Nations are living organisms: biological – with an emphasis on logical – made up, obviously, of living, breathing people who share basic concepts of right, wrong, love, family, economics and social status. The health of the nation connects to the health of its members, physically, but also to the health of its beliefs, religious and otherwise. Some nations started because of religious beliefs, but most are or were tribal. Weaving through hundreds or thousands of years of history – perhaps “progress” – nations either progress evenly enough that its members accept, over time, their relationships to political power-holders, elected or otherwise. It is a function of “social status” noted earlier.
Wars change nations, usually by a form of cruel, expensive, bloody separation or segregation: almost purification. If there were some semblance of justice in the origins and results of war, stronger nations, healthier nations, will result. Former amalgamations of nations are distilled apart leaving nations comprised of people who more evenly – fairly – share the basic concepts of life and cooperation listed at the beginning of this observation.
Historians, of course, amidst their natural biases, justify or castigate wars along a spectrum of perceived fairness or righteousness in their origins. However, time reveals the health of nations following the wrenching of war, and the correctness of the new or modified nation’s composition. Is the society healthy? Do its members accept, if not reinforce one another? Is there a path for the divisions of social status to soften or encourage improvement of the economic and social status of its members? If so, that nation will retain its shared identity and ethical agreements.
The advent of writing and written “history” of nations and wars, began a process that has left “modern” peoples with an image, at least, often biased and one-sided justifications of conflicts over the past 5,000 years or so. The use of writing, long, long ago, was a tool of kings or emperors: ruling classes, certainly. The recorded story would automatically be told from the outlook of “rulers,” and then, only of the victorious rulers. As writing and reading spread through greater fractions of societies, somewhat truer, more accurate pictures of the how’s and why’s of wars have been “painted.” Throughout, the tendency for dominant elements of societies – governors – to control what those dominated know or believe about the nature of the world around them and, more specifically, about the workings and intentions/philosophies of their “governors,” themselves.
Occasionally – very infrequently, actually – only once, in fact, a nation is (was) formed based on the best of the philosophies and histories that human history had delivered to that point and place in time. To define that nation, the philosophies of individual sovereignty, responsibility, liberty and from-the-people authority to govern, and the reasons for employing those ideas, were written into the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and Bill of Rights of 1789. Underlying all of them is the tradition of Judeo-Christianity: 5,000 years of learning what are rights and wrongs and how honesty and honor can and should dissolve lies and hatred and disrespect.
Through it all the Bible has made clear that the most powerful relationship with God is an individual one. Fellowship and congregation are wonderful reinforcements for the individual’s ability to internalize the concepts of God and His rules for life and ascension. Without religious freedom the evolution of souls and the growth of individuals would be impossible. Without the lessons religion provides, the model for 2-parent families and effective fathering of sons and daughters, including economic security, would slip away. There are those, today, who think the government will take better care of children than will their parents. God forbid.
The Constitution is both a covenant and a unique, exceptional, partnership with the people – citizens – of the United States. Unique among nations and history, the CITIZENS of the United States formed the government of the United States. The founding had flaws, primarily slavery and slaves, themselves. The problem that the founders hoped would fade away became the gut-wrenching lever that separated the states. The Civil War became the awful medicine that commenced the cure of slavery fairly quickly, and the cure of racism that has progressed for decades afterwards. But, in both the forming and preservation of the Union, God blessed our nation with the wisdom and fortitude to earn the right of national identity.
Our identity depends upon our general grasp of the IDEAS, the philosophies that underlie our founding and why the Constitutional model is designed the way it is. As we select our representatives, governors and President, we should be looking for each of their understanding of our Constitutional Republic being a PARTNERSHIP that makes possible the success of every U. S. citizen. U. S. citizenship is the “Gold Standard” of all citizenships around the world. One of the prime tests of the right to lead Americans is whether the person seeking that power/status is prepared to defend the unique value of U. S. citizenship. Anyone who would dilute, or threaten that value, by definition is unqualified to lead us. Only U. S. citizens live under the protections and guarantees of the U. S. Constitution and those comprise the most valuable possession – personal property – of every citizen.
An example of PARTNERSHIP would be careful defense of our borders on behalf of every state and every citizen, with proper and strict control over non-citizens allowed to enter our nation. An example of TYRANNY would be loose or virtual non-control over illegal entrants. An example of PARTNERSHIP would be careful, balanced budgeting and management of the people’s money, taxes and banking/investment regulations. An example of TYRANNY would be $35Trillion in national debt and $1Trillion owed in interest every year. An example of PARTNERSHIP would be honest law enforcement and equal application/protection of the laws. An example of TYRANNY would be use of law enforcement agencies and even courts, to persecute people because of their beliefs or politics.
An example of PARTNERSHIP would be telling U. S. citizens the truth about government actions and legislation. An example of TYRANNY would be for the government or its agencies to lie to Americans… or to bring up for a vote legislation with more than the number of words than are in our amended Constitution.