di·chot·o·my
/dīˈkädəmē/
noun
“A division or contrast between two things that are opposed or entirely different.”
At one time not long ago Republicans and Democrats were not ‘entirely different.’ Christians and secularists were not ‘entirely different.’ White people and people of color were not ‘entirely different.’ Native-born and naturalized citizens were not ‘entirely different.’ It is a tragedy young people today know little of our sense of common purpose not that long ago.
Many of us are old enough to remember times of tremendous unity of purpose and pride in citizenship. It was called patriotism. The love of country and the general agreement on foundational principles, shared by the most diverse group on earth, was truly a miracle, for a while. Our shared love of liberty and opportunity created the greatest levels of freedom, happiness, and prosperity for the greatest number in history.
However, we did not rest on our achievements but listened to wise and challenging words from patriots who urged us to do better, patriots who saw injustice, patriots who showed us where our behavior fell short of our creed. They called us to higher ground, and we responded. Traditional morality constantly reminds us to improve.
Regardless of race, origin, religion or political party, for the most part, we agreed that the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Two Great Commandments were our rallying points, like the torch held high by Lady Liberty in New York harbor. We understood and agreed that we need the power of God’s love enabling us to govern ourselves, a totally revolutionary idea that called upon people to live above and beyond selfishness.
So we rejoiced in the blessings of liberty, and shared them generously with new immigrants, people who took the oath and the Pledge of Allegiance along with us. The proof of our exceptionalism: the burning desire of millions of people to come to America, even at the risk of their lives.
However, a terrible thing infected us decades ago. We hardly noticed. Whispers of suspicion and doubt commenced. The great unraveling began. The message was subtle and consistent. The deception was crafty. Slight shifts in understanding were enough to rend the fabric of unity, enough to launch the Great Dichotomy. Its momentum increased in the 50s, and the 60s. The messaging was picked up by mass media and spread epidemically through every level of society, especially in higher education and entertainment. It went something like this: “We really should not have prayer in school. That violates separation of church and state.”
“Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose.”
“The Constitution is negotiable.”
“If it feels good, do it.”
“If you can’t be with the one you love: love the one you’re with.”
“Central government! Central power! Central planning! Central control!”
“My head hurts, my feet stink, and I don’t love Jesus.”
“Turn on, tune in, drop out.”
“Imagine there’s no country.”
“Big deal. So what? Who cares? Why bother?”
“The great evil is capitalism.”
“Free love man. If it doesn’t hurt anyone, it’s cool.”
“Why don’t we get drunk and sc***?”
“Republicans are warmongers.”
“White people are of the devil.”
“Israel is the problem.”
“Abortion is a woman’s exclusive right to choose.”
“The traditional family is an illusion.”
“Question authority.”
“America is the Great Satan.”
“America sponsors wars to make the rich richer.”
“God is dead.”
“Kill your parents.”
“Burn the campus.”
“Tax the rich.”
“Revolution today, revolution tomorrow, revolution forever.”
“We demand social justice: we demand socialism.”
“Anything goes.”
The mentality created was a far cry from:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
-Declaration of Independence
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” – Preamble to the United States Constitution
“It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters.” – Edmund Burke
“We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.” – Abraham Lincoln
Though it is something of a generalization, the assertion is valid: division, suspicion, accusation, aggression, and disruption come mostly from the Left, that collection of anti-American groups started by Marxists in Germany, and spread out to include various collections of communists, atheists, and anarchists worldwide.
The Left was and is an attack machine 24/7. It took root in the 60s, accelerated in the 70s, stalled in the 80s thanks to President Reagan, then found new life in the 90s, thanks to a radicalized Democrat Party, a party today bearing no resemblance to Democrats in the John F. Kennedy era.
The Left has accomplished the Great Deathly Dichotomy. It has conquered the Democrats, looking now to conquer the entire country. With the advent of Obama, the Left believed the final death blow could be delivered. Then came Trump. He ruined their plans, reminding patriots of our duty. For all his imperfections, his greatest achievement is his success in reminding us we have a duty to ourselves, our ancestors, and to our posterity.
D.C. has always been populated by big egos throwing boney elbows, but in the context of the Great Dichotomy, hatred and divisiveness have become a ferocious machine built to drown out all patriot voices. The New Patriotism brought today by a resurgent Republicanism is especially loathsome to the destroyers who thought they were on the brink of total victory. We may not, in our lifetimes, overcome the Great Deathly Dichotomy infecting our country. But we can do all in our power to help our children and grandchildren reclaim the blessings of liberty, despite the destroyers who sponsor mayhem.
To achieve our victory, we need only return to the fundamentals: the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Two Great Commandments.
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” – John Adams (Founding Father, President)
