America Transformed?

I explored several different ideas and themes for this post. I was going to share my experience of being immersed in media this week, and the struggle to regain clarity. I was going to talk about how diabolical the government/media enterprise are in their pursuit of power. I was going to rant a while about the Obama czars. I was going to go on about the utter ruthlessness of a congress and an administration who would exploit the death of one of their own for their political gain. But I think I'll start off this way.

I heard it said this week that America is being transformed before our very eyes. The speaker's point was that all the things taking place in the Obama administration and the democrat party are attempts to radically change America. He was only partially right. America is not yet being transformed by all the madness in the White House and the Capitol.

The federal government is not the country, and the country is not the federal government.

The federal government is being transformed.

The Obama administration is being transformed into something most Americans wouldn't recognize. They are driven by a foreign collectivist impulse to centralize as much power and authority as possible unto themselves. From banking and insurance to automotive manufacturing the federal government has unprecedented control over a large portion of the economy. The Obama attorney general has decided to make the Central intelligence agency his sandbox, and has used the authority of his office to launch an investigation of CIA practices, over the stated objections of his own president.

The congress has seen fit to impose themselves on another piece of the economy under the false guise of health care reform. At the same time they have mounted a frontal assault on private insurers by demanding compensation records and travel expenses and other information which is no business of theirs. They've already stomped on the CIA. And they're working on legislation which would empower the president of the United States to take control of private computer networks in the event of some unknown cybersecurity disaster.

If recent reports are accurate, Mr. Obama has stacked his administration with nearly forty czars, not subject to congressional approval and accountable only to himself. By and large, these are some of the most radical individuals to ever walk the halls of power, and they serve there at Mr. Obama's invitation and pleasure. The congress with its Democrat majority has allowed itself to be co-opted by a leftist/radical agenda. Egged on by a compliant, if not outright complicit media, they have come together in a government/media enterprise which threatens the very fabric of American society.

Many have said, myself included, that the 2010 mid-term election could be the turning point. After this week I find myself compelled to say that there needs to be a turning point right now. We can't wait until 2010. The government of the most powerful nation in the world is being transformed into an instrument of oppression and repression.

In a previous post I wrote that because of our poorly chosen elected representatives, "We the People" would have to look after American values and ideals ourselves. The gravity of the current situation underscores the urgency with which we need to be about that task. The same groundswell of opposition to health care reform must arise against every leftist/radical/collectivist idea, impulse or initiative that comes out of the government/media enterprise.

In conversations with family, friends and co-workers there are a couple of recurring themes. They say it's too late to do anything about this, or they're scared, worried and/or afraid. The first statement is totally inaccurate and comes mostly from people who have yet to reach what I call the tipping point, people who are more concerned about the ramifications of getting up and getting involved than of sitting back and watching. The issue of fear is a little different. Fear is a most excellent motivator. My tipping point cost me three nights sleep and three days of anxiety before I decided to join the fray. Fear that doesn't motivate is an indulgence. It wasn't self-indulgence that gave rise to the Revolutionary-era tea parties, but a willingness to sacrifice time life and livelihood to preserve, protect and defend the American ideal in its infancy. Nor was it self-indulgence that propelled the once-silent majority into the streets on April 15, 2009 once again in defense of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

When America faces existential threats from enemies foreign and domestic, when her own government seems dedicated to dismantling the ideals and principles which formed the foundation of our Republic, when many of our enduring institutions have been co-opted by a leftist/radical/collectivist machine, "We the People" have two choices in the face of this creeping tryanny - acquiescence or resistance. We lose or we win. There's not much room in the middle.

I remain optimistic about our chances. The tea party fervor hasn't faded. In fact it has been bolstered by the passion generated by the health care debate. A friend, whose insight I value, says that this rising tide of opposition appears to have held off the long-term changes the Obama administration has sought. I hope and pray that he's right.

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.