August 7, 2014
Dear Liberty,
“You are an insignificant person!”
Ok, so it’s not the caning that Charles Sumner suffered, but when Representative Tom Marino called the Democratic House leaders of 2009-2010 out on Immigration, his words infuriated Nancy Pelosi nearly as much as Preston Brooks 150 years before.
As I described in my letter The Birth Of A Movement, Senator Sumner, an avid abolitionist, was beaten with a cane by Representative Preston Brooks for his stance against slavery. The beating acted as a harbinger of things to come, leading to the anti-slavery Republican Party, Abraham Lincoln as President, and the beginning of the Civil War. (see Sibling Rivalry) Just as this event magnified the pre-Civil War division in 1856, the uncontrolled and out-of-order outburst by Nancy Pelosi last week is displaying to the world the disunity America is again suffering at this time. This is history in the making, Liberty.
Is this the beginning of another Civil War in America? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure, it will be less civilized than the War Between the States. At least in that war Americans were grouped by geographical locations and supported by those around them which gave them strength and a coalition. A modern civil war will not only put states against states, but cities against cities, towns against towns, neighbors against neighbors, and even family members against their own. There is no “North” and “South”, there is no Mason-Dixon Line, no real boundaries to the divisions.
A positive aspect about this clash is Nancy at least was restrained enough to use just words with her pointy finger and not violence, but how long will that last? It’s also incredibly ironic since Senator Ted Cruz was vilified the week before for going and talking to the House Republicans, which was against “Congressional protocol”, yet we are not hearing much about Pelosi’s complete breach of order. Hey, Nancy, what House rule were you following?
One of the better outcomes that resulted from the Sumner incident was the birth of the Republican Party. Both the Whigs and the Democrats were talking and talking about slavery. This proved to be merely political games that did nothing to solve the problem. The people began to abandon both parties and within years the small Republican Party had won the White House on the prospect of ending slavery.
It all sounds eerily similar to the Tea Party today. The country again finds itself caught in a quagmire of two political parties posturing for political gain, not for the benefit of the people they represent. If God still finds favor with America, the pains we are experiencing now will birth another movement in this county that will return us to the principles of the Constitution. More importantly it will return us to the desire to follow God and his intention for us, to take responsibility for our own actions, and to govern ourselves.
Looking past the disunity, ponder for just a moment what Nancy said to Tom. “You are an insignificant person.” This alone shows the whole world how egotistical, arrogant and self-glorifying many of our representatives in Washington have become. Here in lies the growing disease within our government. People like Ms. Pelosi believe they are better than you, know better than you and believe they have the right to control you. This was EXACTLY what the Founder Fathers not only warned against but designed the Constitution and the Bill of Rights to prevent. Unfortunately, this mindset has infected both parties and is what plain, simple Americans want to rid our government of. Politicians beat their chests and proudly proclaim, “I’ve been in the Congress for 40 years...” Sir, that is nothing to brag about. It’s an indictment.
The Founding Fathers intended that good, honest people should serve their country for a few years and then return to their lives making way for others to do their turn. Politics was never meant to be a profession, never meant to make people rich, and never, ever intended to give so few so much control. I’m sure most politicians go to Washington with the desire to do good, but the money, the benefits and mostly the power becomes so intoxicating, it overwhelms one’s desire to represent the people and makes one want to rule the people. This small grammatical difference makes a huge difference mentally.
Liberty, I have no idea what America and this world will look like when you are actually old enough to read and understand this letter and the others I am writing you. I pray it is a much better place still striving for liberty and freedom for all. Like the time of the Sumner attack when no one could have predicted for certain that a physical war was on the horizon, I have no idea what will happen tomorrow. I promise to you right now though, Liberty, that I will do everything I can to educate people, mend fences and learn to disagree while still standing on my principles. I promise that your father and I will do everything we can to prevent a repeat of the Civil War and we promise to do everything we can to leave you a better country than we found.
I pray you look back on this letter and are able to say, “Thank you, Mom and Dad. You did it.” and not “You saw what was happening. Why didn’t you save my freedoms?” Either way, the fight does not end with us, Liberty. The torch will eventually be passed to you. You must speak out for your children‘s freedom as Sumner spoke out for freedom for the slaves. And then you must pass the torch again. This is a fight that will be fought until Christ returns and declares ultimate and eternal freedom. Stay strong, stay educated, and stay passionate, holding your Bible high in one hand and the Constitution in the other.
That’s my 2 cents.
Love,
Mom
IS HISTORY
REPEATING AGAIN?
