What Did We Learn From the War of 1812?

The War of 1812 found America woefully weak militarily. Our shipping on the high seas was being raided by both the British and the French; our sailors were being impressed into the British navy. Thomas Jefferson had thought that our country could deal and negotiate with these foreign powers as gentlemen at a table of diplomacy. The result was a disaster—his policy resulted in British soldiers marching into Washington, D.C. and burning the White House.

After the war, America seemed to have waked up. The military was built up and for decades afterward, any nation that treated with the United States knew that we had a strong military to back up our words.

I guess we need to learn that lesson over, again. Today, we have an administration that tries to reason with our enemies and to deal with them by means of sanctions instead of arms. Our military is being withdrawn from Afghanistan before the primary goal of war is accomplished, i.e., VICTORY.

There is certainly a place to save money in our present-day situation; but I doubt that it is by cutting off money from the Pentagon. Let’s not back out of Afghanistan before the job is done. We have lost a lot of American lives there; and if we leave too soon, we will have wasted the whole investment—money and soldiers.

The Hope of the Disconsolate

When gathering clouds around I view,

And days are dark and friends are few,

On him I lean who, not in vain,

Experienced every human pain;

He sees my wants, allays my fears,

And counts and treasures up my tears.

If aught should tempt my soul to stray

From heavenly virtue’s narrow way,

To flee the good I would pursue,

Or do the sin I would not do,--

Still he who felt temptation’s power,

Shall guard me in that dangerous hour.

When vexing thoughts within me rise,

And sore dismayed my spirit dies,

Yet he who once vouchsafed to bear

The sickening anguish of despair

Shall sweetly soothe, shall gently dry,

The throbbing heart, the streaming eye.

When sorrowing o’er some stone I bend,

Which covers all that was a friend,

And from his voice, his hand, his smile,

Divides me for a little while,

Thou, Savior, seest the tears I shed,

For thou didst weep o’er Lazarus dead.

And oh when I have safely passed

Through every conflict but the last,

Still, still unchanging, watch beside

My painful bed, for thou has died;

Then point to realms of cloudless day,

And wipe the latest tear away.

Responsible Conservatism

“Conservatism needs to recover its ability to speak to our deep perennial need for solidarity. The economic freedom that encourages individuals to be productive and independent certainly needs to be promoted. We need more robust economic growth, and there is an inherent dignity in earning a living and providing for oneself and one’s family, which why…we value earned success much more highly than benefits that are given to us. It’s a false philanthropy that constructs programs and policies that seduce people into habits of dependency that diminish the opportunities and incentives for earned success.

“All that needs to be said, and said frequently. The problem is that today’s Republican party says little more. Economic vulnerability and moral disorientation are the defining political and social challenges of our time, and economic freedom, however important for a vibrant economy and healthy society does not address these problems.” (It does address the desirability of constructive entrepreneurism.)

“Moreover, middle-class culture is falling apart because of the equally stunning triumph of lifestyle freedom, and this puts ordinary people at a disadvantage as well. Progressive elites who often preach lifestyle freedom have regrouped. They raise their children in segregated communities and schools, guiding them toward lives as well-disciplined competitors in the new society,” which is based on outstanding merit in various fields….These upper class dictators of relativism insulate themselves from social and moral excesses. “Make healthy choices,” they tell their children. “Meanwhile, the rest of America slides toward moral disorientation. In a world of tattoos and piercings, serial cohabitation and out-of-wedlock children, all saturated by a crude culture, it’s not clear anymore what makes someone and honorable, respectable, adult.”

(The preceding quotations were taken from First Things, February 2013, pages 3 and 4.)

To my way of thinking, the answer to these ubiquitous problems is that we, Americans, absolutely must find ways to stabilize the family in all its aspects. We also must find ways to communicate the principles of basic Christianity to our people. Until we do these things, we are accomplished, we are doomed to further deterioration in our society.