My Grandfather, Wallace Tucker, remains one of the wisest men I’ve ever known. He was a Merchant Marine and Southern Baptist preacher, and I suppose I absorbed from him some desire to act and to preach. I have never seen a preacher less interested in how his congregation felt about his sermons. The hard truth was all that mattered and he would preach at his congregation with all the passion of a man who wishes, not to save them, but to see them save themselves from themselves. He tackled the hypocrisy of Sunday-Christianity and brought down the gospel to all those who would listen as a plea for obedience, virtue, and joy for the short period of time that we live on this Earth.
This is a man who taught me that no matter how intelligent I am, I still have an unlimited capacity for foolishness. There is probably no one who knows me that would disagree with this assessment of my overall temperament and acumen. Intelligence and intention are not substitutes for right action. I learned this at my grandfathers church (Hopewell Baptist Church) as a child. It took years to integrate and the truth is still not done with me, but it’s time our politicians in Washington DC learned this truth from us, their constituents.
The hard truth is that we cannot continue compiling debt, increasing spending, and spreading the wealth around.
We cannot continually substitute security for liberty. Yet, we continue to try. We keep trying to defy and ignore reality, and for what? What are we gaining by giving our federal government more and more power and turning public servants into public tyrants?
After World War II, America became the political power in the world. The only thing that made that work was our virtue and commitment to justice. Justice is predicated upon principles steeped in virtue. Do we find virtue in Washington DC, or London, or Paris, or Baghdad? Or do we find virtue in Church, in ourselves, and in our communities?
My point is this, the future of America must be a future built upon the backs and the strength of localities steeped in a culture of moral virtue, justice, and reason. We cannot continue worshiping at the alters of our foolish categorical imperatives, our petty whims, or our idealistic dreams. The propagandists may reach for the stars, and in failing to reach them, find hell. They will share this hell with each of us. They figure we deserve it for not being “better”. We do not live in a world where failing to be different than we are is an excuse for being worse than we ought to be. To find our way out of this government, we must find our way out of the culture that allows it, that tolerates it, and that condones it.
The future of this country is freedom and we have to earn it.
Article written by: Steven Brodie Tucker
About Steven Brodie Tucker
Graducated with a degree in Philosophy from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Also studied economics and political science at George Mason.