedly a low information member of the human species.

Factions are groups or organizations that work together for a common cause or goal. That definition sounds very inclusive, but in the present environment filled with deception and distortion, factions become very exclusive. We have become so jaded by the volume of lies that confront us that we severely restrict our sources of information to the point that we live on remote islands of knowledge. The progressive-socialist leaning crowd has their reliable sources, the libertarian-conservative group has theirs, the neo-con statists, the mushy middle…all tune in to their preferred bases of distortion and dismiss the others. The “working together” aspect of factions morphs into “never the twain shall meet.”

So….here we are, clustered with our little ideological or philosophical groups surrounded by other factions just as committed as ours. We take pot shots at one another while knowing that they lie continually while our side doesn’t lie as often. We are engaged in a massive war of attrition with each faction holding on until one or more of the other groups wave the white flag of surrender. It never happens. Rather than meekly giving in, each group becomes more firmly entrenched in its ideological fox hole. The issues and their remedies that divide us are numerous and perplexing, and we all have our preferences and ideals.

The key to minimizing the overwhelming weight of fictions that oppress us is to insist that the messages are distilled to the point of common understanding. I suggest we begin with: “Does this proposal, law or idea enhance our individual liberty?” Forget the perceived “good (a very subjective qualifier),” and concentrate on the purest attribute of personal freedom. The reduction of the arguments and talking points should lead to the dissolution of some of the factions. We should discover that while our methods and means may differ, our cooperative goals are to expand our opportunities for choices without government coercion. Obviously, there are factions who seek to invest the government with more power (perhaps even absolute power), but the distilling process should reduce the plethora of factions to a minimal, manageable number…..perhaps only two…those who love freedom and those who would deny liberty.

In the final analysis the real work must be done by each of us as individuals. We must force ourselves to look beyond the lies we favor and those we reject. We must insist on the fresh air of liberty. We must boil the arguments and statements down to their simplest base: Is MY freedom enhanced or encumbered? Liberty….first, foremost and forever!

Charlie Earl

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

http://thelibertylegation.blogspot.com

  

  

Loving Loons

Loving Loons

Charlie Earl

It’s not easy being a loon. My clueless friends and relatives think I’m paranoid. My paranoid acquaintances think I have my head up my anal orifice because I’m not yet into panic mode. Family and my readers want me to stop over-using the liberty crack that seems to be guiding my addicted life. My two children and their spouses continue to hope that Dad may grow up before he gets too old, and my grandchildren are somewhat intimated by it all. My poor saintly mother just shakes her gray-haired head and wonders where she may have gone wrong. And….an extremely tolerant wife of more than 44 years prays that lightning may strike me and burn some sense into my addled brain. I am truly blessed, however, because the people who mean the most to me aren’t afraid to love a loon.

One of the great advantages of going off the deep end is that it is a long, long way until you hit bottom. I may continue to sink, but I have not yet resolved to give up and lie quietly on the bottom of the liberty pool. This task, this mission would be fruitless and impossible without the support (however reluctant) of those who inhabit my life. I couldn’t do it alone without their feedback, support and tolerance. Although I am not in their league, there have been many loons who led the way for our nation. Their peers thought them to be crazy, and their foes often underestimated them. But…the loons of our past have been transformed into wise prophets and brave oracles.

Samuel Adams was reviled by many of his friends and neighbors because of his incessant complaining about what he claimed were the Crown’s abuses of the colonists. His constant haranguing drove some people away from him and caused others to question his sanity. Many, however, consider him to be the Godfather of the Revolution due to his untiring agitation for freedom. He was a loon, but those who love liberty love Sam Adams….and probably his namesake brew as well.

Thomas Paine was often despondent and frequently unkempt. A steady job seemed to be impossible for him to hold because he was a quarrelsome rascal. Some suspected that “Demon Rum” held him in its evil clutches and was responsible for his sometimes anti-social behavior. Paine was a loon. He was a brilliant misfit whose understanding of freedom ignited the flames of liberty among many of his fellow colonials. Even today Paine is a divisive figure among those who study and write our history. His bright red nose was a shining beacon of liberty and lunacy in our early days.

In a social structure that favors “fitting in” the outlier, the radical or the most passionate advocate will be identified as a “wacko” or a “loon.” Those who define the liberty proponents that way are often fearful of seeming too committed or too zealous. They seek to be viewed as measured and moderate when in fact their placid flaccidness can be considered symptomatic of someone who lacks principle and conviction. In a recent example John McCain and Lindsey Graham made harsh statements about Senator Rand Paul’s filibuster efforts on the Senate floor. Although several of Paul’s colleagues joined him in the marathon, McCain and Graham bemoaned the “pointless and grandstanding” nature of the captivating event. McCain characterized Paul as a “wacko”….which probably did not enhance comity among the members of the GOP Senate caucus. Paul’s performance was extraordinary in the sense that his entire presentation was thoughtful and germane. He did not engage in frivolous banter or read odd passages to consume his time. He believed that he was standing on principle, and despite McCain’s description many people were impressed. It seems the loon won this round.

Loons may frequently stand alone, but those who have support from people who love them can be unstoppable. If you know a loon who loves liberty, tell them you love them. Please don’t slink away to hide your embarrassment. Your favorite loon may be the spark who keeps liberty alive for many others.

Charlie Earl

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

http://thelibertylegation.blogspot.com