Opinion
That they should so wish is interesting. It is best understood as an astute reading of their voting base; and their voting base doesn’t have any idea what they are actually voting for, or what bending of the U.S. tradition and liberty it might allow!
Average Republicans will and do deny this, but with some study the truth will out. Specifically, the current cant is that in a Republic, the legislators (which, co-incidentally but unacknowledged, are elected democratically) are not to be subject to the will of the people; rather they are subject to the rule of “law.” Oh yes … but which law? No one actually says. This semantic slight of hand is that “patriots” (read conservatives) know what the law is, and that what they are proposing and promulgating has been here since the founding of America. The usually un-verbalized (but assumed and injected) con is that the “Law” is always apparent, and that all “good Patriots” know what the “law” is!
Once their assumption of the “obviousness” law is posited, then next sequential conservative shuffle step is to totally avoid and ignore the source from whence the law (remember, we are not discussing religion) would come! Nor do they explain how, when needed, the law can, would, and/or should itself be changed "by the rule of law.” Can't you just see the “conservative conservatives” waving the flag of “Law” against the “not quite so conservative conservatives.” Doesn’t this remind you of old church ladies arguing about who is “Holier than Thou?” In arrogance, the conservatives are sure that they know how many angels can dance on the point of their pen!
Let's think a little about law. It is very much like theology, but we need to think about it. In a "republic", what would the "law" dictate? Is it, the “pertaining law" Christian, Muslim, Judaic, Buddhist, Shinto, Hindu or … or what? And in whichever pertains, which sect, branch, division, split, or denomination has the best understanding? Is the "law" white, yellow, red, brown, black or mixed? Is it immutable or changeable? And if so, who is to interpret its immutability, and/or who determines the essence of the change? If “changeable,” who gets to do the changing. If “unchanging,” Who knows best to explain? Do these arbiters just "happen" or do we select them? Who determines that they are correct in their interpretation? ... who judges the judges, and who elects and un-elects those judges?
If the "law" is changeable, do men change it? If so, can those we elect change or is it changed from on high. And if from on high, who’s on high delivers the interpretation and by what vector? How do we know that they are from … “on high?” If it is changed by men, is voting on it how it is changed? If so, is it done democratically by vote? If not, how do we determine? Democratically? How? Do we go back to monarchy? Bow to dictatorship? Submit to slavery?
In America, most politicians would, at least publicly, agree that “we the people” vote. But, most of the time “we” vote through “our representatives” but other than wisdom and honesty, what and who watches over our “representatives?” The answer, of course, is our vote reigns over their head … but our vote may be years away. And, more to be feared, our votes may be suborned.
Unfortunately, the authors and propagandists of current conservative party lines immediately gloss by such questions. They loudly proclaim their want for the stability of "law," but if questioned about the nurturing and maintenance of the "law" they assure us it will be done "by the rule of law." The hidden proviso? That they, the conservative comrades, are, in their minds and plans, to be the oracles of that law. They reassure and promise and attest and explain what the law wants. They find “patriotic” rules to tell you what to do, how to act, what to think, what you can expect and, at all times they assure you that they are right. They, these conservative representatives, will tell us what they want us to know.
Unfortunately, even if they are totally faithful to their own lights and job, they still may not be adequate. Sometimes their vote will be based upon error, or in ignorance, or both, or worse. All they know, may not be all they need to know, and sometimes even these self proclaimed commissioned from on high “conservatives” will change to support personal agenda. Their standard reassurance is that what they want is what the "law" wants. But, fair warning, even if they are totally honest, their understanding of "law" may be wrong, and, politics being politics, may even be different than they portray and promise.
I find all this and its political agenda amazing … so strange, in fact, that it would be funny were it not such a fundamentally important thing for and in our lives. Don't ever forget that we, the people in concert, by vote, and often in compromise, have the right to determine and mold "law." Most politicians will readily acknowledge that when we vote for them, but they frequently forget when it is time for them to vote … for us.
To those of “conservative” proclivity, this all suggests that “patriotism” is doing what our leaders tell us. I disagree, patriotism is our job of directing our leaders? This is most specifically and frequently needed when our “leaders” use their position to impose their will for “party” (or their own selfish benefit…) rather than for the mutual benefit of our country.
We, the people, are the nation. Our elective representatives and the government functionaries exist at our will and for our collective well being. They can be and are a part; but they are a part of “we!” Their job is not their power “over” us … rather, it is the representation of the “collective” us.
Do you want to live in a truly “free” society and country? That is possible and happens only when "We the people" are also we the “law.” As assignment, our representatives should not be our “leaders;” in fact, they were hired to follow us. They are paid to be our hired hands.
Jim Lyle is a previous Lake County Poet Laureate. He now lives in Yountville.
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- Written by: Jim Lyle
For many Americans, their primary personal identity is found in their alma mater – their high school or college – not in their family or ethnic identity. That is why the mascot issue is such a hot button item in many communities. Those four to eight years of their life seem to provide the only symbols by which many people can identify a personal identity – other than being “American.” That is why the emotional attachment is so strong – because the American social fabric is woven of such thin and transparent cloth. The experience of four years identifying with a mascot symbol is compared equally in importance, without any sense of shame, to the real identity of cultures formed over thousands of years. In our communities people who went to high school and identified with “Indians” draw on that identity and compare it to the emotional reservoirs of families who can trace their roots locally back 10,000 years – and can compare the two experiences without blinking.
I have consistently expressed the controversial view that the real success of the U.S. as a nation is predominantly based on the unique and substantial resources of the land and its varying geology, geography, topography and climate – rather than the actions of men. At this time, I would like to add that I believe the inherent spirit and social balance exhibited by the Native Nations that resided here for millennia provided a buffer of spiritual power that enabled America not only to survive the last five centuries, but to maintain a relatively free and easy life. Keep in mind that we were denied our religious, social and political freedoms, even while Americans were formulating the myth that the guarantee of those rights is what America stands for. Long after our peoples posed any threat to the American Nation or peoples, those freedoms continued to be denied to us. Our peoples still struggle with the moral, social and spiritual disabilities of having been stripped and denied our right to assemble, celebrate and worship as we believed.
The basic philosophy of the American Experiment has been a blend of Merchant-Roman-Christian ideology. What does that mean? Think of it as a three-tiered effigy. At its base, the underlying fundamental principle of America is its mercantilism and entrepreneurial spirit. The potential to get rich and consistently increase one’s individual stand of living. That is the bedrock of what draws immigrants to the U.S. And let’s be frank, America has always needed that influx. Let’s digress for a moment and ask “Why?”
Anytime one takes unrelated groups with varying ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds and attempts to meld them together into any purpose – the first thing that needs to be established is a common identity and goal. The goal is this case is easily defined. Freedom to pursue economic independence and wealth, and to practice one’s culture and religion without persecution. That is the stated, albeit often unrealized, expression of the American Dream. The identity for the Founding Citizens of this country was easily formed. They were all castaways from the systems of Europe, sincerely grateful to have conquered a new paradise. They carried forward with that sense of new purpose and freedom for a number of generations before they began to run out of steam. However, after awhile the novelty of that wore off and significant and divisive forces began to fester in the infancy of America. What brought it out of the doldrums and reinforced its identity was another wave of immigrants in the early 1800s. Newly immigrant Americans have always been the most enthusiastic patriots and believers in the promise of this Nation.
The institution of Democracy, completely plagiarized from two centuries of discussions about American Native institutions of government and social organization in Europe and America, resulted in a government that really was capable of allowing individual freedom for almost all its citizens (except those it purposely disenfranchises along the way). Additionally, and perhaps most important, the length, breadth and rich resources of the land provided every opportunity for that Dream to be realized.
Keeping unrelated and culturally diverse peoples united requires a common identity. That identity was concocted from a series of myths and outright lies to form the basis of the conceptualization of what America stands for. There is no dispute that for many immigrants the freedom to worship and strive for economic improvement is a dream come true, whether the facts of their identity are constructed from wisps of fantasy or not. Each time that the country has faced a period where its unrelated nature began to dissolve the bonds that held it together, a new group of immigrants has arrived to bolster its mythological premise and support it patriotic nationalism. America needs immigrants to infuse its blood supply with new and energetic support, and to continue the myth of its premise that it was founded for all.
Now let’s return to the discussion at hand. We have identified freedom from political totalitarianism as one of the elements that allows free enterprise to flourish. Though there are other forms of totalitarianism – including corporate economic power – the second tier of the American effigy is in its similarity to Rome. Particularly in today’s circumstances – the symbols of the Emperor, the Senate, and the Coliseum are highly similar to what moves and shakes America. The former two are evident as the primary combatants in our political system (the president and Congress), and the Coliseum represents entertainment and becomes a significant part of the cultural reality of our Age. Sports, media, movies, holidays, commercials, music, even eating establishments become the fabric of American culture replacing a true ethnic and cultural identify as a kind of pseudo-culture, totally devoid of common mores or values unless recognized as part of the game.
The final piece of the effigy, our Christian heritage, is an integral part of the American Myth. It revolves around a Divine Human and asks that we be like him, while at the same time assuring us, that because of our deviant natures, we can never be like him. Additionally it approaches it from the predominantly Roman Christian, rather than Hebrew-Aramaic point of view. The Romans imported the Christian story and ideals in much the same perspective we do today – fitting it in where it has a place, and disposing of it or ignoring it when it conflicts with the lower two tiers of the effigy – politics / the Nation, and economics /mercantilism.
This belief provides a convenient form of social control. On the one hand it asserts: “Your Savior was tolerant, peaceful, and energetic in his criticism of the status quo; of the mainstream; of the staid and conservative point of view. He tore off his clothes and jumped up and down on them to make a point with his nakedness. He associated with the lower strata of society in his daily life and threw off what he considered contrived social norms. He publicly berated the political and religious powerbrokers of his time.” Then, we are told – “But wait, he could do this because he was the Son Of Deity. No matter how hard you strive to be like him, you will never achieve it!” Talk about showing us cake and then serving us stale bread!
The result of this is a duality in our spiritual consciousness. On the one hand we exalt the Nazarene Carpenter for his virtues, but since we are told we can never achieve his perfection – we don’t even attempt it. We accept his beneficent forgiveness, and turn around and do the most unseemly things to others and to the world. We have taken his human characteristics and put them on an unreachable pedestal to be admired but never truly adopted into our social reality. We assume the mantel of the Pharisees of his time, ignoring his message and example, tentatively worshiping his unreachable perfection – and then attending to the business of the day. Because the only accepted study guide is a conglomeration of books that form a story more like a screenplay than a historical narrative, we have plenty of drama to distract us from the few real examples of his behavior—and conveniently ignore His politics and social consciousness.
This fits perfectly with the Merchant-Roman descendant civilization we exalt. We can look to the top of our effigy when we want to identify with our highest principles, yet we can also ignore it on a daily basic to pursue our Roman Mercantilism – where the bottom line always reflects the power of economy and Nationalism over morality, meaning or social responsibility.
But immigrants cannot, and will not, always be there to re-infuse the American Dream with new blood. Somewhere, the necessity for common purpose and commitment must arise. Common values are a necessary part of the survival of any human social organism. Christianity is not shared by enough Americans in common to provide guidance. Having been forcibly driven from our spiritual roots, American Indians still have enough understanding of the necessary elements that bind peoples together for survival to provide significant guidance for this Nation. Our people were far from perfect, yet we lasted far longer as communities and Nations than any of the more “permanent” civilizations that have since fallen into ruin.
Better to be a third-rate country with a contented and moral populace than the militant, puffed up and pretentious leader of the world. With our children suffering declining health, education, morality and hope from stress, suicide, substance abuse, violence and malaise, we need to do more than point fingers at those we think responsible. And as Native People are often told, “We can’t go back to the old days.”
This is just as true for the Americans of today. We cannot recapture the past no matter how grand we perceive its glory. We have to take what’s real – the smiles and future of our grandchildren – and serve their interests. Americans need to formulate a new common identity to sustain us as this new and changing world reshapes itself. There are guides to this process, if enough eyes and ears are opened.
James BlueWolf is a artist and author. He lives in Nice.
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- Written by: James BlueWolf
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