Saturday, November 9, 2013

Pillars of the Earth

When one studies history they can have a more complete understanding of the present.

In ancient cultures, from the Sumerians to the Egyptians and even the Greeks, power was always divided into at least two columns. One was the political column, and it held the armies and political leaders of a given society. The other column was of a more philosophical or religious nature, and this column inspired the population to act in ways that often times were not in the best interests of the individual, but were for “the greater good.” A modern example of this can be found in the theocracy that is the current ruling authority in Iran, but we really don't have to go so far from home to see the execution of this philosophy of power.

The founding fathers of The United States created a Republic with three equally weighted branches (or pillars) of government consisting of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. When one reads and understands the Constitution they glean the sheer brilliance in the founder's plan to create and establish a self sustaining system of government which can by design be neither exploited nor overpowered by a single segment of that population. By having multiple political parties they further divided the balance of power so as to ensure that there would be no collusion within the bureaucracy, and offered these political parties the opportunity to introduce their philosophical influences through the establishment of “platforms.”

Whether or not an individual agrees with the politics or platform of either the Democratic or Republican parties, an unbiased view shows that the Democrats have paid far closer attention to the formula of power as a whole. They have attracted the labor unions, and the ecologically conscious, the LGBT community, and many other splinter groups all who believe that the Democratic political party engenders their hopes, dreams, and beliefs. At the same time the Republican party has ostracized the TEA party, Second Amendment crowd, and “Patriots” as being too extremist so as not to divide their resources or influence. The current Republican strategy when viewed through the eyes of history is destined to evolve or wither away because it lacks a clear philosophical message, and no matter your political or philosophical affiliations this is not in the best interests of our nation.

Had the Democrats not been vigilant during Watergate our society would look very different today; had they not been allowed to exist we may have fallen prey to the dictatorial designs of a few. The Washington Post and the media in general forced an accountability which resulted in the shifting and re-balancing of power within our government, but unfortunately that same “fourth estate” of government is not available today.

President Obama and his administration have had more than their fair share of scandals. From Fast and Furious, to Benghazi, or the IRS targeting of conservatives, to the international unwarranted NSA wiretapping of world-wide leaders and their citizens, this administration has not been held accountable for any of its actions or misuses of power. The “fourth estate” (or column) in this case turns out to be the propaganda arm of the current administration. The many aberrations of the intended powers of the Executive branch has implications nationally in that the citizens are now accountable to their government instead of the government being accountable to it citizens, but internationally the implications become worse when the citizens of the United States will become accountable to the world for the actions of one man, one administration, or one philosophy.



In order to ensure that the United States continues to engender the light and wisdom of Liberty and Freedom, the Republican political failings must be addressed. The Republican party must become clear in their platform and philosophy, and they must effectively relate it to the citizenry in order to garner their support; or it must be replaced with a political party that understands the history and pillars of power that do and will exist throughout all time. The only other possible outcome in accordance with the ancient and modern history of the world would be a tyrannical regime that exploits the resources and people until it is finally once again replaced by a republic of the people, by the people, and for the people.