Not so for today’s legislators: with the help of outrageous studies claiming that humans dump too much CO2 into the atmosphere, the supreme rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness have been thrown out by a hijacked government hellbent on heading to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen next month with the attitude that humans need to be controlled, regulated, and kept in their place through a system of carbon taxes and global governance. The end result is that human life in America has become a cheap thing and protection of human freedom in the form of privacy, property ownership, and even health has become of ill consequence.

The Founding Fathers never intended for polar bears squatting on melting ice caps to be a pretext for the liberties of Americans to be abridged and their sovereignty handed over to a global government.

Like international terrorists who hide behind things that no one dares attack, legislators who support carbon taxing and global governance hide behind false sympathy for the plight of trees, whales, polar bears, and other objects in nature, because anyone who dares to oppose their legislation and attack their foolishness can be falsely assigned the guilt of collateral damage to the planet, in the same way that a police officer shooting at a terrorist hiding behind an unarmed woman would be held guilty. “Don’t want carbon taxes? You’re for DESTROYING the environment!” the condemning voices say.

The fact of the matter is, the entire fraud of anthropogenic or man-made global warming is based on the notion that humans are nothing, nobodies, expendable and useless – unless of course, you’re a human who holds elected office. But we Christians know better – God created the earth for man, not man for the earth. America’s Founding Fathers knew it, and those of us who have still kept our dignity despite the wiles of Al Gore and the IPCC know it today.

The Bible records God saying to man in Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (NIV). It does not say be ruled by the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and the polar bears. It does not say, “Hey Adam, you know, the human body releases approximately 683 lbs of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, so, you and Eve try to keep the population down, huh? If possible, maybe tell the future generations to have one child per family, don’t have dogs as pets because those are equivalent to the carbon released from driving an SUV 6,000 miles per year – and don’t worry, you don’t know what an SUV is yet, but it’s something a SINNER will create – and most importantly, be sure to create a tax on carbon emissions and use it to create a New World Order.”

We laugh at that, but those words are exactly what the present intellectual and political elite are claiming as America heads to COP15.

The answer to a clean environment is not to take wealth and freedom from a people; the answer is, as the Declaration of Independence suggests, to allow people to be free to pursue wealth and freedom. Dr. Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs shows that the first primary concern of humans is survival. Humans who are constantly worried about how they are going to eat, where they will find shelter – how they are going to pay their taxes – are not going to be free to think about higher matters like preserving their environment. But the humans who are settled and have their needs not just met but fulfilled are free to achieve the greater works. I for one have never seen a trashy looking high-income residential neighborhood. And why is that? Because people ultimately want to live in a clean world, and if you give them the means to attain wealth, they’ll take pride in their land and keep it clean.

The recent hack and theft of thousands of emails and documents from the CRU show that the supporters of climate change and global warming obviously have a higher agenda, and that agenda is suppression of the truth that they may give rise to a world controlled by an elite few. It’s time to take back our nation, our world, and our life and to go back to protecting human life and human liberty, the rest will take care of itself.

Al Gore, chief spokesperson and high priest if you will of global warming, tells us that the debate is over and compares those scientists who disagree to those who believe the earth is flat. No matter how much evidence is presented to the contrary that carbon dioxide emissions do not have a causational relationship to melting of ice caps and various climate changes, Al Gore walks by faith and not sight in the religion of global warming, going so far as to even present photos of the Earth in his book Our Choice: A Plan To Solve The Climate Crisis that have been digitally manipulated to show a planet afflicted by hurricanes – which, incidentally, are spinning in the wrong direction. Al Gore’s movie on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth was quickly pressed into action in schools and taught as scientific fact to students – that is, until a British court found nine significant errors in the film which were presented in “the context of alarmism and exaggeration.”

The recent theft of some 120 megabytes of emails from the Climate Research Unity at East Anglia University likewise show a systematic pattern of CRU personnel communicating with various global warming leaders around the world to suppress contrary scientific findings, present data not on the basis of scientific merit but on political digestability, and worst of all, get individuals fired from positions for speaking out. Like priests, these loyal followers of global warming refuse all evidence to the contrary and continue to evangelize their message.

Just as one would be expected to tithe ten percent of their income to a local church, it’s also funny that politicians and global warming proponents make perfect friends because of the assertion that the only way to stop global warming – like appeasing an angry god with sacrifices – is to enact carbon taxation.

And wouldn’t you know it, just as one would offer prayers, these priests of global warming want us to offer petitions to our elected officials that they “go green” and do things as ridiculous as suggest the enactment of “one child per family” policies because humans release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as part of their metabolism. In light of all these things, one has to wonder, is the “science” of global warming really a cult in disguise?

This is a curious turn of events considering that it was just a little over a year ago that an idealistic candidate Obama told America, “You have shown what history teaches us: that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn’t come from Washington; change comes to Washington.” And long before his acceptance of the Democratic Party’s nomination, Obama similarly offered that “My job is not to represent Washington to you, but to represent you to Washington.” Obama’s campaign was purported to be all about “Yes We Can” and the victory of the people over politicians. But today, with Obama pushing hard for change that America is heavily divided and oft embittered about, the message for President Obama is far different: don’t challenge the majority party and don’t rock the boat, because if you do, you are a racist or a terrorist.

The rhetoric of such likes as Jackson and the ADL is to convince Americans that Washington knows best, that one is wrong to seek local autonomy, that central planning from Washington is the key to success. Yet Thomas Jefferson warned America well in advance that “When all government, domestic and foreign, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another, and will become as venal and oppressive as the [British] government from which we separated.”

The tax rallies, the impassioned town hall attendees and surge of interest in grassroot conservative causes is not racism or paranoia, but rather an affirmation of the Founding Fathers’ belief that people know best about their own lives and their own communities and therefore have the right to rule themselves. The Administration and its supporters ought to consider the grace that they have fallen from – if in fact they ever believed what they professed – and return to representing the people to Washington, rather than Washington to the people. Until the people are free to dissent, there can be no real freedom in America. Until Americans have the freedom to be angry, there can be no pursuit of happiness.

The ADL report claims, “anger, if it continues to grow in intensity and scope, may result in an increase in anti-government extremists and the potential for a rise of violent anti-government acts.” Yet the first three words of the U.S. Constitution are not “We the government” but “We the people.” America was founded not by submissive subjects to Britain but by outraged people who wanted the freedom to determine their own destiny. A critical part of the First Amendment is the assertion that the people have a right “to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” ADL, Jackson, the people are seeking redress – they are not racists or terrorists.

Americans have nothing to be ashamed of when their opinions differ with that of their elected representatives – they are, after all, the true leaders of America. Government doesn’t have the best answers, the people of the United States do. The President’s job is to represent the people to Washington, not Washington to the people. Thomas Paine wrote in Common Sense, “Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil … Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built on the ruins of the bowers of paradise.”

As a reverend, Jackson should have known that the Bible says that Jesus came “to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days” (Luke 1:74 NIV). As long as we create heuristics that say “You can’t vote against health care and call yourself a black man” the ruler of America will not be blacks, whites, or any people, but the spirit of fear. Jackson, the reverend, should have known that the Bible says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18 NIV). Jackson, in stipulating that voting against H.R. 3962 is anti-black, is peddling fear and putting torment on those who oppose it. That’s not the mark of a reverend; that’s the mark of a false prophet. Reverend Jackson, shame on you – where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Americans have every right to believe that to whom much is given – that is, the trust of public office – much shall be required.

The ADL report goes on to itemize tax party rallies, dissent at town hall meetings, requests for copies of the President’s birth certificate and increased media resistance to the Administration’s policies as threatening developments in America. The report then goes a step further and names specific individuals and organizations which ADL believes to be agents of incivility. We are led to believe, supposedly, that the best thing for Americans to do is to trust their government, be quiet, and don’t show any resistance to polices they oppose, because it leads to defamation.

In truth, the ADL’s recent report is a sad development for an organization which purports to advocate against anti-Semitism, because a climate of self-censorship and minority suppression is precisely what allowed Adolph Hitler to prosecute his war against the Jewish people.

America’s Founding Fathers took a completely opposite approach towards government than the ADL, which would appear to say by its report that we ought to just trust our government – particularly, the Obama government – to always have our best interests in mind. Thomas Jefferson warned, “Confidence is everywhere the parent of despotism. Free government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence … In matters of Power, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.”

As touching to outrage and anger over government policies, Thomas Paine wrote, “The Almighty hath implanted in us these unextinguishable feelings for good and wise purposes. They are the guardians of his image in our hearts. They distinguish us from the herd of common animals. The social compact would dissolve, and justice be extirpated from the earth, or have only a casual existence were we callous to the touches of affection. The robber and the murderer, would often escape unpunished, did not the injuries which our tempers sustain, provoke us into justice.”

I am disappointed that the ADL would stoop so low as to create a blacklist of perceived state enemies and to suggest that the people of America have no right to voice their distress and concern against policies which they perceive to be at odds with their morals, faith, and collective prosperity. As a purported guardian of the Jewish way of life, perhaps the ADL should have recalled the words of Nehemiah, who, despite being called an insurrectionist, mourned over the oppression of his people and the fallen state of his city Jerusalem and stood up to say, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes” (Nehemiah 4:14 NIV).

The most “Jewish” thing that anyone can do is to firmly resist the destruction of faith, family, and nation. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego – whose Jewish names were Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah – were willing to obey the laws and codes of Babylon but refused the minute they were directed to worship Nebuchadnezzar. The prophet Daniel, when told that the government had enacted legislation to ban him from praying to his personal God prayed all the more louder, and was thrown into the lion’s den. These men and many more were heroes not only to the Jewish faith, but to the Jewish nation, because their resistance preserved the existence of the Jewish way of life.

The ADL’s report is in effect a statement which says that we, the people of America, have no right to question the President, and, like Nebuchadnezzar, we ought to bow before Obama and worship him for who he is.

I for one, will live true to my name’s sake and say no.

Last Friday, Rasmussen Reports released a poll which indicated that the majority of Americans believe that natural forces, not man are responsible for global warming. Despite this, day after day the people of the world are being subjected to a daily public relations blitz that thanks to human beings, the sky is falling, everything is henny-penny, and we’re in for a future where global warming will usher in a planetary apocalypse. Movies like “The Day After Tomorrow” and “2012″ fill the public mind with images of obliteration if government does not intervene. Each day we are told new vectors for global warming: obesity, pet animals, sport utility vehicles, and one is left with the impression that just being alive is a threat to the planet’s stability. People like Maurice Strong, former Executive Director to the UN Environment Programme claim, “Isn’t the only hope for the planet that the industrialized civilizations collapse? Isn’t it our responsibility to bring this about?” UT Austin professor Eric Pianka bemoans “We are behaving like bacteria growing on an agar plate, flourishing until natural limits are reached or until another microbe colonizes and takes over, using them as their resource.” Former President Al Gore, despite 31,000 scientists who disagree, insists that the debate on global warming is over and that anyone who believes that human-induced global warming is fake is akin to those who believe that Earth is flat. Scientists, politicians and concerned citizens alike who are skeptical of human-induced global warming are called “global warming deniers” as part of a pejorative public relations strategy to link disagreement with the phenomena to revisionist historians and radicals who deny the Holocaust.

If people actually believe these statements and others, one would be left with an intense guilt that being a human is a crime to the Universe. Fortunately for some of us, as Mark Twain said, “I never let my schooling interfere with my education.” The truth is, global warming is real, but not because of human factors. Any astrophysicist or astronomer worth his salt will tell you that our sun is slowly depleting its hydrogen supply, and as that occurs, its core shrinks, resulting in an expansion of its outer layers. As the sun gets larger, its proximity to planets increases, and their temperature increases. Eventually our sun will become a Red Dwarf which will engulf most of the inner planets, Earth included. Each day is a day that the sun gets larger and larger – its a phenomenon which can’t be changed by anything we humans do.

Why then the yelling and screaming for carbon taxation and more regulation of industries? The answer is simple: as White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said, government ought never let a crisis go to waste. As long as people are afraid of something, government can step in and use it as a pretext for expanding its size, raising more taxes for more revenue, and removing more liberties all in the name of crisis management. Human-induced global warming is a convenient excuse for government to strip the free market into a command economy, picking winners and losers while consolidating control and wealth as they see fit. It also serves as the perfect pretext to create global governance that overrides national sovereignty and makes of no effect the protections of the U.S. Constitution.

Thomas Paine wrote, “Despotic government supports itself by abject civilization, in which debasement of the human mind, and wretchedness in the mass of the people are the chief criterions. Such governments consider man merely as an animal; that the exercise of intellectual faculty is not his privilege; that he has nothing to do with the laws but to obey them; and they politically depend more upon breaking the spirit of the people by poverty, than they fear enraging it by desperation.”

When people like Al Gore and others say we must tax men more to save the planet, when they say that humans are growing too numerous and population must be reduced for sustainability, when they puff up smoke like Eric Pianka did when he said that human beings are like bacteria and are a disease to the planet, do yourself a favor and treat them the same way you would a psychoactive drug like marijuana – don’t inhale.

It must be understood that the real crisis we face is not terrorism, war, natural disasters or plagues, but a loss of human liberty via expansion of government authority. The use of crisis as a means to dilate government’s power and to grant government initiative over the people is something that has been abused by both Democrats and Republicans alike. Even before Emanuel told the WSJ that a crisis should never go to waste, in the hours following the 9/11 attacks, Vice President Dick Cheney remarked to David Addington that America would probably have to be a country ruled by men rather than laws.

This “rule by men rather than laws” concept was brought from bunker lockdown to mainstream public acceptance when Cheney appeared five days later on NBC’s Meet The Press to say to a grieved nation, “We also have to work, though, sort of the dark side, if you will … A lot of what needs to be done here will have to be done quietly, without any discussion, using sources and methods that are available to our intelligence agencies, if we’re going to be successful.” America’s people, shocked by what they had seen just days earlier, were quick to throw their democratic opinion and support behind “the dark side” and what resulted was a de facto repeal of the Fourth, Fifth, and Eighth Amendments over the next seven years, first through warrantless data mining of American citizens, then through the practice of extraordinary rendition of individuals and ‘enhanced interrogation’ measures to get them to comply with intelligence officers.

America was never intended to be a nation ruled by men rather than laws. Those who still recite the Pledge of Allegiance will recall that we pledge to “the Republic” – that is, an America ruled by law. Our Founders knew that an America ruled by men was too dependent on personality-driven citizenry and leadership, and that is why we formed a republican system of government through the Constitution. America’s Constitution is intended to serve as a permanent wall or check against government stripping the people of their rights no matter how stable or unstable the moment may be.

Yet the majority of today’s elected officials and political appointees seem to think that ends justify means and that, as is popularly said from time to time, “The U.S. Constitution is not a suicide compact” – suggesting that it is outdated and perhaps not even necessary anymore. Because of crisis reaction, America passed the Patriot Act. Because of crisis reaction, America bought into the “too big to fail” concept and nationalized industries and banks and poured trillions of taxpayer dollars out. Now, following the recent Fort Hood shootings, Fox News ran a story by Catherine Herridge saying “Free Speech Rights Prevented Probe Into Hasan E-mails, Investigators Say” and indicated that “Investigators would have been ‘crucified’ over First Amendment rights if they had launched a full-scale probe into e-mails Fort Hood massacre suspect Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly sent to a radical imam, a government investigator told Fox News.” This kind of reporting is incendiary in nature, because it preys on the collective need for safety and security, which, according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, must first be perceived as fulfilled before higher concepts of morality, ethics, and lack of prejudice can be considered. When someone hears “Free Speech Rights Prevented Probe” the natural reaction is to say, “We can’t let the First Amendment get in the way of getting the terrorists; I don’t mind the government wiretapping me and reading my e-mails without a warrant, because I’m not doing anything wrong, we need to catch terrorists before they have time to strike.”

While that statement may have the appearance of wisdom, the problem with that logic is once power is granted to the government, what was once a ‘right’ becomes an ‘interest’ or a ‘privilege’ that is now controlled by government. The same power that allows the government to breach the Fourth Amendment via warrantless data mining and reading of e-mails to pursue terrorists can be used to classify persons who oppose government healthcare or tax hikes to be labeled as ‘terrorists’ or ‘potential white supremacists’ and monitor them. The end result is that people self-censor and settle into a groupthink, and as Patton says, “If everyone is thinking alike, someone isn’t thinking.” No one is safe when government is given the power to breach rights in the name of security for all.

We are in danger of transforming America from the land of the free and the home of the brave into the land of the regulated and the home of the fearful. Our Founding Fathers didn’t approach government agencies for solutions to crises, they sought God for counsel and allowed man to act on his own initiative.

Samuel Adams warned, “If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”

The time is now to restore our Republic, to abolish the practice of sidestepping the Constitution through crisis and to repeal all of the laws which have allowed government to become master over the American people. If we do not take action soon, America in defeating the enemies of freedom will become what its soldiers have fought so earnestly to destroy.

I would encourage fellow Hawaii Filipinos to direct their attention to the U.S. Federal Reserve. Over the last thirteen years, the Fed doubled cash currency and reserves. On the other hand, immediately after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, in the span of just 112 days, the Fed doubled the reserves yet again, accelerating the rate of bank reserve expansion by a factor of 45 to 1. The dollar, in short, is rapidly being devalued by the Fed’s monetary policy.

A devalued dollar means terrible problems for Filipinos. Not only does this destroy our purchasing and investing power, but the fall of the dollar is being anxiously sought by the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund as a pretext for creating a central world bank and a new universal reserve currency based on IMF SDRs, or Special Drawing Rights. When the new reserve currency and central world bank is created, someone who has $100,000 dollars in the bank could be no better off than someone who has $10 in the bank as the nations of the world dump the dollar in favor of the new currency. Forget the Great Depression; when the dollar falls, we will be in the Greatest Depression. This is completely unacceptable.

Many Filipinos came to America because they sought the freedom that earning wages in dollars would bring. But now, the Fed’s policies are bringing to no effect what we have come here for. We must not allow this to happen. I encourage Filipinos to demand an audit of the Federal Reserve that we may hit the brakes on the total annihilation of our economy. There is nothing “Federal” about the Federal Reserve – it is a public-private partnership between private banks and the U.S. Government, and at present, the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 has created a regime where even the Central Intelligence Agency has more transparency on what it does with taxpayer money than what the Fed does with the dollar. In truth, the Fed serves to provide 100% profit for the investments of its incorporated private banks and no loss whatsoever, because any losses are simply absorbed by you and me, the taxpayers – as proven by the bailouts which followed the derivatives crisis. Not once in its entire history has the Fed ever been audited, nor have its actions ever been brought to public review. This is a travesty and it is the greatest threat to our freedom that we face.

Filipino freedom is tied to finances. Without control of our finances, we have no freedom, no matter who is in office, no matter what party rules, no matter what race populates the positions of leadership. Until we audit the Fed and take back monetary power from the Fed, we will be on a collision course for a future where the division between have and have nots is extreme and our hard work is rewarded with tyranny and tears. Jose Rizal said, “There can be no tyranny where there are no slaves.” Filipinos, arise!

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This article originally appeared in the Nov. 7th edition of the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle.

Realism

Realists hold the perception that human nature is centrally motivated by aggressive tendencies to seek dominion over another. As such, humans and states will seek security based on power. Being a born again Christian believer, my perception of the world is shaped by passages of Scripture such as Genesis 6:5 which states, “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” (NIV). The Bible portrays the heart condition of man as inherently evil, and God’s approach to reforming man is seen by law and judgment during the Old Testament era and “crucifixion” to sin (that is, putting to death the carnal nature) in the New Testament era. Realists like myself are therefore predisposed to develop policies based on restricting the opportunity for humans to exercise their aggressive nature. This may manifest in the form of a domestic policy which supports the use of the death penalty for certain offenses or a foreign policy of procuring excessively powerful military weapons and large standing armies even in the absence of any visible threat, so as to serve as a deterrent against other states.

Individualism

The second critical component of the American conservative is individualism. While there are many definitions for what an individualist is, my definition of an individualist is someone who believes in self-control, self-discipline, and self-accountability. Is this mutually exclusive with the realist belief that all men are inherently evil? If men are inherently evil, how then can they govern themselves? The individualist recognizes his nature is evil and just as the realist seeks to prevent others from having the space to do wrong, likewise prevents himself from doing wrong by exercising a tight reign over his faculties and conduct. Again, Christian faith plays an essential element in the formation of this belief system. St. Paul writes, “I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:27 NIV). The Bible continues to say, “if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment” (1 Corinthians 11:31 NIV) and “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:22-24 NIV).

Individualists do not believe in things such as globalism, carbon taxes, mandatory government health insurance or other similar programs because of the fact that there is no buy-in to being forced to be accountable for someone else. This is not to say that individualists do not believe in protecting the economy, helping the poor, or improving the collective value of their communities; rather, they believe that it should be done out of free choice and personal initiative instead of government mandate. As St. Paul writes, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV).

Idealism

Unlike realists who perceive the human nature as being inherently corrupt and naturally predisposed to lean towards evil, idealists believe that humans, if placed in the correct environment, will do the right thing. Idealist philosophy generally places the blame for societal problems on external factors such as poor public education, lack of access or denial of a forum for grievances, insufficient resources, et cetera. While the realist may contend that “We must have the Second Amendment right to bear arms so that I can shoot the thief when he breaks into my house” the idealist counters “we must abolish the Second Amendment and disarm everyone because the presence of guns in the neighborhood makes everyone feel insecure and fuels the desire to engage in aggressive behavior.” The idealistic worldview manifests in domestic policies such as strict environmental regulation, mandatory public school curricula, rehabilitation and anti-recidivism programs for criminals and drug addicts, or in dealing with other states, a policy of emphasizing “carrot” over “stick” through repetitive engagement, overwhelmingly generous foreign aid and/or humanitarian missions, and military disarmament so as not to be perceived as a threat. The idealist of the 1960s would have professed that America “must” land on the Moon by the end of the decade so as to inspire the nations of the world to cooperate for the high goal of scientific achievement and human excellence, whereas the realist would say that Americans “must” land on the Moon so as to prove the superiority of American missile technology and payload delivery, so as to intimidate the Soviets and Warsaw Pact from becoming aggressive. For the idealist, the Obama campaign’s use of words such as “Hope” “Change” and “Yes We Can” is extremely appealing because it plays upon the idealist’s belief that in the end, humans want to do good – we just have to give them the space and opportunity to do so. For the realist, the McCain campaign employs “Duty” “Honor” and “Service Before Self” – key words that appeal to a realist’s pursuit of self-discipline, self-rule, and the exclusion of evil.

Collectivism

I believe that collectivism is a natural compliment to idealism. Collectivists believe that the individual is best served when the society’s good is served (i.e., greatest good for the greatest number). Collectivists will support hiking taxes to pay for the instances where government revenues fall rather than reducing spending because it is believed that government knows best how to serve the individual. Collectivists will believe in larger government, even international and global governance, because standardization and unification in their beliefs is the best approach to accomplishing what is good for man. Why should America utilize the United Nations Security Council as a forum for its grievances? Because, a collectivist would argue, only through the decision of the combined nations can the best policy be achieved.

What Is Truth?

Ultimately, the question you must ask yourself in deciding whether you will lean liberal or conservative is the same question that Governor Pontius Pilate asked: “What is truth?” For me, my truth is that we must look out for ourselves in this dangerous and dark world, that hope is good, but action is better. King David, when faced with chastisement for sin prayed, “Let me fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men” (1 Chronicles 21:13 NIV). I don’t believe in the tenets of idealism or collectivism because man and society, if given impunity over me, will abuse me for his own benefit over mine. That is why I am a realist and an individualist, and that is why I am a conservative.

America’s Founding Fathers understood a concept which I call “freedom takes faith.” They understood this because they knew that immorality and corruption serve as a pretext for government power to dilate and regulate, but self-controlled men are able to rule themselves and keep themselves and their nation in check from every manner of evil. Our Founding Fathers were not ashamed to confess Christ as their Lord and Savior – which is to say they believed in the Bible and acted upon its principles – because the Christian faith is the manifesto for freedom.

Consider the people of ancient Egypt: their people worshipped everything from humans to gnats, and their system of morality freely permitted their Pharaoh to engage in acts of mass genocide against infant Hebrews as a means for both population control and national security. Ancient Egypt was a tyrannical regime based on fear, intimidation, and slavery. A young Moses attempted to stir the Hebrews to revolt against their Egyptian task masters through violence, but his attempt at inspiring them failed to achieve anything fundamental. What ultimately permitted the Hebrews to be free from the economic, political, and racial tyranny of the Egyptians and their Pharaoh was not violent revolution but rather spiritual revolution through a reverent recognition of God and faith in Him.

In the pastoral epistle of 1 Timothy 6:3-6, the Apostle Paul warns,

If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain (NIV).

Here we see that everything that can possibly go wrong in human society begins with individuals who are led not by faith but by carnal desires and lusts. Self controlled individuals keep themselves in check and do not require excessive laws to restrict their behavior or taxes to control their habits, as is the case with a society where no one is able to control themselves. Self controlled individuals likewise demand that those who are entrusted with leading their government be men who do not pervert justice but honor the rule of law and remain faithful to the people.

The Bible says in 2 Chronicles 20:20, “Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful” (NIV). The Bible records, “Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD and believed the LORD and his servant Moses” (Exodus 14:31 KJV). By having faith in God and His prophetic messenger, Moses, they not only escaped but devastated the greatest system of tyranny the ancient world had known. Today, Americans who seek to restore our Republic can do so by believing in God and His greatest Messenger of all, Jesus.