How to Fight for Individual Liberty--Better

The Missouri state legislature was very close to putting on the statewide ballot an up-or-down vote for the citizens, whether to protect freedom of conscience for all Missourians, Would Christian bakeries have to bake a wedding cake for a homosexual wedding? Would pastors and clergy have to officiate gay weddings if they activity violated their beliefs?

Would charities have to cater to homosexual conduct and celebrate it? The Missouri Democrats in the state senate filibustered for forty hours to try to stop the legislation. It survived, but in the Missouri House, the individual liberty measure went down to defeat. What happened? The same collusion of Big Business and the Big Gay Hate Machine went to work and out-organized the pro-life, pro-liberty support in the state house. One of the pro-freedom forces documented some of the lessons learned from this set-back. Here are my separate thoughts on these observations:

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I. Yes, the culture wars have moved this far, this fast. Get over it

I recall the shock which Oprah Winfrey felt when Texas ranchers were suing her for libel of their beef products. At the time, Dr. Phil McGraw was a juror psychologist helping the Oprah team prepare for the trial. She was in tears, could not believe that this massive lawsuit was taking her down, could even ruin her media empire. Dr. Phil's answer: "Get over it! Get with it! This is happening, and you need to fight!" Many Christians had pushed aside the notion that the culture wars were going to escalate this quickly, with such devastating destruction. It has happened, and it's time to stop being surprised. It's time to fight back!

II> Both sides are 100 percent committed to the idea of their own righteousness

We need to stop thinking that we can find middle ground on these issues. Either we respect freedom of conscience, or we don't. Either we fight for the true definition of marriage, or we don't. These cultural and fiscal issues cannot be decided or determined by "compromise." The extremes define the center, and the extreme progressivism of Barack Obama is wrecking the country and wreaking havoc on the political argument. We will lose some friends, and we may gain supporters from people whom we have never thought to work with.

III. Your friends in business aren’t committed

Pro-business people are that--pro-business. A cursory reading of The Wealth of Nations should remind conservatives that pro-business does not necessarily mean pro-liberty or pro-free market. Many times, business owners--especially the large, corporate firms--want to wield government influence to their favor to get rid of competition. Think about it. Businesses which will not cater to homosexual weddings get rubbed out, and those businesses whose owners have no moral scruples can reap the benefits. Also bear in mind that many large companies, like Target, have been overrun with pro-gray elements, whether the CEO, or members of the board of directors, and sometimes family members have persuaded both to accommodate such destructive policies. Big Business wants to avoid big fights. Don't depend on them to lead the way.

IV. The other side’s public officials want this fight more than ours

The Left wants to fight against freedom of faith, religion, and conscience. They have nothing left to lose, since they are losing on every front all over the country. In the relatively few states where Democrats control the state legislature and the governorship, they are running their states into the ground, ruining them perpetually. They have no interest in good governance, just raw power, and they will find any divisive issue to distract from their own destruction--and destructive policies.

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V. We can’t allow our surrogates and supporters to become the story

We need to control our message all across the board. Just as Big Business has little courage, Big Media has little integrity, and is interested in fomenting conflict which makes pro-family, pro-liberty forces look bad, or at least backward.

VI. Social networks matter. A lot. And the other side is using them much better than we are

It's not enough to have numbers. Coordination and organization are key. A small, yet tightly-bound team is more effective than a loose community. Which ones will vote more, make the case stronger? Yes, conservatives have won the argument. When are they going to put effort toward winning the vote?

VII> Don’t wait for the cavalry, it isn’t coming

You make the fight. You make it happen. It's not enough, it's not wise to wait for someone else to fight.

VIII. You have to try to find a way to be winsome if you’re going to win hearts and minds

Don't get angry. Don't get bummed. Don't give up. Don't get angry with others when the fight is not going your way. Don't get bummed when you fail. Don't give up. Period. These are wise words to live by in the culture wars. The Left has understood and implemented these principles for a long time. We on the right are just beginning to flex our might. *Special thanks to Greg Keller