Barnyard Wisdom

Recently there was a huge gathering at our nation’s capital of concerned citizens who have come to the realization that their once-limited government has mushroomed into something much too big, much too unwieldy, much too expensive and much too intrusive. These astute citizens also know that their government has a long and dismal record of hastily implementing costly and convoluted programs that exacerbate rather than solve problems.

In the period immediately following this orderly rally, some in the news media were attempting to portray these patriotic citizens--who had every right to assemble--as a disgruntled and meaningless bunch of radicals, a mere fringe group on the outer margins of society whose simple-minded 18th century views on politics were distinctly out of harmony with today’s more stylish, regal, paternalistic and avant-garde approach to ruling people. There were further insinuations that the march was motivated not by patriotism but by racism, even though many blacks were clearly in attendance.

Mislabeling and mischaracterizing those who stand in the way of advancing tyranny is not an unfamiliar tactic. Anyone who has studied even recent history knows that this tactic was employed with great success during the last century by Communists and Nazis alike. Though clever, the tactic essentially boils down to this: an unscrupulous and unhesitating willingness to engage in boldfaced lying.

As a reminder to everyone, just let me emphasize this. From the outset our government was never intended to be unnecessarily large or meddlesome. The Founders knew they could either have a big government that granted few individual liberties or a limited government that granted a great many individual liberties. They chose the latter and we have been richly blessed for it.

The recent demonstration in Washington was nothing more nor less than a legitimate means of emphatically conveying to our chief executive and lawmakers an important and urgent message: “You are leading this nation off course!”

Though some may have forgotten it, in this country the government is not permitted to wield absolute power. In America the government is authorized to exercise only those enumerated powers surrendered to it by the people and specified in writing in the Constitution.

Rather than casting doubt on those who are lawfully attempting to preserve our system of government, it would seem to me we ought to be questioning the motives of those who are using illegitimate means to pervert and destroy it. Since when is forsaking long-established values and principles considered to be more honorable and brave than standing up for them?

What is happening before our very eyes is that many of our political leaders and their accomplices in the news media are turning reality up-side-down. In order to make us believe that free enterprise is bad and collectivism is good they are subtly redefining terms--cleverly using what George Orwell called “newspeak.”

Don’t be taken in by it! It’s a shame that fewer and fewer Americans are capable of distinguishing truth from the stuff bulls leave behind, but nevertheless that seems to be the case.

Perhaps the day will come when spending four days in a barnyard will prove more beneficial to citizens than spending four years at Harvard.