The fifth installment of “How to Save America.”

     Welcome to the fifth installment of “How to Save America.”    Every battle, every war, has sides.  It is important that we understand the sides in this battle because if we don’t we will be divided, which is just what the powerful desire.  You see, the establishment, the political class, the looters, whatever you want to call them, want to divide us according to race, religion, or economic status because if they can keep us fighting with each other we will never be able to mount an effective effort against them.  I don’t care what color you are, I don’t care if you are rich or poor, if you love liberty, respect individual rights and believe that no man should live at the expense of another, you are my brother or my sister, a friend of freedom. 

     It is important to specifically identify the “other side” because there is a lot of anger out there.  We have reached a point where we, as Americans, are really frustrated.  And there are a lot of reasons for it.  Some people feel that they are shut out of the corridors of power or that those in power aren't doing enough for them which usually means, they aren’t getting theirs.  Some are just feeling Jimmy Carter’s malaise.  Some are frustrated at their powerlessness over their lives as more and more things are beyond their control.  This is not unique to America, it is part of the human condition. 

     How and where we focus that anger and frustration over the violation of our rights is what will make what we do moral or immoral.  We have seen plenty of the immoral side.  The jihadist who blows up a bunch of innocent people going about their daily lives is immoral.  None of these people violated his rights, none of them had the political power or the individual desire to do so.  The jihadist was the aggressor, the violator of the right to life, and in the wrong. 

    Closer to home, we have the conflict between “black lives matter” and the police.  The indiscriminate killing of police officers is immoral.  Police officers are there to protect our rights and property and as long as they confine themselves to that function, they are to be respected and admired for the difficult job they do.  We have had violent confrontations outside political rallies.  We can make our voices heard without throwing punches.  A person with a political opinion different from yours or mine, even if it is wrong, even if his opinion is that government should take away more of our liberty and property, is entitled to it.  Until someone is actually in a position to act immorally against us and do so, they may be subjects of derision but not our active defense. 

       So who is on the other side?  Ayn Rand described them perfectly, the moochers and looters.  The ones who do the stealing and those who live off stolen goods.  The looters are easier to define and we’ll get to them in a minute.  The moochers need a little of our time because, unfortunately, the way our system has evolved, it is hard not to be the recipient of stolen goods.   But that doesn't necessarily make you a moocher.  The fact that my bank account is insured by the FDIC doesn’t make me a moocher, there is nothing I can do about it if I want to use a bank, which I avoid as much as possible.  If, however, I am an able-bodied man or woman sitting around watching reality TV all day receiving a welfare check or I am a businessman whose company receives subsidies as part of its business model, I am a moocher.  Anyone who actively uses government theft or force for their benefit is at least a moocher, if not a looter.  Moochers and looters are not our friends, they deserve neither sympathy, support or association.  At the very least, our social pressure should shame them, they are sympathizers with the destructive forces that enslave us. 

     More that the moochers, many of whom have been conditioned like animals to be dependent on the expected handouts,  the looters are the proper subjects of our wrath.  It is the people who actually attempt to take our rights and property whether they be criminals or a criminal government, that are the proper subjects of an active defense.  The mugger and the IRS agent are no different.  The “fence” who deals in stolen goods and the bureaucrat who doles out stolen money are no different.  The murderer and the FBI or ATF agent who kills unarmed men, women and children are no different.  I have every right to defend myself against each and every one of them whether they are operating outside the law or under the cover of an immoral law.  

We will explore this further next time. 

Until then may God be with us and may we always act with honor and justice.