Lance Fairchok

A Republic, If We Can Keep It
November 10, 2009
 

ol·i·gar·chy ; Pronunciation: \ˈä-lə-ˌgär-kē, ˈō-\ Function: noun

1: government by the few

2: a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes; also: a group exercising such control

In 1787, as Ben Franklin walked out of the Constitutional Convention, a woman asked; "Well, doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” He responded, "A republic, Madame, if you can keep it." Kept it we have, for almost two and a half centuries, through war, rebellion and crisis, and until now, the values set at the core of our nation by our founders inspired and guided its leaders regardless of political party, with the ideals of liberty and freedom foremost. American exceptionalism was never in doubt; even in our darkest days, our citizens had a unique self-confidence, they were industrious and proud. It was common wisdom that hard work, patience and honesty were the paths to success, so our children learned in school. George Washington chopped down the cherry tree, but did not lie despite knowing punishment would be severe.

Today our leaders have no such ethical grounding. If there are no witnesses, no one can prove who chopped down the cherry tree, why make life difficult? Plausible deniability, a well-crafted excuse and a good lawyer help one move beyond the occasional indiscretion. The word “truth” is passé, a quaint notion in which the proletariat finds comfort. “Truth” does not carry the nuance or flexibility one must use to speak ideology to power. The postmodern nihilism Harvard instills in our elites keeps them ethically limber. If there are no moral absolutes then one cannot suffer pangs of guilt when they are broken, let alone worry about such trivial things as squandering the legacy of a once great nation. If you can lie well and distract and confuse your constituency, you can get away with all sorts of shenanigans, the peasants have short memories anyway.

The massive healthcare “reform” bill passed on Saturday is not about the uninsured. It is not about compassion for the disadvantaged or the sick. It is about the control and domination of our economy from banking to healthcare to the media. It is about cementing their ideology right into the fabric of our national government and building monolithic bureaucracies that we can never dismantle. Like the criminal enterprises of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, they will siphon off our tax dollars in the billions to perpetuate their power and reward their allies. Freddie Mac just lost an additional 6.3 billion dollars in the third quarter, after all the guarantees and an infusion of 50 billion in taxpayer money. Can anyone claim surprise? It is what is happening throughout our nation. It is fraud and theft, and by every definition criminal and the criminals now run our government.

They deceive us in all things, to steal our prosperity and deny us our voice. Our property, our hard earned wealth and our freedoms are no longer our birthright. The government can take them through taxation, legislation and unconstitutional mandates for an ever-changing “greater good” only they can define. John Adams said, “The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the law of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.” Just as congress does not revere truth, it does not accept the sacred, and when they hold the citizen in contempt, as they do now, tyranny has truly arrived.

The healthcare bill is part of a coup d'état, the overthrow of our Republic and the citizens’ rightful place in it. In taking away the freedom of choice and the freedom of self-determination, the anti-Americans who have lied and manipulated themselves into our legislature have revealed themselves for what they are. They have used every stratagem and sleight of hand to push this obscene measure through. It is unconstitutional, broadly unpopular and fiscally disastrous, yet with imperial disdain, the Democrats have pressed forward, hoping there is enough time in the run-up to the 2010 elections to spin and propagandize sufficient lethargy into the electorate that they will not sacrifice many seats. One can see administration apologists working it hard on the Sunday gabfests already.

We face a looming tyranny that our forefathers foresaw and repeatedly warned us of. We are as close to an oligarchy as we have ever been. The temptation and corruption that power brings to men and women has not changed in millennia. Our politicians have less strength of character than did the self-sacrificing men that built this nation. The Constitution is only so much paper to them. The citizens in their multitudes are rising up, and despite the deceits of the press and the supercilious “let them eat cake” manner of the Obama administration, their anger grows with every political trick the democrats pull off. There is talk of rebellion and not just from the fringe.

This is happening now, here, in America. It is no exaggeration. All the Democrats offer us are chains, chains to bind us to government in every aspect of our lives. They have stolen billions for a false stimulus; they will take trillions for healthcare and the vast bureaucracies that will support it. They will come for our freedom of speech next with “fairness” legislation, then our freedom to choose what we drive, what we eat and what we believe. Their appetite for power will never diminish. They will take from us everything that makes us Americans.

Our revolution did not end when we defeated foreign masters across the Atlantic centuries ago. It did not end with a bloody civil war. The vigilance counseled by our founders must serve us now, as we carry on that revolution against the tyranny that has risen in our land. In their arrogance they have sown the wind and we must make them reap the whirlwind. We are called to action as all the patriots before us. We have nothing to lose but the chains Obama and his accomplices in congress forge for us. We still have a Republic, for now. Will we keep it?