Two Americas: Freedom or 'Safety'

We live in two Americas. One cherishes freedom, the other demands safety and is willing to give up freedoms to achieve it. Recent surveys have shown a stark difference between the Left and Right on issues of patriotism and government's role in our lives. The Left wants and depends on big government, almost to a point of religious fervor. Liberals feel government is the only entity that can control the malevolence of mankind. The Right sees government as a necessary evil. Controlling the hostile tendencies of men and women belongs both to government and religion.

Late last year, the American Culture and Faith Institute conducted a survey of 1,000 Americans from the Right and the Left. The findings revealed a deep rift between the two camps. Conservatives who thought of themselves as very patriotic were at 78%. Liberals who thought they were very patriotic was 51%. Conservatives who were proud to be American was at 65%, while 37% of liberals were proud to be an American. A sad discovery found that only 16% of liberals described themselves as tolerant of opposing views, whereas Conservatives were close to 40%. Remember, Liberals, for many years, said they were the only political and social group that was genuinely tolerant. An interesting finding is that only 22% of respondents thought they would be totally safe wearing a 'Make America Great Again' hat anywhere in the United States. The divide that rocked the nation 150 years ago has returned. Yes, the killings in Florida were horrible. No one should ever have to bury their child just because that child went to school that day. Inevitably, from the media and politicians we here the pleadings, "We have to do something, we have to do something." The fix always seems external. Someone somewhere has to fix this or that. Experts show up on all the TV stations giving their 'educated' opinions. But, much of the problem is internal. We are not the same people we once were. Liberals will undoubtedly say we need more government, more control, more laws. But, laws do not change the heart. The Left can scream all they want about gun control or the evils of gun ownership, but I can say with confidence and to the irritation of Progressives, this country will never see a government mandated disarmament. There would be civil war first.

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Conservatives will say we already have too much government, and need to return to our Judeo-Christian heritage this nation has forsaken decades ago. We all know that the problem is multi-faceted, a breakdown of the family, the denigration of human life, recognizing and treating mental illness, substance abuse, lack of social skills because of living on the internet. A change of heart is required. John Adams said, in 1798, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people and is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." It is more true today that at any time in our history. I grew up in the New York City public school system. In our assembly programs, once a week, a student was chosen to read any scripture verse they desired. The Christian kids read from the New Testament and the Jewish kids naturally read from the Old Testament. I don't recall any complaints or lawsuits. Can anyone imagine that being done today? As recently as the sixties, supported by the schools, encouraged by our government, belief in God and country was an established covenance. When truth is outlawed, only the lies remain. What we now have left is a secular, do-what-is-right-in-your-own-eyes society...no anchor, no final truth...generations without social skills, ignorant of their birthright. And with the help of more and more states, many within those generations legally stoned much of the time. Benjamin Franklin said "He who gives up freedom for safety deserves neither." Freedom, once discarded, is near impossible to reclaim. The natural propensity of government is to get bigger, more powerful, more controlling. But freedom without responsibility is chaos. Our choice is simple, the freedom our forefathers fought for, the great experiment in self-government, yes, with the pitfalls and with no guarantees of personal safety...or choose the illusion of safety and a descent into the darkness of government without restriction, without limits. You cannot have just a little tyranny. What is your choice?