21st Century Republicans/Conservatives are Anti-Federalists

The Federalist Society ... and modern Federalism ... is a sham.

Federalism (e.g. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay) believed in a strong central government that took a generous interpretation of the powers granted to the federal government for the purposes of governing a nation.

It was anti-Federalism (e.g. Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams and James Monroe) that was suspect/jealous towards federal power and put state/individual concerns and rights above centralized/national interests.

The Federalists begrudgingly agreed to discuss a Bill of Rights after the Constitutional Convention … that came about at the demand of anti-Federalists who distrusted a federal government exercising powers without explicit protection for states and citizens; and stipulated a Bill of Rights as a condition for signing onto a Constitution to supplant the Articles of Confederation.

So, it is ironic that 21st conservatives embrace Federalism, when in fact they are anti-liberal and anti-Federalist in their beliefs and practice. 

Trump is an Obscenity and the "Family Values" crowd couldn't care less

I might care less if the alleged party of family values (Republicans) weren't so hard on President Bill Clinton in the 1990s (to the point of seeking impeachment), who said Clinton's private marital infidelities compromised his public pursuits, public trust and public commitments. The religious right - Falwell, Dobson, et. al., were all on-board with impeachment in the name of moral values.

Fast forward 20+ years: Now, Republicans apparently couldn't care less about family values, infidelity or much of anything else for that matter. Otherwise, they would not have supported the current miscreant POTUS in droves the way they did ... demonstrating that their allegiance is first to their political party rather than any notion of genuine "moral" values.

Let's be candid ...

Trump appears to have colluded openly with Russia ("Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily." - July 2016); the same day Russian hackers obliged Trump's request.

Trump also boasted about being a sexual predator (with his "grab them by the pussy tape") that the family-values crowd appeared not to be disturbed by.

In office, Trump willfully and cruelly separated children from their parents.

He incited/incites violence at his rallies. And, he regularly threatens the free press.

He has called for imprisonment of his political opponents ("lock her up").

He is an avowed and proud white nationalist (if not an outright racist like his father). See: Charleston.

He is a serial adulterer. His history of womanizing speaks for itself.

He attacks our system of justice and law enforcement - before and since being POTUS.

He has attacked members of our military, including a Gold Star family. He has said John McCain was a loser for being caught as a POW in Vietnam.

Trump stands against everything the common consensus of humankind holds to be right, just, honorable, and deserving of grace, kind regard, and Christian charity. He is not a president but an obscenity.

You cannot un-see the revealed darkness inside Family and Friends

The Trump presidency shall pass, of that I am sure.

What I'm really worried about is the aftermath. The long-term consequences on our culture, our discourse, our civility, our trust and our institutions.

There also the matter of "loss of innocence." What I mean exactly is Trump having revealed to us the dark hearts inside those whom we have called good friends and family. That is not something you can un-do or un-see.

I'm reminded of a PBS documentary I saw years ago, showing a video clip of a good, decent God-fearing family leaving church on Sunday morning ... to watch a public lynching.

It is a shocking moment - that reveals how little words matter ("value-voters," for example): when you realize even the pious are quite capable of revealing their black souls in an unguarded moment of brutal honesty.

Situational Patriotism and the "scoundrels" who abuse It

David French, writer for the "conservative" National Review recognizes the bogus-ness and danger inherent with "corporate" patriotism. No doubt Mr. French will receive flack for his "unorthodox" view of American values. But, nevertheless, he is spot on. Patriotism is not a feeling. It is an investment in the values of freedom. Waving a flag is easy. Getting caught up in the moment of flag waving is easy. Fighting for the values the flag represents is rarely easy, especially in moments of national "crisis." Kudos to Mr. French for bucking the trend of flag/military worship and getting back to basics. As, an aside, I still remember a secretary coming to my office after 9/11 offering a mini-flag to fly in my office. When I declined, she was aghast. But, that's only because she didn't realize that I had been flying that flag on my office door long before she jumped on the bandwagon of "patriotism." https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/national-anthem-protests-and-the-self-reinforcing-cycle-of-intolerance/

Burning the Flag of the USA !!!

I love my country because its freedom is so vast that I have the right to burn my national flag. Would I ever do it? No. But the fact that I could makes me love my country even more.

The NFL Chooses the Cowardly "Solution"

Today, NFL owners passed a rule that could not be more cowardly. Their out of sight, out of mind - shut up and play - approach completely misses the point.

And then to effectively incentivize teams to punish those who dare come onto the field and protest ... by threatening them with heavy fines ..., is disgraceful, shameful and pathetic.

I've never seen such a whiny group of crybaby, cupcakes as these NFL owners and their fans.

Compelling allegiance or patriotism is meaningless. Meaning comes from it wanting to be done voluntarily. And, it is not un-American for some Americans to not have their heart in it when they feel their race, gender, sexuality, religion, etc. is being attacked by the nation they are a citizen of.

Lastly, the owners are sending a very bad message to the bully in the White House, who will be further emboldened to intimidate people into doing things his way ... or else. Very sad state of affairs.

Jonah Goldberg's new book: "Suicide of the West"

So, Jonah Goldberg has gotten religion and is prepared to tell partisan hacks and naked ideologues how to be moderate, listen and seek solutions together? If so, good for him.

But, first, I hope he confronts his own role in the rise of mean spiritedness and personalizing differences of opinion.

I remember Goldberg (and his mother) from the Clinton Years, where they were part of a right-wing cottage industry that made money from bashing non-right-wing people, writing screeds/books, inventing conspiracies; and otherwise being ugly human beings.

I was going to order Goldberg's book after I heard him on Morning Joe. He impressed (or duped?) me into thinking he has grown up and matured beyond those years of riling up animosity between the parties and their members. Looking at the title of his last book on Amazon (2008), he seems to have not let go of his monetizing divisiveness even ten years after Clinton left office.

Maybe in the ten years since his last book, he has evolved. But, what I don't know - and what he didn't say - is if he accepts some responsibility for the state of divisiveness today; and what he has or will do to make amends for those years of stoking the kind of bile that poisoned the well; and has brought us to the sad state of hardcore divisions and paralyzed government we have today?