NOVAE MILITIAE

I am absolutely convinced that it is no longer possible to work within the system to effect a return to America as originally conceived. I am speaking here to the majority of people who would call themselves "conservatives".  The hope that the Republican Party can any longer bear the conservative cause - the true conservative cause, that is - is no longer a sustainable one. And the Democratic Party - well, most of us don't have any illusions about the ability of that party to bear the conservative cause.

I can no longer operate according to the conventional wisdom among conservatives that the GOP is our only hope: better a half loaf -- or even a few crumbs -- than nothing at all, and all that. If I might put this in somewhat libertarian terms by citing a quip I've heard on more than one occasion: "We lose our liberties under both the Republicans and Democrats. We just lose them more slowly under the Republicans." The same principle applies to other issues: under the Republicans, the invasion of illegals might happen somewhat more slowly than it would under the Dems; under the Republicans, terrorists would be somewhat more hampered here in America than they would under the Dems, and so on and so forth.

This is a state of affairs that should patently be unacceptable to people who call themselves conservatives. That's why I believe the best course of action is to embark upon a consistent traditional conservative existence and let the political and societal chips fall where they may. I think we need to allow things to get worse so that they can get better. I don't think they'll get better under any other course of action.

Modern so-called conservatives are unaware that they are beguiled by the false of promises of liberal democracy. Once they figure this out and once they understand what true conservatism -- the heir of traditional Christian culture -- really is, perhaps America (and hopefully the broader West) is salvageable.

My friend "Ole Rocker" puts it this way:

What was it Obi Wan said?: "Who is more the fool - the fool or the one who follows him?"

Yet sometimes it is the fool (meant in a relative sense) who has the true hope. Frodo was the subject of Gandalf's remark - yet Gandalf was somewhat sarcastically echoing Denathor's sneering and pompous judgement of the whole Quest. Yet Elrond was indeed the wise one - knowing that it had to be cast into the fire. To the mighty men of Gondor, it was a fool's hope.

The mighty men of Washington DC see the Constitution party and other upstarts as a fool's hope or quest. Yet it just might work ...

Anyone willing to take the ring to the Mountain of Doom and cast it into the fire? Or do we wait until the end of the age when darkness creeps over all Middle Earth?

The Quest for Frodo was personal - for his piece of mind, for the honor of Bilbo, for the preservation of the Shire, for the salvation of the races of Middle Earth - even at the cost of loosing eventually the great wisdom of the Elves. Our quest is both personal and national - even if we loose some of the nation as it was first established.

Better some freedom than no freedom at all. Better a pluralism for a time than the monoparty that rules us now.

Steppenwolf had a very prophetic song in the late 60's with this line from the song "The Ostrich":

But there's nothing you and I can do
You and I are only two
Whose right or wrong is hard to say
Forget about it for today
And stick your head into the sand
Just pretend everything is grand
and hope everything turns out okay

It's time we pull our heads out of the sand ...