Para bellum

America is at war. It has been for some time. But now the conflict has spilled into the streets. Shots have been fired. Blows have been exchanged. And we’re witnessing a fascinating blend of political subversion and terrorism with technology and media. The battle between collectivist and individualist philosophies has gone hot in America.

America was founded on the grand idea that people could govern themselves, provided a loose framework of authority was established to codify the boundaries of personal behavior. Key to the success of the effort was the acceptance of that framework by the public. We called the framework The Constitution of the United States of America. Within that framework, which was designed to be amended from time to time, was an assumption that citizens would accept the constitution and trust skilled, well-meaning jurists in its adjudication. When an interpretation was rendered the expectation was that conflicting parties would accept it and either move on with life or try again with a modified argument. Those days are gone.

Not long ago adults could disagree on something, debate the matter civilly and either disengage from the conflict persuaded by their opponents or agree to disagree. This is no longer acceptable to what appears to be a growing number of young people brainwashed by frustrated adults who never got their way. Today we are no longer permitted to disagree and walk away. It is demanded that agreement be enforced, by violence if necessary.

When conflicting ideologies can no longer coexist, the only alternative is war. When obedience and conformity are demanded those who stubbornly refuse to comply will be made to do so by force. If you refuse to pay your taxes, refuse to respond to letters and phone calls about the matter and simply choose to ignore it, sooner or later armed officers of the law will come get you and penalties enforced. In this sense the Marxists feel themselves correct in saying ultimately “political power comes out the barrel of a gun.”

That is where we are today. A violent, vocal few have shown willingness to tear our nation apart with violence over perceived past transgressions. Fools who were raised in a land of amazing opportunity in the wealthiest nation on Earth openly desire to tear “the system” that brought that prosperity down. We would wisely ask, “Then what?” Only to learn the utopian systems they envision have been pursued several times in the last 200 years only to collapse under the weight of their own inefficient idiocy after millions have perished in attempts to create them.

As to power coming from a gun, no – the gun is only a means to an end. True power comes by influencing the mind and heart of the person carrying the gun with a finger on the trigger. Temptation to respond to misguided rebels with force plays into their hands. We must rally and engage what’s left of their minds and hearts – Para bellum (Latin for “prepare for war”) in a new way. We must conquer the culture anew and reinstate vital societal institutions. More on this in a future column.