Under assault

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Surely, another post decrying what I define as a problem, or perhaps a collection of problems flying under one banner.  If so, the banner would read, “Under Assault.”

What, you may ask, is under assault?  Collectively, I would state the values and beliefs I was raised to accept and honor, plus the behavior, ethos, and societal norms associated with them.

These values and beliefs include:

• ·      Belief in God, admittedly a Christian belief.
• ·      Sanctity of family.
• ·      The freedoms contained in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
• ·      The obligation to serve our Nation.
• ·      Patriotism.
• ·      Respecting others.
• ·      Holding elected officials to higher levels of responsibility, commensurate with their higher levels of authority.
• ·      Law and order.
• ·      Earning our way through life by working for what we achieve.
• ·      Civil rights, though it was during the 60s that this brought to the forefront of the Nation’s conscience.  In our home, it was a given.
• ·      Charity.
• ·      Polite, temperate discourse, using the power of persuasion to make one’s point.
• ·      Accepting responsibility for one’s actions, even the stupid mistakes and errors in judgment we make.
• ·      Sportsmanship, exhibited (in part) by doing your best while seeking the win.  Celebrating wins, graciously accepting defeats.
• ·      Ethics and integrity in all aspects of ones life.
• ·      Speaking up against that which is wrong, while recognizing and accepting others may hold opposing views.
• ·      Humility.
• ·      Tolerance.
• Most, if not all, of these are under assault.
• ·      Christian values and beliefs are being denied across the spectrum, falsely flying under the flags of tolerance and separation of church and state.  We are one nation, under God, founded on the imperative of religious freedom.  So let Christians celebrate Christmas, not Happy Holidays.  And my Christian values are also under attack.  The Ten Commandments are being taken down.  The President of the United States publicly lies about his sexual relationship with an intern. 
• ·      The nuclear family is rapidly disappearing, encouraged by lack morals; legal incentives that financially reward single mothers for producing children out of wedlock; the manic push for oxymoronic “gay rights;” access to abortion; marriage tax penalties; societal acceptance of divorce, demeaning the value of the marriage vows; and partially because of the economic stresses that virtually require both members in a marriage to work in order to support the family.
• ·      Legislators, judges, and presidents have and are ignoring the centrality of the freedoms in the Constitution to suit their political beliefs.  Big government is attacking virtually every aspect of American life, destroying the very foundation of what makes this country great.  The basic tenants of our freedoms are being replaced by government regulations, the mere establishment of which bypasses the legislative process.
• ·      With the end of the draft, the sense of obligation to serve our Nation has diminished.  While my Marine Corps still meets or exceeds its recruiting goals, more Americans are not serving than are.  I offer that if every able bodied male and female, at age 18, was required to serve the country for a minimum period of three years (military service, Peace Corps, or projects similar to the CCC), the country would be far better prepared to tackle the challenges of the future.  Taking these young men and women, putting them together with individuals from across the country, in common communal living arranges, working in pursuit of common objectives for the greater good, at a time they are most impressionable, as members of a team, will yield a far better work force in the future.  I would also make it law that one must have served in the military to hold federal elected office.
• ·      Fortunately, a by-product of the war on terror has been a resurgence of patriotism.  But there are still pockets of the population that expect the nation to give to them, rather than giving to the nation.  Similarly, it is disgusting that there are those who hide behind so-called freedom of speech to protest at the funerals of the fallen.
• ·      Respecting others is rapidly being replaced by the sound bite insult hurled at others.  Or the rude middle finger gesture flashed to others, as did UN Ambassador Susan Rice to another official.  You-Tube and other methods are purveying scene-after-scene of disrespect.  No place is it more prevalent than in politics. 
• ·      Holding elected officials to higher levels of responsibility, commensurate with their higher levels of authority.  Our elected officals commit egregious errors in judgment, adversely impacting millions of people and then want a free pass by saying, “Sorry, my bad.”  Actions have consequences and when elected officials error, they must be held immediately accountable.  Sending pictures of a sexually aroused Congressman to women.  The current Secretary of State falsely claiming to have landed “under fire” while the First Lady.  Solyndra.  Fast and Furious.  Influence peddling (by members of both parties).  The sum result of the lack of responsibility by members of Congress it they are viewed with only 15-18% favorability.
• ·      Law and order.  All one has to do is watch TV to understand crime is up.  But it is more than that, as elected officials deliberately decide to ignore laws.  The President declares and directs that the nation won’t enforce immigration laws.  The Mayor of San Francisco famously declared he would ignore the law.  A nation not willingly living under its laws is doomed for failure.
• ·      Earning our way through life by working for what we achieve.  Now it is popular to expect/demand that the government give us things.  It is common for students to expect the teacher to give them grades, rather than earning them.  People are confusing the right to earn something with being entitled to it without working to earn it.  The unions scream about workers rights, while concurrently protecting teachers who have been convicted of sexual molestation of the young.  For self worth it is crucial that one earns what he/she receives.  The sloth and unraveling of societal values rests as much on this factor as any other.
• ·      Civil rights, though it was during the 60s that this brought to the forefront of the Nation’s conscience.  In our home, it was a given.  Today, the phrase civil rights has been mutated to demands.  Demands and unreasonable expectations.  If a person of color doesn’t get what he/she desires, like as not someone will call it racism.  If a female is released from a position because of inadequate performance, like as not someone will call it sexism.  Civil rights level the playing field.  They do not provide a club to beat others into submission when the outcome is not to your liking.  As Martin Luther King Jr.  stated, we should be judged by the quality of our character, not the color of our skin.  Nowadays, being a conservative white male like as not means you will be held in contempt and have your civil rights challenged by the uncivil demands of others.
• ·      Charity has become an almost dirty word, as non-profits are being set up and then using the donations for personal purposes.  This makes it more difficult for legitimate charities to raise funds.  Additionally, the entitlement culture has produced countless citizens who believe it is their right, their entitlement to receive support.  I worked for a couple of years in a non-profit that provided charitable support, operating under a strict set of parameters and guidelines to ensure those receiving or assistance were truly in financial hardship.  Yet, on almost a daily basis we’d receive requests from those who were demanding support.  And let’s not forget that Congress is considering doing away with charitable giving tax benefits, because they “unfairly” benefit the wealthy.
• ·      Polite, temperate discourse, using the power of persuasion to make one’s point.  The histrionics of the cable news programs, talk radio, and sensationalist TV are facilitating the destruction of polite discourse.  Politicians, media, entertainment, and even the universities contribute to these phenomena. 
• ·      The disappearance of accepting responsibility for one’s actions, even the stupid mistakes and errors in judgment we make.  I could write for much longer on this alone.  Politicians are most visible for failing to adhere to this.  Businessmen and bankers closely follow.  Members of the media certainly belong in this group as well.  In a form of trickle down societal values, we see it in schools, when the mantra manifests as “it’s not my fault.”      
• ·      Sportsmanship is rapidly becoming a loss element in our nation.  Kids don’t compete to win or lose, while learning to accept defeat.  Of course, this builds the expectation that merely showing up is sufficient.  Bounties for injuring opposing players.  Using performance enhancing drugs or medical procedures.  In a nationally televised tennis match, one of the players (who is very strong and large muscled) physically threatened one of the officials.  Gamesmanship during competition at all levels.  May the best man (or woman) win is no longer acceptable, since much of sports has been corrupted by insane amounts of money.  By the way, is there anyone who doesn’t understand that college football players in NCAA Division I are essentially semi-pro players?
• ·      Ethics and integrity in all aspects of ones life was how I was raised and how I live.  Today, in all too man aspects of our life, these are absent.  From the minor to the major, ethics and integrity are viewed as situational, dependent upon one’s personal stance on this or that.  In the university, the work place, politics, media, sports, and even family life, these qualities are rapidly fading.  Perhaps it’s part of the assault on Christianity at work.
• ·      Speaking up against that which is wrong, while recognizing and accepting others may hold opposing views.  Too many remain silent, fearing they can’t change anything.  When, as I’ve been known to do, someone does raise a voice of concern (temperately, politely) it is likely to result in castigation, which some use in an attempt to ban free speech.  Further, as cited recently by George Will, free speech is being denied on college and university campuses across the nation, under a false flag of being disrespectful.  An essence of free speech is that one may offer his/her views, risking the disagreement of others.  This liberal penchant for limiting the speech of those who disagree with them is abhorrent.  We have a responsibility to speak up when something is wrong.  Doing so recognizing that others may disagree.
• ·      Humility.  There appears to be no humility in government or the media or the social “elite.”  Arrogance and self-promotion abound.  Work hard, achieve, and reap the rewards of recognition.  Don’t seek them by arrogant self-promotion.
• ·      Tolerance.  Finally and most importantly, ours is a nation in which tolerance is valued.  What I observe are elements demanding that we believe the way they believe.  I’m more than willing to tolerate that others believe differently than I.  It is a unique American freedom.  But what are intolerable are the demands these groups place on the populace as a whole.  I do not believe in homosexual marriage.  I do not believe in Islam.  I do not believe in socialism (aka wealth redistribution).  I do not believe every issue is based on racism.  I expect that others will be tolerant of my views, even if they disagree.
• While I sincerely believe values and beliefs are under assault, I equally believe there are enough holding similar values and beliefs that we can change the landscape of our nation.