Our heritage, our tradition, our values

Last month, while reading comments in the Washington Post, I read this. It's a bit long, but, I sincerely believe, very well worth the investment of your time. I think this would make a fine sermon from any progressive pulpit. Spread it far and wide.

It was offered as a response to an admirer of Dick Cheney whom the writer called "A true hero and patriot. What you call "right wing" are typical, hard working Americans who abide by the law, respect the U.S. military and pay their taxes. The leftists are the ones out of the norm - you just can't see it, or refuse to see it."

In response;
"You forget yourself, sir. You forget your heritage, your tradition, and your values. You choose mendacious vitriol over Truth, and petulant sedition over Justice. Most of all, you forget that Americans with whom you disagree also, "abide by the law, respect the U.S. military and pay their taxes." You presume to dismiss other Americans' views out of hand, revealing that you have forgotten that we are all equal, in the eyes of the law, and, for that matter, in God's eye.

"After what happened over the years conservatism dominated our politics, you should be pursuing atonement, not revenge. We have followed your way, and you have left us poorer, more divided, and less wise than when you started. We have followed you, and you have lead us into corruption, exploitation of the helpless to add insignificantly to endless piles of wealth, povery of the multitudes, abandonment of science and philosophical pursuits, repudiation of the arts in favor of arena-combat amusements, subrogation of the Christian ethic to that of Mammon, the relentless struggle to subordinate the law to sectarian religious dogma, massive, crushing, debt owed by the poorest to the richest, the despair of countless needless dispossessions...The harm your "leadership" has done is endless.

"Have you no honor, sir, no whit, no shred of decency, no conscience, no heart, no soul, that you could bear the knowledge that you have brought your people so low? Have you no impulse to say you are sorry?

"You forget yourself, sir, and so, too, do you forget us. You forget that America was not built on your egoistical conservatism, but on exploitation and adventure and dreams of a better life for those who come after our time. You forget that we were the first to make electricity work for us, first in mass production, first in synthetic materials science, first, God help us, in nuclear energy, first in so many things that define our place in the world, and that we were never conservative at all.

"You forget the traditions of governance, that no man, no group, is permitted to arbitrarily circumscribe the freedom of another. You forget that our freedom is the product of revolution, but that the revolution itself was a product of reason, of thoughtful consideration of all sides of many issues, and the struggle to find the best possible accomodations of all interests, and the best possible balancing of power, so that no faction could ever claim dominion over all.

"Lastly, but far from least, you, sir, have forgotten the character of America. You have forgotten that we have never really been a conservative people, that we have always been the ones to look over the next hill, to the next discovery, searching for a way to make something new, different, and better.

"The deepest American tradition is not of conservatism, but of exploration and innovation, cleverness and ingenuity.

"The American Revolution brought forth a government that the world had never seen before. The Founding Fathers spent years working on the design of the new Republic, drawing on examples from ancient history, but crafting something definitely their own.

"The American Revolution was a revolution in many ways. The democratic example we created has since inspired the world to make democracy commonplace and expected, but we were the first, truest democratic revolution. Even capitalism was a brand new idea in those days.

"The history of the United States is not of a conservative people. It is the American tradition to succeed by embracing change and actively stepping forth to create the future.

"Modern conservatism stands in opposition to that which is the most American about America."

Amen. Well said, and well passioned.