Restoring Education Central to American Greatness http://davidanorris.posterous.com David A. Norris Blog posterous.com Tue, 19 Feb 2013 08:16:00 -0800 Part I: Government http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-i-government-99555 http://davidanorris.posterous.com/part-i-government-99555

American Principle Seven (Part I)

 

The Moral Duties Of Civility Are Also a Predicate

For Interpreting Constitutional Meaning

 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident ..."

Declaration of Independence

 

"Tis substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.  Who that is a sincere friend to it, can look with Indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric?"

George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796

 

 

"Laws of Nature and of Nature's God"* morality fits into the behavioral envelope that supports life, truthfulness and the Golden Rule, meaning treating others in ways that one would like to be treated and would like loved ones to be treated.  Immorality includes those traits called sin that fall outside the envelope of life.

 

Together, morality and work ethic is the engine that liberates mankind from the tyranny of aggressive government employees.  Liberty from intrusive government makes it possible for the people to market their skills to own property essential for maintaining independence and happiness.

 

"Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains on their own appetites.  Society cannot exist unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere… men of intemperate minds cannot be free.  Their passions forget their fetters" (Edmund Burke, British supporter of the American Revolution, November 3, 1774, speech to the electors of Bristol, England, quoted by HIllsdale College, Imprimis, Vol. 20, No. 9).

 

The atheistic-secular philosophy for law identifies with what Solon of Athens described as "government by incalculable and changeable decrees" (Will and Ariel Durant, The Story of Civilization, Vol. II, The Life of Greece, Simon and Schuster, 1939, 118).  Secularism is an evil repudiation of the solid basis for prosperity and citizen self-government intended by Constitutional law.

 

Government potential for power as well as the lucrative public treasury attract politicians who are intent on self-aggrandizement and conquest.  Expressed by President Ronald Reagan: "Government is not the solution to our problems, it is the problem" (Inaugural Address, 1981).  "A just estimate of that love of power, and proneness to abuse it, which predominates in the human heart, is sufficient to satisfy us of the truth of this position.  The necessity of reciprocal checks in the exercise of political power, by dividing and distributing it into different depositaries, and constituting each the guardian of the public weal against invasions by the others, has been evinced by experiments ancient and modern; some of them in our country and under our own eyes.  To preserve them must be as necessary as to institute them" (George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796).

 

*The phrase "Nature's God" used in the Declaration of Independence did not originate with Americans.  The Laws of Nature's God include the Biblical standards of morality.  When the bond between God and man was broken in the Garden of Eden, the forces of evil that seek to defy creation's nature were unleashed.  "The law of nature was a common term used by historic legal writers such as Grotius, Burlamaqui, Blackstone and others.  The law of nature's God, a lesser used term, was more commonly called the divine law, or the revealed law" (Lonang Historical Reference Works).

http://www.lonang.com/exlibris/index.html

 

 

 

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Tue, 04 Sep 2012 06:54:25 -0700 The Healing of Citizen Paralysis http://davidanorris.posterous.com/the-healing-of-citizen-paralysis http://davidanorris.posterous.com/the-healing-of-citizen-paralysis

Restoring educational traditions central to American greatness provides the sure basis for strong families, prosperity and limited government for, by and of the people.  Many people are in the dark about the God-rejecting worldview now being imposed upon captive student classrooms and as a result, they do not join in opposition.  

 

We must broadcast anew and persist in upholding the First Principle, that it is creation's God Who is man's Benefactor.  This is the basic principle upon which all other worthy principles follow.  When the First Principle is not publicly upheld by educators (for students to learn), the standards of righteousness that are central to liberty and American greatness soon become fodder for distortion by atheistic secular militants.

 

When we as a people championed the spirit of the First Principle, creation's God Who is man's Benefactor, the meaning of the Declaration of Independence was clear and the war of King George III and his army against Americans failed.

 

Our duty now is to be very public about the fact that reliable standards for law come with knowledge of the nonsectarian Creator-based meaning of the Declaration of Independence and the First Amendment.  In 1835, the significance of this connection was observed by the French lawyer, Alexis de Tocqueville, "… in America, religion is the road to knowledge and the observance of the divine laws leads man to civil freedom…"

 

The rudeness and even hatred exhibited by secular pathfinders when confronted with American principles gives politics a bad name.  They cannot tell the truth and sell their leftist agenda.  This gives us a comparative advantage.  Political involvement and persistence in broadcasting American values is a noble and necessary calling for every freedom-loving American.

 

In the American system of representative government, education central to American greatness will be restored if the people know how it has been altered.  That is the purpose of Restoring Education Central to American Greatness.  I accept no personal remuneration for writing or serving as President of the Heartland Foundation, Inc.  If you have received important insights from this blog, purchase the book, Restoring Education Central to American Greatness, and share it with people you know.  The documentation has been put in book form so that readers such as you can put it into the hands of as many people as possible.

 

"The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing" (The Works of Edmund Burke in Nine Volumes, Vol. IX… 172).

 

Prayer, humility and recommitment must be undertaken.  The selfless dedication that made the American Revolution possible is seen in the Great Awakening of 1740 through 1780.  God has provided this specific promise:  "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).

 

"As the safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and the blessing of Almighty God, and the national acknowledgement of this truth is not only an indispensable duty which the people owe to Him, but a duty whose natural influence is favorable to the promotion of that morality and piety without which social happiness cannot exist nor the blessings of a free government be enjoyed."*

 

Book_image

*John Adams in his Proclamation 8 ~ Recommending a National Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer, March 23, 1798 (http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=65661).

 

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Thu, 09 Aug 2012 07:23:24 -0700 The Spoils of War http://davidanorris.posterous.com/the-spoils-of-war http://davidanorris.posterous.com/the-spoils-of-war

The byproduct of the extremes in old European secular philosophy, Marxist influence, currently known as "Left Eclecticism," has reached alarming heights in universities, colleges and public grade schools in America.  Roger Kimball is a highly regarded analyst and writer on the subject of Left Eclecticism.  His analysis focuses, in part, on neo-Marxism, which has morphed into structuralism, poststructuralism, Lacanian analysis, deconstruction, women's studies, black studies, gay studies, critical legal studies, new historicism, cultural studies and Afrocentrism.  Marxists have also penetrated liberal seminaries via liberation theology and social action materialism.*

 

On a side note, a very important side note, the power of leftist indoctrination on the minds of law students explains the ignominy of judges that would refuse to ban Marxist doctrine from taxpayer public schools but would ban the reading of the Ten Commandments.  They have made prayer in public schools unlawful and have overturned anti-abortion laws in all fifty states in violation of the Tenth Amendment.

 

Under three presidents, our nation committed itself to stopping the takeover of Vietnam by the Communists in the north.  Over 56,000 Americans died in that war, and the concluding Tet counteroffensive waged by our military was an overwhelming success.  But in those few weeks, we lost the war politically, as a result of leftist propaganda and compliant politicians who would not preserve that victory by helping to fund the South Vietnam military.

 

While most Republican party leaders have resisted moral relativism, the moral tradition of leaders in the Democrat party is being hijacked.  Democrat party leaders in the era of President Harry Truman would never have sanctioned abortion, homosexuality or same sex marriage.  Measured by political scientists since 1992, atheists have become a growing component of the Democrat party leadership.**

 

Legislative majorities in the Democrat party have repeatedly obstructed government by and for the people.  They have applied a leftist litmus test for judge nominees.  They have blocked the people's representatives' right to vote for conservative judge nominees who would support the original meaning of the Constitution.  Liberal extremists only allow a vote on judge nominees who have a history of compromising the Constitution.

 

America's youth can be compared to the casualties of military conquest.  They have become victims of ruinous lifestyles by the millions, and many have actually become troopers in support of leftist political agenda.  What is this victimization by education radicals who are sheltered by tenure law if not robbery, blatant betrayal, and treason?

 

Image_burke-do-nothing

 

*See http://www.nhinet.org/bengtsson14-1.pdf for a review by Jan Olof Bengtson of Kimball's Cultural Criticism.

**Richard N. Ostling, "Americans Important for Democrats," The Tribune (Ames, IA), August 28, 2004, B5.

 

Image from http://www.simplyaninspiredlife.com/quote/only-thing-necessary-evil-triumph-97/

 

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Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:46:00 -0700 Ban the Bible? What For? http://davidanorris.posterous.com/ban-the-bible-what-for http://davidanorris.posterous.com/ban-the-bible-what-for

The benefits of the Bible to society and governments were recognized by the Founding Fathers.  The Bible was "recommended to American citizens by the Confederation Congress on September 12, 1782" (James H. Hutson, Religion and the Founding of the American Republic, Washington, DC: Library of Congress, 1998, Preface and pp. 57-58).

 

God's standard for truth is the most fundamental moral category in the universe.  Truth separates traditional American values (theistic belief) from the old European secular philosophy (atheistic belief about life's origin, meaning and purpose).  Abel, who had chosen to follow the God of absolute truth, was slain by Cain, who, abiding by the impulses of the flesh, had chosen to follow his own version of truth.  It is this same war of divergent cultures that is now raging between the "In God We Trust" of Americans and the cultish atheism of old European secular philosophy.

 

During the controversy over the French Revolution, Edmund Burke wrote in response to the question, "What is liberty?"  He stated:  "Mere liberty without other forces working in the sphere that it opens up is only another name for license" (Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, 1790, London: Henry G. Bohn, 1864 extract, 129).

 

The sovereignty of our constitutional government is clearly made subordinate to the sovereignty of certain God-given rights of the citizens who ratified it.  This distinguishes the meaning of liberty for individuals in America.  They can exercise their independence and capacity to make better and differing decisions.  What a contrast from the demands of secular academician with communistic, socialistic and liberal leanings!  They reject the citizen's capacity for self-rule and expect conformity to cultish political correctness based upon changeable decrees.

 

The Bill of Rights law is spiritual in the sense that it upholds the unalienable right of the people to follow God's prescription for happiness without fear of authoritarian reprisals.  The idea is economic as well, because people, having the right to life, also have the right to work and to use the fruits of their labor to sustain life.

 

The God of creation is identified by the Bible as the "Good Shepherd."  It is this same God who gave the Ten Commandments to mankind through Moses.  A good shepherd does not dictate and control.  When a lamb falls and breaks its leg, the shepherd will place a splint on the leg and carry the lamb until it heals.  Then, hoping the lamb has learned a lesson, the shepherd allows it to run again when able.  God admonishes, but unlike those allied with Satan, He will not deceive and seek to by-pass a person's common sense to force worldly compliance (atheistic political correctness).

 

When our government allows, based upon its original constitution, the freedom of Americans to align their lives according to the precepts of God's Word, its citizenry can prosper under the Good Shepherd's protection.  Choosing the benevolent God of the Bible as one's own shepherd of life is, of course, a personal decision; but when that choice is made, the lamb is under God's protection and learns self-control as he follows the Good Shepherd.


Ban-bible

 

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Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:12:00 -0800 A Letter To My Grandchildren http://davidanorris.posterous.com/a-letter-to-my-grandchildren-46243 http://davidanorris.posterous.com/a-letter-to-my-grandchildren-46243

More than one of you have faced a challenge from your college professors or spiritual mentors that the War of Independence was "throwing off the government that God has placed upon you."  Some theologians do take that position according to Daniel 2:21, "He changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings, and setteth up kings …"  A similar reference to this is, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.  For there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God.  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God…" (Romans 13:1,2).

 

I would agree ~ IF the King of England had been proceeding according to written law.  

 

Following the British "Glorious Revolution" of 1688 and the ascension of William and Mary as joint monarchs, the proposal to draw up a declaration of subjects' rights and liberties was made in the House of Commons.   The completed declaration was codified as the British citizens' Bill of Rights in 1689.  Among the "ancient rights and liberties" asserted were "the right of the subject to petition the king and prosecutions for petitioning are illegal" as well as "subjects may have arms for their defense suitable to their conditions and allowed by law" and "excessive bail and fines shall not be required and cruel and unusual punishments are not to be inflicted."  There was an internal change of constitution following the excesses of James II.*

 

These laws protected the citizens' right to petition the King without fear of retribution.  He and his subordinates were repeatedly violating this and the citizens' right to freedom.

 

One hundred years later, Edmund Burke (1729-1797), a British statesman and orator, commented on this internal change of the British constitution by saying, "The Revolution was made to preserve our ancient indisputable laws and liberties, and that ancient constitution of government which is our only security for law and liberty."*  He opposed the King's efforts to suppress American independence.  

 

For years our Founding Fathers tried to negotiate reasonableness; but the British response was an iron fist, including the placing of troops on the coast.  Eventually negotiations between the colonists and the King collapsed.  Written like a legal brief, the Declaration of Independence detailed how their rights as British citizens were being violated.  They are "… taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments" (Declaration of Independence).

 

"The spirit of encroachment tends to consolidate the powers of all the departments in one, and thus to create, whatever the form of government, a real despotism.  A just estimate of that love of power, and proneness to abuse it, which predominates in the human heart, is sufficient to satisfy us of the truth of this position" (President George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796).

 

Government employees are servants of the people who are the sovereigns under God over government.  The American Declaration of Independence and citizens' Bill of Rights, added later to the Constitution, provides the God-honoring design for government, and the Constitution is the tool for implementing that design.

 

Americans concurred with written law resting upon the British references to the Laws of Nature.  It is the governing character of Laws of Nature such as humility, the Golden Rule and the Ten Commandments, that lead to success.  This is the sure foundation upon which man's right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" rests.  Called "virtue" by America's Founding Fathers, the impartial and divine element frees man to do what is right.  "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Corinthians 3:17).

 

I identify with and support the several Norris ancestors who fought for independence.  Keep up the good work as students, my children.  I love you.  

 

Grandpa

M__d_army_in_front_of_house

Grandpa and Grandma Norris

Stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas

1952

 

 

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*http://constitution.org/bor/eng_bor.htm

**http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1478-0542.003/abstract

 

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