When Patrick Henry orated for military action
against the British, he finished his speech with the famous phrase,
"give me liberty or give me death." The oft repeated assertion
represents a high-point of American exceptionalism. But that phrase
alone does not adequately represent Patrick Henry's argument. For while
he used the word "give", he understood that freedom is never given. In
the broader context, his closing offers up a deeper truth: "Is life so
dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and
slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may
take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" What Patrick
Henry was really calling for was not a gift of freedom but a will to
fight for it. He recognized the fundamental truth that freedom cannot
be given, only earned.
A will to fight is what we are sorely lacking. Speaking to war torn
Britain in 1940, Winston Churchill implored his countrymen to stand
strong, such that a 1000 years hence future generations would look back
and say, "This was their finest hour". How will our descendents regard
today's American resolve? If things continue down their present course,
this will surely be regarded as our weakest hour. Never before have a
people so strong been incapable of winning against an enemy so
militarily weak. But that is where we sit today, incapable of defeating
our enemies for no other reason then we refuse to try.
Granted, Global Jihad is not a typical enemy. It's tied to no single
country, and instead manifests itself across all borders and
boundaries. Its fighters do not merely follow the orders of some
government official, but are true believers in their cause, capable of
acting decisively without instruction. Global Jihad is a shared
ideology with self-confidence, determination and aspirations for a
global empire; a deadly combination. In contrast, America is following
the example of Europe and tossing its shared ideology in favor of a
secularist conglomeration of identity groups. When Theodore Roosevelt
was warning against the rise of "hyphenated Americans", he referred to
Americanism as "a matter of the spirit and of the soul." Europe has
already lost its soul, and America is quickly losing its as well.
The stark reality is that many, particularly in Europe but also a
growing number here in America, believe in nothing. When you worship at
the altar of multiculturalism, embracing all values but believing in
none, you have nothing to fight for. The result of this ideological
paralysis is being played out right before our eyes. Americans need to
watch closely as our cross-Atlantic brethren commit suicide by
acquiescence. Lacking convictions, Europe was ripe to be conquered by
the first strongly held ethos to come its way. As a result, Islamic
radicalism is now sweeping across Europe like wildfire. If Americans
cannot find our common cause again, we could be next.
It is not that we are incapable of waging war, as we do that quite
well. Against a standard enemy with an army, tanks and planes we have
no problem calling to arms. But our eventual victory in such battles is
quite assured, thanks to our superior forces and technology. Where we
stumble is against an enemy of ideology where our victory is not
assured. That is the new kind of war we face. The rules have changed.
Women and children are no longer respected; they are targeted. Land and
borders are no longer strategic objectives; they are largely
irrelevant. We need a strong soul to win this war.
We have a soul, but it's hidden away like an embarrassing child.
European elitists scorn at American exceptionalism as a sign of
barbarity and American leftists gleefully concede the point. In their
view we are behind the times in our refusal to relinquish control of
our lives to our government and control of our national safety to
transnational organizations that function as little more than tyrant
debate clubs. But they have it backwards; American exceptionalism and
self-reliance is not the problem, it's the solution. It's the only
solution. The ideological battlefield is not limited to the mountains
of Afghanistan or the sands of Iraq, it's being fought right here in
America. Every important decision that we turn over to the government,
from education to health care, is a defeat for American exceptionalism
and a victory for our enemies. In order to achieve their goals,
jihadists must rely on a weak America incapable of sustaining her will
for survival. And the bigger our government gets, the more our survival
instinct dissolves.
This is a war that every American can participate in. Recognize that
there do exist ideals that are righteous and worth fighting for.
Believe in your hearts that the world is better, rather than worse,
thanks to America. Understand that individualism and self-reliance are
the bedrocks of American exceptionalism. When you do these things, you
are defeating our enemies.
Cross-posted at
Conservative Compendium.