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Friday, May 8, 2015

America, How Far You Have Fallen

I'm reading the April issue of Chronicles. The major articles focus on Appomattox because April 9th was the 150th anniversary of Lee's surrender there. Editor Thomas Fleming makes this sobering point  about the outcome in his commentary, Why They Fought:
The Theory of Democracy, which is in principle the right of a majority to strip a minority of its rights, was used to destroy the republic 150 years ago, and it is in the name of democratic equality that all the fundamental institutions of human life are now under attack. Once this principle is invoked, there are no barriers to the growth of government and its invasion of private life. We once had a constitution to defend us from the tyranny of the majority, but  the Constitution of the United States, while it can still provide excellent talking points for conservatives, has been nullified by the Supreme Court. We once had states, whose power to resist the national government was guaranteed by the Tenth Amendment, but Appomattox put an end to states' rights along with every other right protected by the Constitution. 
The only question on the table these days is the Machiavellian question of power. Edward McCrady understood this well. In 1899, when his niece asked him how she should go about studying the Constitution, the great conservative historian responded, "If you want to know the Constitution, at present, you need not hear lectures. It can be written in one word: "force." His insight only gained strength in the course of the 20th century.
When the states signed the Declaration of Independence and voted to ratify the Constitution they acted as autonomous and equal states joined in a loose confederation where no state had binding power over another. The confederation exemplified the Catholic principle of subsidiarity that a lower level of authority takes precedence over a higher level. The voters of each state held the power over what happened in their geographical area. The ranchers of Texas have different needs from the farmers of the prairies and the mercantile communities of New England. That was reflected in their individual governments. Today, however, governors are often little more than pawns of the federal government, beholden through their acceptance of federal grants and burdened with unfunded mandates issued from on high. Imposition of one-size-fits-all education with No Child Left Behind is just one example. Others include the old 55 mph mandate and a national drinking age of 21. All these mandates are tied to loss of federal funds which effectively bribes state into compliance.

As for the Supreme Court, it is a tyrannical oligarch that willy-nilly issues rulings that make law rather than interpret the Constitution as the founders wrote it. None of the founders would have thrown prayer out of the schools. None of the founders would have discovered a right to kill America's progeny in the "penumbra" of the Constitution. None of the founders would have defended pornography as "free speech." And they certainly would never even consider the possibility that two men or two women could engage in mutual masturbation and call it marriage.

The tyranny of political correctness is on the rise as free speech wanes. I have no doubt that one day, perhaps soon, an article like this that dares to question Big Brother's wisdom and his tyrannical laws will land the writer in jail. It seems inevitable to me from a secular viewpoint. But with God all things are possible, even the conversion of America.

Yesterday, about 75 Woodstock citizens gathered in front of the courthouse to join in solidarity with people all over the country participating in the National Day of Prayer. We lifted up our political leaders at all levels, our families, our communities, all those who serve us at home and abroad. We prayed for unity and for conversion. May God hear our prayers and bring this once great and moral nation to its knees. Come, Lord Jesus.  

6 comments:

  1. America is just an instrument of world government. There is not an independent country on the planet. Most of the top people in authority everywhere are mere puppets. That goes especially for what you think is the Catholic Church which has not had a legitimate pope since 1914. Start learning the truth and fast.

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  2. You say Pius IX was the last legitimate pope. Others say Pope Pius XII. If any of you are right then Jesus Christ has abandoned His Church. Since He said He would never do that, it appears to me that you are calling Him a liar.

    There are many times in history that popes have been weak or evil. God raised up saints during those times like Catherine of Siena. The Holy Spirit has never left the Church. I trust in God's promises rather than in those Catholics who have made themselves an alternative magisterium.

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  3. Thank you for allowing this comment. Our Lord said he will be with us all days until the consummation of the world. Since Our Lord ascended to heaven the church has had and eternally will have an invisible pontiff. We know and believe in this invisible pontiff through the Holy Ghost and his indestructible indefectible church. The Holy Ghost gave us the dogma of infallibility in order to be able to separate true popes from usurpers. There is no question of a lay magisterium. It is necessary for salvation to be subject to the Roman Pontiff. Have changed the title of my blog if you would like to check it out.

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  4. I looked at your website a little bit and we really don't see eye to eye on things.

    Whether you like any of the post Vatican II popes or not, they were elected in conclaves by the magisterium of the Church and are legitimate. They should be treated in a respectful way even when we are criticizing their actions.

    We live in difficult times, but not for the first time in Church history. I'm not going anywhere else than the Holy Catholic Church because there is no place else to go. The fact that Peter's successors are not all saints is no surprise and no cause for us to lose faith.

    I find Pope Francis confusing and disturbing, but he is the pope. No matter how bad things get, Christ will not abandon His Church.

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  5. A true successor of Saint Peter would not confuse or disturb you.The One Holy Catholic Church defines the gates of hell as the eternal death dealing tongues of heretics. To be in communion with a heretic is to be separated from the Catholic Church outside of which there is no salvation or remission of sin. Defend your priesthood and thank you for helping me come to a final title for this blog.

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  6. Pope Vigilius was an ally and pawn of Queen Theodora, a heretic. Pope Liberius unjustly excommunicated St. Athanasias. Stephen VII who ruled from 896-897 was, in fact, a heretic who intrigued against the previous pope and declared all his clerical appointments and ordinations invalid. He is among the most scandalous of popes. Sergius III fathered a son who later became pope (John XI). If you want to read stories of intrigue and scandal read the lives of the popes. Of course, you will also be reading the lives of the saints.

    Your statement that a true pope "would not confuse or disturb you" flies in the face of 2000 years of Church history. Jesus Himself chose a betrayer for his inner circle. Catherine of Siena was so disturbed by actions of the popes that she continuously exhorted several to do the right thing.

    A man elected to the papacy by the Cardinals of the Church is the pope. Why the Holy Spirit allows some evil men to reign is a question, but if Jesus Himself allowed it, we should not be surprised.

    When Fr. John Hardon was asked at a conference why there was a Judas, he responded, "Well, the reason the Church gives is to prepare the Faithful for Apostate Bishops." The pope is a bishop. Why should God not allow an apostate or heretical bishop to be pope? Perhaps when we receive bad popes, it's because we deserve them.

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