Joel McDurmon observes in God and Socialism:
We must confess—it is vital to admit—that along with all of the tyrannical aspirations of government, the will of a complicit people is vital for tyranny to continue.
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A Complicit People
Joseph Farah on the Institution of Marriage
Farah relates his thoughts in We Won’t Get Fooled Again, by Gregg Jackson and Steve Deace:
In Genesis we see He created this institution of marriage, and you can see Jesus affirms it in the Gospels, as well as Paul in the New Testament in places like Romans. So if you abandon an institution like this, self-government implodes because the family is destroyed and then a society has to make a decision: are you going to worship at God’s altar or are you going to worship at the altar of the government (Deace, 90).
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Intellectual Influence
Peter Steinfels, in his introduction to The Neo Conservatives, observes the vast influence of intellectuals in the public affair. Though not all change derives from the pens of intellectuals, he argues that it would be foolish “to forget the crucial role that thinkers and writers and artists have in defining, for practical men, just what is possible.”<>
The Gary North Collection
If you are looking for Christian theology and economic theory, Gary North is your man. How about lots of his books for free? Here you have it!<>
Steve Deace Endorses Newt Gingrich
The famed Iowa talk show host, Steve Deace, has officially endorsed Newt Gingrich.
Steve has done a fine job over the last few months to educate the public on a host of issues. He even had Tom Woods as guest to defend Ron Paul. Woods worked hard to get Steve to consider the Texas Congressman. But Deace chose to go with the one candidate who is now in fourth place in the latest poll. For Deace, I give him kudos for voting for his convictions no matter how low (convictions and polling) Gingrich’s may be. In 2007, poll numbers did not look good for Paul, but yet many of us still supported Paul out of principle (yes, they still matter). On the other hand, Deace argued that Paul was one of two candidates “offering a real means by which to actually undo that which the Left has done to this country for the past 50 years, and not just conservative platitudes.” Of course, what turned him off to Paul was his stance on Iran. Deace argues Paul is naive on foreign policy.
I have worked hard to show again and again that Paul’s foreign policy is one of freedom. It is rooted in the Just War Theory of the early church and highly endorsed by the founding fathers. It was George Washington’s farewell address that cautioned this nation not to enter into entangling alliances, rather peace and friendship as alternatives. But “the Constitution is just too archaic for a world that has changed,” many argue. Yet, many well known scholars argue that the founding fathers and their principles are not dead. Robert Pape, Chalmers Johnson, Andrew Bacevich, Justin Raimondo, and so many others have spoken unequivocally about blowback. America’s past has left the seeds of unintended consequences, which are now bearing fruits of destruction. We have no one to blame, but the political leaders in Washington who have entered into wars carelessly without any regard for congress, or the rule of law.
But in this contested race, many republican leaders (talk show hosts included) are not really that interested in reading actual details of U.S. foreign policy. They entangle themselves in emotional reasoning: “They hate us because of our freedom.” It is a preferable argument than to dig into the lengthy conclusions of the CIA who stated that American bases in Saudi Arabia was the reason given by the suicide bombers and bin Laden for bombing us in 9-11. Or, Michael Sheuer, former head of the bin Laden unit, who has stated that America’s policies are making us less safe.
In the end, many will listen to Deace. I like the guy. He seems honest and humble. But unfortunately he has fallen for the false rhetoric of a politician who has been accurately described as a serial hypocrite.<>
