By David French
Friday, July 03, 2015
There is little question that millions of conservatives
are entering the July 4 holiday feeling that their country is indeed in the
middle of President Obama’s long-promised fundamental transformation — a
transformation into a weak, bankrupt, and corrupt nation more focused on
leftist social change and identity politics than economic dynamism and
individual liberty. And there’s certainly cause for concern.
Are we weak? Not really, but the present administration
has chosen weakness while our resurgent Islamist enemies cobble together the
most potent jihadist army in modern history. How bizarre that the media are
even now trumpeting President Obama’s alleged political resurgence, at the very
moment when ISIS has demonstrated that it can reach deep into France, Tunisia,
Kuwait, and Egypt.
Are we bankrupt? Potentially. No one seriously disputes
that our unfunded liabilities are simply staggering, yet the Left labels
conservatives who propose entitlement reform as just the kind of heartless
jerks who’ll throw Grandma off the cliff.
Are we corrupt? Ask Lois Lerner. Ask Wisconsin’s John
Chisholm, the architect of pre-dawn raids on conservative families guilty of
nothing more than working for conservative fiscal reform in a state facing
devastating budgetary shortfalls. Ask Hillary Clinton, the Democratic
frontrunner who simply chooses which laws apply to her and disregards the rest.
Christian conservatives feel that the culture is slipping
away. The Supreme Court protects abortion on demand while it redefines the
family so dramatically that even core First Amendment freedoms are on the
“wrong side of history.” The church faces the most culturally and legally
uncertain decade in living memory.
In other words, if you love this country, this is a great
time to be an American — right at a cultural, economic, and strategic hinge. We
should want to be here in its time of need.
Every nation experiences periods of stability and periods
of change, times of stasis and times of crisis. America has faced its share of
existential military threats, from the burning White House in the War of 1812,
to the crisis point on Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg, and to the 20th-century
challenges from Fascist and Communist superpowers. We’ve faced (and are facing)
deep cultural challenges as well: knitting back together a nation torn by Civil
War, overcoming Jim Crow and segregation, and now we might be succumbing to the
social devastation of the sexual revolution.
It’s common for our fellow citizens to sometimes feel
aimless, to lack purpose for their lives. Yet no American patriot should lack
purpose today. In an era when our kids are seen as the vanguard of the Left’s
social revolution, it’s a patriotic act to raise children to understand and
respect the Constitution, to comprehend the great truths of American history,
and to acquire the psychological toughness that will help them endure the
stigma and scorn of the Left.
In an era when the Left seeks to drive social
conservatives not just from the campus and pop culture (where we cling by our
fingernails) but also from the marketplace and — finally — from our own
churches, the simple act of openly and fearlessly living out your faith and
values is a patriotic act.
In an era when too many liberals seek to appropriate
charity — care and concern for the “least of these” — for the state, it’s a
patriotic and deeply loving act to reach out and lift up friends and neighbors
in need. While there are well-meaning bureaucrats in the vast
welfare-industrial complex, there is no substitute for the unique, individual
impact of Americans in relationship with one another, mentoring and supporting
those who need help the most.
And it remains a deeply patriotic and meaningful act to
enlist in the military, to train to defeat enemies abroad — even if this
president is unwilling to effectively confront our foes. Reality has a way of
ultimately dictating foreign policy, and we need men and women who are prepared
for the days ahead.
Even as we see the significance of patriotism in the way
in which we live our everyday lives, we need to abandon the idea that there’s a
cultural or political shortcut — that the right combination of events or the
right politician will turn the tide. Cultures change as a result of the
persistent effort of millions, not because of the glorious leadership of one
individual — not even Barack Obama, The One.
I’m constantly asked, “What’s the solution?” What will
fix our nation in its time of cultural decline, strategic weakness, and
economic uncertainty? The answer isn’t to be found in any politician, in any
judge, or in any single event. The answer is in unglamorous daily resolve — the
determination to advocate for and, most important, live our deeply American
commitments to life and liberty while protecting the right of others to do so
as well.
I remember speaking years ago with a friend — this was
shortly after the Cold War, when America was the “hyperpower” and enjoying an
extended economic boom — who said, “I wish I lived in meaningful times.” I knew
what he meant. America was far from perfect, of course, but this was the “end
of history,” and the good guys had just won. It was time to enjoy the fruits of
victory. I was grateful for peace, but sometimes it felt like peace without
significance.
It turns out that history didn’t end. America had more
crossroads to face. I’m just thankful to be here, now, to do what little I can
to nudge us down the right path. Happy Fourth. May you renew your commitment to
the nation you love.
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