The Decline of Politics

My, oh my, oh my...aren't our politicians absolutely wonderful? 

Now, in the spirit of full disclosure, I usually vote Republican. My political leanings were formed first by my parents in a home where faith and patriotism, God and country played important roles. My political formation continued when I read Russell Kirk's seminal work, The Conservative Mind, as a high school junior. 

I registered to vote in 1965, when at 21 I was finally old enough. In those ancient days, no one was considered an adult until he turned 21. I had always believed this was arbitrary, and that anyone old enough to fight and die for our nation should be old enough to vote for those who send him into battle. The problem, of course, is that, unlike our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, many 19-year-olds, especially college freshmen and sophomores, are mentally and emotionally ill-equipped to elect our nation's leaders. I've always believed that the best measure of another person's character is my willingness to trust him with my life. Think about it. If your life were on the line, to which 19-year-old would you turn for help? The marine or the sociology major? 

I've not always been a happy Republican. All those years living in Massachusetts ensured that. Politicians of every stripe are generally weak-willed, unable, or at least unwilling, to resist the zeitgeist and remain true to the values that led voters to support them. Quite simply, far too many politicians cave under pressure because their first loyalty is not to the nation or its foundational principles. They are instead loyal only to themselves -- another reason I support term-limits. Because of this, I've tended to support candidates whose roots are apolitical, who don't view politics as a career. Yes, we need a government -- as James Madison reminded us, "If men were angels, no government would be necessary" -- but we should be represented not by those loyal only to themselves and the moneyed special interests, but by those who come from and represent the people. After all, in the United States it is the people, not the politicians or bureaucrats or large corporations, who are sovereign.

Senator Schumer wows the mob

Today some in our nation seem to be trying to relive the turbulent 1960s, the political Petrie dish of the Schumers and Pelosis. These and others like them carry the water for the hard left's true believers. Most of their followers, confused and inexplicably angry, couldn't tell a fascist from a communist. Indeed, the folks protesting today outside the Supreme Court in Washington, remind me of the 1960s protesters.

Between 1962 and 1967 I spent a year in Army R.O.T.C. at Georgetown U., followed by four years as a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy. During those and subsequent years of protests and riots, I'd occasionally visit college  campuses and chat with students at the local pub. I encountered very few students who actually believed all the leftist drivel screamed by the protest leaders. Most joined the protests just because it was "cool." Once you poured a few beers into the guys, they revealed their true feelings: they simply didn't want to go to Vietnam and maybe get shot. In other words, they were driven not by politics, but by their cowardice. The left has always relied on the mass of Lenin's "useful idiots" who don't have a clue and can be discarded once they are no longer useful.

The "Useful" Ones: Flush the Rule of Law

Since the election of Barack Obama, the Democrat party has raised the curtain and openly embraced the far left. The televised theater of the Senate's Judiciary Committee -- a theater of the absurd -- is simply a symptom of what we can expect in the future. 

The rule of law, the principle of presumed innocence, the tradition of civil discourse, the Constitutional protections of our Bill of Rights, the very idea that elections, the voice of the people, must be respected -- all of this is cast aside and trampled on by the Democrats. Why? Not because they actually believe the completely unsubstantiated charges leveled against Judge Kavanaugh. No, they strive mightily to destroy this good man's reputation and life simply because it is politically expedient to do so. They hope to energize their base in advance of next month's elections. They might instead discover that they've energized their opponents.

You see, even after two years, the party leadership cannot accept the fact that Donald Trump was elected president. Their hatred of the man apparently blinds them to his  accomplishments. But the issue that truly drives them is abortion. At the national level pro-life Democrats no longer exist. It has become the party of death and, dare I say it, the party doing Satan's work. Satan, the "murderer," seeks nothing but death, especially the deaths of the most innocent. How did Jesus describe him?

"You belong to your father the devil and you willingly carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies" [Jn 8:44].

Pray for our politicians of both parties. And pray, too, for our bishops since too many seem to mirror our politicians who fear unpopularity more than God. I once heard a pastor tell a deacon to "ease up on the pro-life homilies" because they upset some of the wealthy parishioners. When the deacon mentioned this to his bishop, he was told to "listen to your pastor." Priorities, priorities...Yes, indeed, the "smoke of Satan..."

Satan Cast Down (Doré etching)

In the long run, of course, if we are faithful we need not worry about Satan. For as Paul told the Romans, "the God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet" [Rom 16:20]. That will indeed happen, how quickly we just don't know. 

So...what of the future? I expect the population of supportive "useful idiots" to grow. And if the far left ever takes full control of the government, I can't envision a return to normalcy. Of course, far left governments inevitably fail because true socialism always fails. Unfortunately the failure can sometimes be catastrophic. From a human perspective, then, I expect my grandchildren just might experience the end of the American experiment, an end that will come suddenly rather than gradually.

But God can, and often does, change everything. The Lord of History steps into His creation and manifests His will in ways we can never imagine. And He sometimes chooses the most unlikely person to carry out His will in the world. As for you and me, we should be good citizens, vote our faith, and not be afraid to speak the truth. 

Pray for our Church and our nation. St. Michael, be our protection...