Fundamental Transformation

 

This republic has changed dramatically in recent years-- politically, morally, and, perhaps most significantly, demographically.

Section 15 of the Virginia Declaration of Rights (a precursor to The Declaration of Independence) that was adopted by the Virginia Constitutional Convention on June 12th, 1776, states: “That no free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue and by frequent recurrence to fundamental principles.”

Does that appear to be the case today? Let’s go item by item. Clearly, many of us are not firmly adhered to justice. Those on The Left routinely take the side of arsonists, thieves, rapists and even murderers as opposed to law enforcement…or those who have been the victims of arsonists, thieves, rapists and even murderers. Moreover, a two-tiered system of justice has taken hold nationally, in which members of certain groups are deliberately treated differently than others.

Moderation? There’s a cannabis dispensary on every street corner, liquor stores are open on Sundays, fentanyl kills scores of thousands annually, some states hand out free crack pipes, gambling is systemic and ubiquitous, most of us cannot stop looking at our smart phones, and many more are addicted to video games and/or porn.

Next up is frugality. Okay, I can’t even write the word with a straight face. The U.S. is nearing 40-trillion dollars in debt and spends substantial sums of money on things like an Iraqi version of Sesame Street. On an individual level, most of us are determined to get that new Apple iPhone or big screen television whether we need—or can afford—it or not.

On to virtue. See the aforementioned for starters. There is entirely too much virtue signaling and not nearly enough actual virtue on display. The moment someone is run over, molested, shot, or set on fire, the majority of bystanders whip out their phones and start recording, rather than offering assistance.

Finally, we have “frequent recurrence to fundamental principles.” How are we faring in that regard? Do the majority of us fervently long for the days of limited government? I don’t see the Ten Commandments around. Do kids even know what they are? When I was growing up, people still frequently talked of “pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps” and “keeping your nose to the grindstone and shoulder to the wheel.” The “Golden Rule” and “Do unto others” were common themes. Today? Not so much. Too many dismiss or disdain our founders, in some cases going so far as to vandalize or topple their statues. The founders set us on the right path, but we took a sharp turn and went way too far down a road that ought not have been travelled. The question is not can we find our way back, but do we want to.

It’s no wonder that we have lost many of our liberties and that so much of our government is injudicious, corrupt and oriented towards the tyrannical.

Can we, today, truly be said to be one nation? Under God? Indivisible?