National New Year’s Resolutions
The conclusion of another full trip around the sun has long been an occasion for people to reflect on their lives and to resolve ways to make them better. January often is a time of reflection, soul searching, and resolutions for the coming year. The same should go for nations as well. During this time of contemplation and reflection our nation needs to turn its gaze inward, take stock and resolve ways to improve. It’s time, therefore, to make NATIONAL New Year’s Resolutions.
In my opinion, our national new year’s resolutions for 2018 should really be about just ONE thing, and one thing only: a return to our CORE VALUES.
Over the past decade, America has drifted quite far from the very values that have made her great. We have come so far away from our core values, that, in many cases, it begs the question: “What ever happened too….?”
How and why this has occurred is a complicated discussion and is NOT the goal of this essay. My goal here is to acknowledge areas where core values have been left behind and describe resolutions to correct this. Accordingly, I propose a number of National New Year’s resolutions for 2018:
1) Free Speech. What ever happened to: “I disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it”? Over the past 10 years our First Amendment right to free speech has been weakened in response to content that leftist activists don’t like, and made much too powerful in response to content that they do like. As a consequence, the American populace seems to have become quite confused regarding the First Amendment. There are those, mostly among the Antifa groups, but also, disappointingly, among a large swath of our college age youth, that want to label anything they disagree with as “hate speech” and ban and criminalize it altogether. On the flip side, the same group wants to use the First Amendment to protect speech involving content they approve, protecting those speaking it from repercussions in the PRIVATE SECTOR, which the First Amendment was NOT designed to do. They seem unaware that these two memes are actually the REVERSE of what the First Amendment is: Hate Speech IS protected from criminalization by the first amendment, but controversial speech is NOT protected from adverse consequences in the private sector. (see my essay “First Amendment Confusion” 9/28/17).
Resolved: Free speech is the the cornerstone of a free society, and is absolutely essential to the functioning of that society. We affirm our commitment to this basic right. We do not, however, seek to block the consequences of controversial speech in the private sector, which is an entirely different matter.
2) Commitment to nonviolent protest. What ever happened to protest being, as Dr. Martin Luther King put it: “A courageous confrontation of evil by the power of love”? It is astonishing to have to say this in our “enlightened” society, but there are people in our society, again primarily among antifa activists, but also among some college students, who advocate the use of violence to achieve what they call a “greater good”. All people of goodwill should realize the inherent contradiction in this point of view, and eschew violent protests for ANY purpose. Resolved: We abhor all societal violence, regardless of the intent, and are committed to peaceful discourse and nonviolent means of expression and protest at all times.
3) Commitment to equal justice under the law. What ever happened to “No one is above the law?” Incredibly, some parts of American society seem content with judicial double standards. For example, people who enter this country ILLEGALLY are felt to, somehow, be above the law and should be shielded from law by “sanctuary” cities, amnesty and other programs which make a mockery of our penal code. Also, on the other side of the criminal spectrum, it seems that enforcement of the law becomes quite uneven, and ultimately capricious, when it comes down to perpetrators favored by leftist activists. Criminals such as Hillary Clinton are obviously guilty of everything from accepting a bribe (in numerous “pay to play” schemes), to blackmail (while attempting to silence Juanita Broderick), to money laundering (with Clinton Foundation), to obstruction of justice (with the deletion of 30,000 emails UNDER SUBPOENA). Then there’s James Comey (who has ADMITTED leaking classified material, a federal felony), Eric Holder (gun running felonies in “Fast and Furious”), Loretta Lynch (witness tampering with Bill Clinton) and Susan Rice (lying under oath), all of which have carried out crimes in plain sight, and, thus far, have eluded justice. Resolved: NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW. We hold our laws to be sacrosanct and that they apply equally to all.
4) Commitment to due process. What ever happened to “Innocent until proven guilty”? Today’s ethos appears to be that all men are ASSUMED to be guilty when ever any sexual allegation is made by any woman under any circumstances. Some flagrant examples, I would concede, warrant a high index of suspicion, but many cases fall far below a reasonable standard. Resolved: Except in unusual cases, such as those involving continued danger to minors, when allegations of serious sexual misconduct are made, we should reserve judgement until the case has been adjudicated in the criminal and/or civil justice systems. A PERSON IS CONSIDERED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVE GUILTY.
5) Commitment to a strong work ethic. What ever happened to “the dignity of work”? America seems to hold entertainers, rap artists, mooches (Michele Obama comes to mind, as does that consummate mooch Al Sharpton), actors and scam artists in higher esteem than the millions of “ordinary” Americans that get up every day and put in an honest day’s work. Resolved: We uphold the value and dignity of honest work and give respect and thanks to our workers for honest labor. We shun and shame the scam artists and parasites among us.
6) Commitment to meritocracy. What ever happened to “America: The Land of Opportunity”? It should be recognized that America can remain a land of fair economic opportunity ONLY when those who work hard, pursue skills and education, and advance their position in society on the basis of MERIT. Resolved: Rather than quotas and programs, we affirm the advancement of individuals in our society will be based on their energy, commitment, dedication and MERIT, not formulas.
7) Commitment to accountability. What ever happened to: “I can not tell a lie. I chopped down the cherry tree”? We have become a nation of victims. Accountability is watered down and responsibility has become a bit of a joke. Resolved: We affirm the necessity of personal responsibility and accountability to the functioning of a just society.
8) Commitment to truth in broadcasting and print. What ever happened to journalistic integrity?
We are faced every day in main stream media with skewed reporting, poorly researched articles, uncorroborated stories, unverified reports and, sometimes, completely fabricated fictions. Resolution: We resolve to hold our media and print news sources to higher standards. While it is impossible to insure complete accuracy at all times, if a particular source is remiss on a regular basis, we will STOP using that source and will share our displeasure with others. We will start with MSNBC (absolutely over the top) and CNN (consistently derelict).