18 October 2009
At a recent political get-together, the speakers had just spent a lot of time discussing how to build political impact and stressing the need to build coalitions that can result in a large enough number of people to make our voice heard by our representatives.
At the end, though, two people made statements that in their minds, the fundamental issue is their “pro-life” stance; they felt they could not brook any opposition on that issue.
Later, I happened to be standing next to the woman who had been the most vocal of the two, and we had an interesting discussion.
The building we were gathered in was a church, and I said, “Within these walls, you are right to make abortion your fundamental concern.
“But keep in mind that if Obama had his way, these walls would be gone. You would have no place to gather. You would never know if there were others like you – those who thought like you, worshipped like you, believed like you, or had the same political ideas as you. You would be alone, with no idea if one neighbor or the next was someone who would stand with you in your beliefs.
“The most fundamental issue is that we believe in a limited government, free speech, and the rights of the individual, and from that we must act against all the socialistic, paternalistic, tyrannical forces who would like to make things otherwise.”
I said, “We are standing as
individuals, for Individual Rights; we are agreeing to disagree; we are saying that despite the fact that our beliefs not only may but by definition
will vary, that we prefer that variety to strait-jacketed conformity, coerced lives, and the drudgery of the socialists.
“Socialists are willing to be regimented behind a single leader. They are willing to be herded through his voice. They see following the dictates of another person as a good thing. They are willing to allow someone else to control their destiny.
“Against that, here we all stand, separate and un-united.
“The socialists are counting on that. They see that as our weakness, and as a sign of a democratic minority. They think they have the upper hand, because we are fragmented, while they are a single group.
“We must understand that while we agree to disagree, we are all united in wanting a limited government, and be willing to unite in our actions to bring that about.
Those two people immediately understood: we must fight for our freedom today, or all the other fights are lost.
And now we stand united.
“In that freedom, each of us can live according to what he believes.”
That is why Freedom is moral, and Socialism is immoral.
-- Scott
Go to top
