PUBLICATION STATEMENT: It is vital to note that this is not an article about the recent protests at the capitol, and was largely written before they occurred. Rather, it is about the importance of courageous leadership and how conservatives and libertarians can begin anew. This author and this publication do not know and do not endorse the persons or groups responsible for the breaching of the capitol building, and do not know what their intent was in doing so. The author admires America’s founding fathers but is not suggesting that the actions they took in separating from the British Empire are applicable to the 2020 election debate, and believes a peaceful redrawing of America’s political landscape and/or a peaceful return to an era of greater state autonomy are the most favorable outcomes for America’s current difficulties. — The Rogue Review
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” – Jesus
Roughly 1,776 years after the birth of Christ, fifty-six men gathered to sign a document across the top of which was inscribed “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.”
This Declaration of Independence would have no value unless the American states fought for it. In the view of His Majesty King George III and the British parliament, the Declaration was treason, and the proper punishment was a form of torture and execution so brutal it almost made crucifixion look civil.
The signers of the Declaration of Independence knew only too well what the penalty would be if their cause failed. While Christ had been a poor man of few possessions, the signers were mostly well-educated and well-off, experts on British law and custom. Twenty-eight were lawyers or doctors. Two were ministers. One was the most famous man in America, Benjamin Franklin, whose scientific accomplishments and talent for writing had made him celebrity even in Europe.
Why would such men lay down their lives and possessions for the liberty of all?
Those patriots gathered around a simple piece of parchment were devoted to Christ’s teachings to an extent that today would have seen them branded fanatics. George Washington and John Adams, America’s future first and second presidents, both wrote that a democracy without faith was doomed to fail. Doctor Benjamin Rush, soon to be the surgeon-general of Washington’s army, wanted the government to purchase Bibles for schools. Benjamin Franklin believed normal society would collapse without religious morals.
As such, the men about to put their heads in the lion’s mouth were familiar with another of Christ’s teachings: “[W]hoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.” Their intent to wage a fight for freedom would not start with half-commitments and vague promises, but with a clear Declaration of Independence. Those with the most to lose were offering themselves up as sacrificial lambs.
Facing the greatest navy and one of the best armies in the world, they and their countrymen won after over six years of fighting. Their courage and faith prevailed. That prominent academics today often focus on our founding generation’s imperfections with little reference to their accomplishments lends to those critics the role of Satan, who always accuses us before the Heavenly Father. While the criticisms might be valid, they ignore the greater truths of faith and self-sacrifice.
The question we must ask now is: are our leaders today prepared to act with the courage of our founders in repairing the integrity of our elections and returning America to God and, if not, what must we do?
Answering the first part of the question is not hard.
How have our leaders behaved?
While a number of prominent Republicans and a few Democrats are willing to take on corruption and evil in our land, the majority of the party elites are not. Their vocal concerns over the sins of thousands of Antifa rioters or a handful of violent Trump protesters have done nothing to make our leaders saints, nor have their concerns inspired them to action either to quell widespread leftist violence or to address the problems with election integrity. Here are a few examples:
Republican Senators and Majority leader Mitch McConnell: On Tuesday, December 15th, McConnell, who prior to the 2020 election expressed deep concern over potential voter fraud, said he wanted “to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden.” This occurred while legal challenges over the election, which McConnell had approved of, were ongoing. On a conference call with Senate Republicans shortly thereafter, the majority leader urged them not to challenge the Senate’s certification of a Biden victory on January 6th, not because the election was fair, but because a challenge might make Republicans running for Senate in Georgia look bad – which would endanger McConnell’s chances of retaining his post as majority leader. Ironically, as we now know, the Republican Senators in Georgia, like Trump, ended up losing a “fair” election in which they were ahead early but suddenly fell behind in the dark of the night.
Urging others to vote in a manner contrary to the dictates of their consciences is not the act of a courageous leader. Choosing “good” political strategy over honesty weakens character and, leads to a habit of retreat – something McConnell is known for. Moreover, even a “respect for the process” – which McConnell frequently cites in his speeches – cannot excuse him of his duty to refuse a fraudulent result, because Senate certification is one of the processes that safeguard American elections.
Prior to the vote, McConnell’s second in command, Senator John Cornyn, went a step further, saying that objecting to certification would override the legitimate votes of Biden supporters – the exact thing that certifying the result would do to Trump voters, except that Trump voters had a legitimate complaint considering the election fraud that was blindingly obvious and well-documented in shocking videos and prominent publications such as The Federalist, Forbes, Breitbart, The Washington Examiner, RedState, The Daily Wire, Gateway Pundit, The Epoch Times, and on Mayor Giuliani’s YouTube Channel.
Joining McConnell and Cornyn in endorsing the election results were all but six Republican senators. Pennsylvania Republican Senator Pat Toomey went so far as to join McConnell in a floor speech attacking the faithful senators who objected to fraud (despite having gained his own seat by primarying a moderate, Arlen Specter).
The Supreme Court: For years, Republicans were rightfully bitter about judicial interference in politics. No sooner would conservatives gain victory on a prominent social or political issue than the Courts, and especially the Supreme Court, would discover some never-heard-of “constitutional right” that canceled the victory out. The Court handed liberals victories on immigration, gay marriage, abortion, Obamacare, legalizing pornography, expanding the federal government’s power, and more. Conservatives were desperate for a president who would appoint fair justices.
During President Trump’s first term, he appointed to the Supreme Court three of the very federal judges conservatives had been advocating for in recent years – Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Barrett. In theory, this gave conservatives a 6-3 Court majority.
As I predicted in a recent article discussing why conservatives needed to look outside of ivy-league law schools and the federal bench for their future nominees, it did no good. None of the three agreed to even hear evidence of voter fraud in the presidential election in the case of Texas v. Pennsylvania, Et. Al., even though conservative justices Alito and Thomas wanted to take up the issue. As Harvard professor and Democrat Alan Dershowitz pointed out, the Court’s refusal had nothing to do with the law and everything to do with the justices wanting to avoid a contentious issue.
Moreover, many of the justices – past and present – who have voted to twist the Constitution were appointed by Republicans. Roberts, Souter, Kennedy, O’Connor, all Republican nominees. Assuming that Democrats would ever willingly allow another Republican president to be elected instead of cheating (not likely) does anyone believe the next Republican nominee will be different?
State Legislatures and Governors: It is the responsibility of state legislatures, under Article II section I of the United States Constitution, to determine presidential election laws in the various states. It is the responsibility of the executives (governors) of those states to see to it that the law is enforced.
Swing states that President Trump lost due to massive voter fraud had not put proper safeguards in place despite obvious concerns about mail-in voting, voting machines that could easily be hacked, and the creation of entirely fraudulent ballots such as those that appeared to be pulled out from under tables by Georgia election workers in a now-famous video. Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Arizona all have Republican-dominated legislatures. Georgia also has a Republican governor who has been famously unhelpful to President Trump’s efforts to fight fraud.
While some members of these legislatures have done their best to work for the integrity of our elections, their failure to ensure a secure vote speaks for itself. They have been unsuccessful.
Republican and Conservative Leadership in General: On almost every major issue, conservative, Christian, and simply American causes steadily lost ground until the arrival of President Trump in office on January 20th, 2016. From the 1960s onward, Republicans watched, acting helpless, as Democrats flooded the nation with immigrants from socialist countries, legalized child murder, destroyed traditional marriage, restricted speech, freed criminals, and raised taxes on middle-class families. These leftist trends continued – albeit at a slightly slower pace – even when Republicans held office. The march toward socialism never fully ceased even as presidents of both parties sent our military men overseas to fight for the freedom of others. The pace quickened considerably with the arrival of coronavirus.
In short, our current leaders were never willing – and are not willing – to stand up to the loudest voices, face down Antifa mobs, or put their re-election campaigns at risk for us. They have abandoned the lessons of Christ that our founders knew and lived by.
Answering the rest of the question – what shall we do, and who shall lead us?
In contrast to the politicians falling over themselves in their rush to declare Joe Biden the next president – and preserve the system that pays them so well – 77 percent of Republican voters questioned by pollsters openly acknowledge that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. As many as 30 percent of Democrats (not to mention independents and libertarians) also believe it – unsurprising given how many Democrats supported Trump in 2016. Those same voters have never really wavered in their support of the issues that matter to “average” Americans – who I am tired of hearing politicians call “ordinary.”
While America’s wealthy founding fathers changed the world, they were proceeded by the burning torch of a poor man from Bethlehem and his ragtag group of twelve fishermen, sinners, and outcasts. Seemingly lost in the world’s greatest empire and hated by their fellow members of the great Jewish faith, with a leader who had suffered a traitor’s death – for such was death by crucifixion considered – they and their descendants took over that empire from the inside out, and spread their faith to the world.
Like Christ’s apostles, it is time for the forgotten men and women of America to lead, and not the politicians.
What shape this leadership takes will not all be determined today, but it can be determined in part.
First, we must put our faith in God, and have no fear of anyone else.
Second, as we take up the mantle of leadership (and service) in our country, we cannot do so primarily within the existing party structure. If either major party reforms, good, but neither is currently able to lead us. Officials who abandoned the fight against fraud (the majority) cannot remain in charge. They can no longer receive our time, money, or votes, no matter how often they send us threatening fundraising letters telling us “what Democrats plan to do.”
My preference is for a new party, perhaps working with, but separate from, the old one. Deep red states are not well represented by the Republican party or its tendency to surrender. There is no real reason why grassroots activists in those places cannot begin a new organization to nominate patriotic candidates, except that Republicans currently dominate the field. That problem is solved by voters simply refusing contributions and support to current officials. It may take several election cycles to get the old officials out, and Democrats will win some elections due to temporary divisions, but that’s how the Republican party itself was started in the 1850s as the old Whig party was surrendering.
If the Republican party wishes to continue running moderate candidates in heavily blue states, that will actually take pressure off of the new organization. It is not necessary to destroy the old party if it can accept a role more suited to its real level of support. This will be especially true if we work to ensure more autonomy for states and a smaller federal government
Third, conservatives and libertarians should make a concerted effort to move to red or moderate states. The rest of us cannot do much to protect your family from the decay of your community or antifa-style violence if you live in Oregon or California where the legal system and politicians will always be against you. And if you do not join us in moderate to conservative areas, we ourselves may be overrun by Democrats fleeing areas their policies have ruined.
Finally, we must offer Americans a new way to live, and a new set of rules under which to live. We must revive honest law and faith. Those everyday Americans who step forward to serve as police officers, business owners, judges, attorneys, and soldiers must love the Lord, and must not acknowledge unconstitutional sources of authority. Court rulings that violate our rights, illegal mask and shutdown edicts, and laws designed to destroy honest dissenters issued a by left-wing administration must not be enforced by honest men and women.
We go forward in God, friends.
