A Republic, IF you can keep it…States Rights, given away- our nation is now awash in lazy citizens who have been “ruled” for so long that they have forfeit their power/authority because for decades they have NOT been taught that our constitution LIMITS government so much more than citizens. It’s so much easier to be taken care of (from the cradle to the grave) than to work (dare I say, fight) for your God given freedoms. Oh wait, what’s that called again? Communism.
Didn't the Swiss, at one time in fairly recent past, actually give each household a rifle? (I just scanned the article, so not sure if this was mentioned. )
I believe it's still a requirement that every household have guns for defense. They take individual responsibility seriously when it comes to maintaining their rights. Maybe that's why they've been able to remain neutral in some of the most egregious upheavals of the past century or two. Even now they don't have the same problems with immigration as other European states since their immigration policies emphasis highly skilled, marketable labor. When you come right down to it, that means personal responsibility.
The option of the Article V Convention is suicide for the constitution just as it was for the Articles of Confederation. It matters not what laws are passed that place limits on the delegates to the convention. The Declaration itself recognizes the plenipotentiary power to throw off a government and create a new one. Once at the convention, delegates would be free to exercise that option. Leftists have been trying for 50 years to trick conservatives into calling for an Article V convention. There are several new constitutions floating around currently. An Article V convention would make it legally possible to completely trash our current constitution and replace it with something else entirely. And before anyone says they think that a good idea, ask yourself if the current crop of politicians is as learned or wise as the founders were. You can be sure that some of the same individuals who are presently violating constitutional limits would wind up as delegates. I'm all for returning America to its constitutional roots, but an Article V convention would spell the death of the American experiment.
Another thoughtful analysis of fundamental aspects of US society that ought to be incorporated into every US History and Civics class, which themselves ought to be not only in every high school, but every university.
FROM GENERAL FLYNN: "I have spent my career studying the kind of warfare that does not look like warfare at all. The slow campaign to capture a nation’s institutions, its schools, its information, and its confidence in itself, without ever firing a shot. That is the fight standing between the country as it exists today and whatever it will be in 2276. If that fight is lost by neglect, by a citizenry too comfortable or too distracted to defend what it inherited, the America two hundred and fifty years from now will not look like a fallen empire in a history book. It will look like a shell bearing the old name, governed by forces the founding generation would neither recognize nor accept. Its sovereignty traded away one quiet concession at a time.
The distance between those two futures is not measured in technology or wealth. It is measured in character, in whether enough Americans between this Fourth of July and that one are willing to do the unglamorous work of citizenship the founding generation did first."
Just a thought, as I see people talking about celebrating the Fourth of July. Every Western nation, everyone who uses the same calendar, has a fourth of July. We don't celebrate the Fourth of July. We celebrate Independence Day, and do it on the Fourth of July.
Unfortunately, rebuilding the structure requires the will of better men--today's voters are not those men. We have been conditioned to look to the federal government as our parent, while we remain perpetual children.
Nor are our representatives and senators, who come from the mass of voters. How many of them have *never* read the Constitution which they swear to uphold? How many of them have studied it? IMO, it should be required that every congress critter read and pass a test on original intent before taking office--each term.
Read a recent article suggesting each high school graduate be required to pass the test for citizenship. My impression was this could be very helpful as they become eligible to vote. For that matter, it probably would be beneficial for our Nation if every voter had to pass at least this threshhold.
Actually, driving a car has been termed a privilege in most states. Interestingly, I knew a guy in NY several years ago that refused to get a license and registration. Every time they hauled him in to court, he presented an official letter of 1906 from the NY Attorney General that stated that licenses were only required for commerce, not for private travel. The state and surrounding states got so they would just dismiss his case without hearing it, and stops became less and less frequent as police were instructed to leave him alone. Why? Because the state didn't want anyone else learning about that legal opinion and interrupting their flow of cash and control.
It was perhaps a bad comparison on my part. My point of course was that even though almost everyone assumes that they will be able to drive when they grow up, it's a little unwise to allow untrained people to drive on public roads. Some might even argue that driver training should be more rigorous than it currently is. And voting, also, requires some skill to do. It is part of the "job" (responsibility) of being a citizen, and I think it should be viewed that way. We have the right to live, the right to move, the right to speak. But almost everyone can do those things innately. Not so with voting.
It wouldn't be meaningless if they had to study the Constitution and original intent, as well as the Federalist Papers and the Anti-Federalist Papers. The interesting thing about the latter is that many of the concerns they had were spot on.
Whether it's federal, state or employer it can be made (and should be) meaningfully. No moneys for operations absent proven accomplishment. No job absent a diploma that confirms pass.
On the,subject of our current march into socialism, I find it humorous the angst progressives are feeling over social dems stealing the party they stole from dems
What I have been telling all who choose to listen for years; limited federal Gov for the intended purpose of national security, defense and aid to States during natural emergencies, period! Everything else get the hell out of!
A country. similar to a person making choices when young. can set off in a direction that is completely different if they had chose a different path. I think we with open eyes, people that don’t ignore what has been happening, clearly see what these major power grabs by the federal government have done. Many people think the civil war was all about freeing the slaves which was a big part of it, but it was based on the idea of states rights. Another big issue were southern ports of trade and who controlled them. These decisions America made put the country on a path that we now living in. It seems some keep wanting to take a hard left at the fork, and some stay right. I’m afraid succession can still happen with unknown but possibly devastating outcomes.
Cotton another big issue. Europe willing to pay more than northern textile cos. and restrictions on that trade imposed on the South certainly a big factor.
Oh crap, I just lost the whole thought I wrote! / As I was reading this the question appeared, If the Swiss have been so successful in this model, why doesn't some bright light pursue the same success instead of continuing the weakness and crumbling of our society? I know its not that simple, and some do try, but perhaps the deterioration has gone too far. That is probably why you say. " The answer will not be found in better men. it will be found, if it is found at all, in the rebuilding of structure." (Only better men will care enough to make it happen.) I continue to read and continue to have my questions answered...
Excellent article! I listened and followed along with the text and I was better able to absorb the content. I can only hope and pray that changes can happen…though given the view I see of our American society today, seems pretty hopeless. I’m still thankful to be in the US and have enjoyed many freedoms in my life, including the ability to worship Jesus. God bless you both!
I read enough to know that i can agree and thank you, I will come back after "work" and read thoroughly. If nothing else, right now in the United States of America, we still have opportunities and choices. I can choose to put up a USA flag and celebrate the country I live in, or choose to not. Our government is not making me, nor is our government saying I can't. We have aspired to the ideals of the Declaration for 250 years, in the bounds of our Constitution and its Bill of Rights. While we can always do better, after 250 years, it seems these documents are withstanding the tests of time.
Reading through this essay again in more depth, I just marvel at the wisdom in knowing what to expect from men versus structure. "They did not expect liberty to survive because politicians honored the Constitution." "Ambition must be made to counteract ambition." I could go on quoting the pieces that stand out to make my point, but no, back to reading this intriguing piece of history. "They did not assume officeholders would be wise or selfless." I just can't help it, this answers more of my first comment questions. Equality is not the objective, balance is =one of the problems with our misunderstanding of Socialism.
No elected person to Congress should ever be sworn in, when their own past & recent words & actions, prove beyond any reasonable doubt, they will NOT, support and defend the United States Constitution!
Florida is looking to be one of the states that is adhering to the Republic in its original context, in that, by its example, more people are literally fleeing other states in order to have the particular freedoms that Florida has to offer. Under DeSantis' leadership, it's drawing in more & more people! He's done well, molding his state into what people are craving. If Byron Donald's can take the mantel, this might continue. Byron Donald's appears to be quite the disciplinarian. Our entire country, in its current state, appears in dire need of discipline. It's an ingredient that is sorely missing within our culture, as witnessed by teen mobs & even suppos-ed grown-ups who act more like two-year olds throwing a tantrum. Heck, our own Congresspeople are behaving as such! It's embarrassing! We no longer seem to reward constraint & congeniality.. it doesn't get "clicks", I suppose.
I cannot get over how the media dawned over the Japanese who stayed after a game to clean up after themselves & everyone else. My God! This used to be commonplace among polite society, yet we're now oggling at the "spectical" of Japanese doing what SHOULD be commonplace among us all! The Japanese, by their upbringing, are a disciplined society. I assume the Swiss are, as well. There was no video celebrating them. Perhaps, as in running their country, they were quietly just doing what was right & decent.
TDS has damaged our society, as well. It has let loose & celebrated the unhinged & those with literal emotional insanity. Unfortunately, it has also ushered in the worst kind of Socialism (as if there were a "best" kind... ha!). We, as a Nation, are in dire straits. We stand at a crossroads, to be sure.
We should all take the now-infamous Sophie Cunningham's stance & collectively do the finger point at our Representatives as she did to support Caitlin Clark (WNBA). Somehow, it just seems fitting, at least in lieu of & until further actions take place.
One of the main points of today's article seems to be that a remedy (the Civil War) to a terrible situation (slavery) inadvertently paved the way for the diminishing of freedom and the weakening of restrained governance. I agree. Yet yesterday's article argued for a remedy (government allowing marketing of food products only if provided proof of improved effect on human health) to a terrible situation (the current sad state of general health in America) that would likely expand government and diminish freedom. Today's argument is to restrain government's power, yesterday's was to greatly expand it. Seems inconsistent to me, but just for the record, I vote for today's.
And it seems to me that the problem in both cases was the grip of Corporate (or what you could loosely call international organized crime) on various sectors of life on Earth and in America. We have the sophistication now to expose that grip, which I believe should be our main objective.
Well maybe not inconsistent. The federal government could generate and share relevant data. Each State could assume the responsibility to become aware and decide what actions to take in response?
Thank you for this analysis and identifying substantive examples.
I well appreciate your recommendations! Given the support of responsible and insightful states, such as Florida 7/26, certainly - give your recommendations life and effort.
On the other hand, I personally rise out of Chicago, Illinois and now Maryland. I watch New York, California, New Jersey, Maine, et al. I look at our years of education setting the pace for trusting the experts (that we, the people, are unable/unprepared to think for ourselves - now to trust AI?). IE, legislators at every level, in substantial numbers, to me seem unprepared and disinclined to effectively reform our processes.
To get back to your grander approach. Certainly, particularly with potential impacts from November, action is needed. Considerations, approaches, stategies need to get underway! From your keyboard to God's ears and back down to those with influence and wisdom to get action on these issues underway!
Again, thank you for your insights and sharing! May they be a part of our National reflections and actions!
If I understand this correctly, the states should be able to make decisions independent of the federal government. Only problem with that is….those wanting open borders, sanctuary status for illegals, offenders and have Socialist/Communist governors and statesmen, will have no way of containing their dangerous group of people in their own state. Consequently those who harm others, and propose confiscating private property in those states, all will overflow into surrounding states that want NO PART of those decisions but will be exposed to them just the same. (i.e. Commercial truck licenses given out illegally to aliens in CA that do not speak English and end up killing people on highways across this nation.) The only protection for ALL Americans is federal laws that prohibit such things from being permitted nationwide. You cannot contain lawbreakers unless the laws are enforced nationwide. Until they are, the public will continue to be in peril…..which sanctuary states and their governors don’t give a damn about. They just want the illegals’ votes. The only reason the Democrats continue to allow the Democratic Socialist Party to be part of the Democrat Party is because they need votes, even from Socialists! They do not realize including the Socialists will force voters to vote Republican. ;-)
A Republic, IF you can keep it…States Rights, given away- our nation is now awash in lazy citizens who have been “ruled” for so long that they have forfeit their power/authority because for decades they have NOT been taught that our constitution LIMITS government so much more than citizens. It’s so much easier to be taken care of (from the cradle to the grave) than to work (dare I say, fight) for your God given freedoms. Oh wait, what’s that called again? Communism.
Kyrie eleison!
Not mentioned here is that the Swiss also have mandatory military service. Thus are legislated by veterans which we now have very few of in gov.
Didn't the Swiss, at one time in fairly recent past, actually give each household a rifle? (I just scanned the article, so not sure if this was mentioned. )
Yep, they did and maybe still do
Not hunting rifles. Military automatic weapons in their homes.... Even Hitler left the Swiss alone.
www.johntrudel.com
I believe it's still a requirement that every household have guns for defense. They take individual responsibility seriously when it comes to maintaining their rights. Maybe that's why they've been able to remain neutral in some of the most egregious upheavals of the past century or two. Even now they don't have the same problems with immigration as other European states since their immigration policies emphasis highly skilled, marketable labor. When you come right down to it, that means personal responsibility.
and...Dona no bis pacem
Dona nobis pacem--Prayer for peace (Give us peace).
The option of the Article V Convention is suicide for the constitution just as it was for the Articles of Confederation. It matters not what laws are passed that place limits on the delegates to the convention. The Declaration itself recognizes the plenipotentiary power to throw off a government and create a new one. Once at the convention, delegates would be free to exercise that option. Leftists have been trying for 50 years to trick conservatives into calling for an Article V convention. There are several new constitutions floating around currently. An Article V convention would make it legally possible to completely trash our current constitution and replace it with something else entirely. And before anyone says they think that a good idea, ask yourself if the current crop of politicians is as learned or wise as the founders were. You can be sure that some of the same individuals who are presently violating constitutional limits would wind up as delegates. I'm all for returning America to its constitutional roots, but an Article V convention would spell the death of the American experiment.
Slippery slope indeed, no matter what safeguards might be attempted.
Another thoughtful analysis of fundamental aspects of US society that ought to be incorporated into every US History and Civics class, which themselves ought to be not only in every high school, but every university.
Thanks, Drs Malone!!
FROM GENERAL FLYNN: "I have spent my career studying the kind of warfare that does not look like warfare at all. The slow campaign to capture a nation’s institutions, its schools, its information, and its confidence in itself, without ever firing a shot. That is the fight standing between the country as it exists today and whatever it will be in 2276. If that fight is lost by neglect, by a citizenry too comfortable or too distracted to defend what it inherited, the America two hundred and fifty years from now will not look like a fallen empire in a history book. It will look like a shell bearing the old name, governed by forces the founding generation would neither recognize nor accept. Its sovereignty traded away one quiet concession at a time.
The distance between those two futures is not measured in technology or wealth. It is measured in character, in whether enough Americans between this Fourth of July and that one are willing to do the unglamorous work of citizenship the founding generation did first."
Just a thought, as I see people talking about celebrating the Fourth of July. Every Western nation, everyone who uses the same calendar, has a fourth of July. We don't celebrate the Fourth of July. We celebrate Independence Day, and do it on the Fourth of July.
Ten thousand likes!
MAGA 2026!
This stuff is now getting real. Interesting times.... http://johntrudel.com
Unfortunately, rebuilding the structure requires the will of better men--today's voters are not those men. We have been conditioned to look to the federal government as our parent, while we remain perpetual children.
Nor are our representatives and senators, who come from the mass of voters. How many of them have *never* read the Constitution which they swear to uphold? How many of them have studied it? IMO, it should be required that every congress critter read and pass a test on original intent before taking office--each term.
Read a recent article suggesting each high school graduate be required to pass the test for citizenship. My impression was this could be very helpful as they become eligible to vote. For that matter, it probably would be beneficial for our Nation if every voter had to pass at least this threshhold.
I agree the "right" to vote should be tested, as is the "right" to drive a car.
Actually, driving a car has been termed a privilege in most states. Interestingly, I knew a guy in NY several years ago that refused to get a license and registration. Every time they hauled him in to court, he presented an official letter of 1906 from the NY Attorney General that stated that licenses were only required for commerce, not for private travel. The state and surrounding states got so they would just dismiss his case without hearing it, and stops became less and less frequent as police were instructed to leave him alone. Why? Because the state didn't want anyone else learning about that legal opinion and interrupting their flow of cash and control.
It was perhaps a bad comparison on my part. My point of course was that even though almost everyone assumes that they will be able to drive when they grow up, it's a little unwise to allow untrained people to drive on public roads. Some might even argue that driver training should be more rigorous than it currently is. And voting, also, requires some skill to do. It is part of the "job" (responsibility) of being a citizen, and I think it should be viewed that way. We have the right to live, the right to move, the right to speak. But almost everyone can do those things innately. Not so with voting.
The problem, of course, is that schools have been dumbed down so far that such a test would be meaningless.
It wouldn't be meaningless if they had to study the Constitution and original intent, as well as the Federalist Papers and the Anti-Federalist Papers. The interesting thing about the latter is that many of the concerns they had were spot on.
The bigger problem is that so many high school graduates have a 4th grade reading level and questionable comprehension.
You have a point. However, this is another of the issues to be addressed if we want a functional productive nation.
I absolutely agree with you 💯
Whether it's federal, state or employer it can be made (and should be) meaningfully. No moneys for operations absent proven accomplishment. No job absent a diploma that confirms pass.
On the,subject of our current march into socialism, I find it humorous the angst progressives are feeling over social dems stealing the party they stole from dems
What I have been telling all who choose to listen for years; limited federal Gov for the intended purpose of national security, defense and aid to States during natural emergencies, period! Everything else get the hell out of!
A country. similar to a person making choices when young. can set off in a direction that is completely different if they had chose a different path. I think we with open eyes, people that don’t ignore what has been happening, clearly see what these major power grabs by the federal government have done. Many people think the civil war was all about freeing the slaves which was a big part of it, but it was based on the idea of states rights. Another big issue were southern ports of trade and who controlled them. These decisions America made put the country on a path that we now living in. It seems some keep wanting to take a hard left at the fork, and some stay right. I’m afraid succession can still happen with unknown but possibly devastating outcomes.
Cotton another big issue. Europe willing to pay more than northern textile cos. and restrictions on that trade imposed on the South certainly a big factor.
Oh crap, I just lost the whole thought I wrote! / As I was reading this the question appeared, If the Swiss have been so successful in this model, why doesn't some bright light pursue the same success instead of continuing the weakness and crumbling of our society? I know its not that simple, and some do try, but perhaps the deterioration has gone too far. That is probably why you say. " The answer will not be found in better men. it will be found, if it is found at all, in the rebuilding of structure." (Only better men will care enough to make it happen.) I continue to read and continue to have my questions answered...
Excellent article! I listened and followed along with the text and I was better able to absorb the content. I can only hope and pray that changes can happen…though given the view I see of our American society today, seems pretty hopeless. I’m still thankful to be in the US and have enjoyed many freedoms in my life, including the ability to worship Jesus. God bless you both!
I read enough to know that i can agree and thank you, I will come back after "work" and read thoroughly. If nothing else, right now in the United States of America, we still have opportunities and choices. I can choose to put up a USA flag and celebrate the country I live in, or choose to not. Our government is not making me, nor is our government saying I can't. We have aspired to the ideals of the Declaration for 250 years, in the bounds of our Constitution and its Bill of Rights. While we can always do better, after 250 years, it seems these documents are withstanding the tests of time.
Reading through this essay again in more depth, I just marvel at the wisdom in knowing what to expect from men versus structure. "They did not expect liberty to survive because politicians honored the Constitution." "Ambition must be made to counteract ambition." I could go on quoting the pieces that stand out to make my point, but no, back to reading this intriguing piece of history. "They did not assume officeholders would be wise or selfless." I just can't help it, this answers more of my first comment questions. Equality is not the objective, balance is =one of the problems with our misunderstanding of Socialism.
No elected person to Congress should ever be sworn in, when their own past & recent words & actions, prove beyond any reasonable doubt, they will NOT, support and defend the United States Constitution!
Can't help but think of Omar and her cronies.
Jayapal…
Florida is looking to be one of the states that is adhering to the Republic in its original context, in that, by its example, more people are literally fleeing other states in order to have the particular freedoms that Florida has to offer. Under DeSantis' leadership, it's drawing in more & more people! He's done well, molding his state into what people are craving. If Byron Donald's can take the mantel, this might continue. Byron Donald's appears to be quite the disciplinarian. Our entire country, in its current state, appears in dire need of discipline. It's an ingredient that is sorely missing within our culture, as witnessed by teen mobs & even suppos-ed grown-ups who act more like two-year olds throwing a tantrum. Heck, our own Congresspeople are behaving as such! It's embarrassing! We no longer seem to reward constraint & congeniality.. it doesn't get "clicks", I suppose.
I cannot get over how the media dawned over the Japanese who stayed after a game to clean up after themselves & everyone else. My God! This used to be commonplace among polite society, yet we're now oggling at the "spectical" of Japanese doing what SHOULD be commonplace among us all! The Japanese, by their upbringing, are a disciplined society. I assume the Swiss are, as well. There was no video celebrating them. Perhaps, as in running their country, they were quietly just doing what was right & decent.
TDS has damaged our society, as well. It has let loose & celebrated the unhinged & those with literal emotional insanity. Unfortunately, it has also ushered in the worst kind of Socialism (as if there were a "best" kind... ha!). We, as a Nation, are in dire straits. We stand at a crossroads, to be sure.
We should all take the now-infamous Sophie Cunningham's stance & collectively do the finger point at our Representatives as she did to support Caitlin Clark (WNBA). Somehow, it just seems fitting, at least in lieu of & until further actions take place.
So there is very little trust in the Gooberment any More, It's all Goober-d Up !
I will read this - AND I preordered your book. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
One of the main points of today's article seems to be that a remedy (the Civil War) to a terrible situation (slavery) inadvertently paved the way for the diminishing of freedom and the weakening of restrained governance. I agree. Yet yesterday's article argued for a remedy (government allowing marketing of food products only if provided proof of improved effect on human health) to a terrible situation (the current sad state of general health in America) that would likely expand government and diminish freedom. Today's argument is to restrain government's power, yesterday's was to greatly expand it. Seems inconsistent to me, but just for the record, I vote for today's.
And it seems to me that the problem in both cases was the grip of Corporate (or what you could loosely call international organized crime) on various sectors of life on Earth and in America. We have the sophistication now to expose that grip, which I believe should be our main objective.
Well maybe not inconsistent. The federal government could generate and share relevant data. Each State could assume the responsibility to become aware and decide what actions to take in response?
Thank you for this analysis and identifying substantive examples.
I well appreciate your recommendations! Given the support of responsible and insightful states, such as Florida 7/26, certainly - give your recommendations life and effort.
On the other hand, I personally rise out of Chicago, Illinois and now Maryland. I watch New York, California, New Jersey, Maine, et al. I look at our years of education setting the pace for trusting the experts (that we, the people, are unable/unprepared to think for ourselves - now to trust AI?). IE, legislators at every level, in substantial numbers, to me seem unprepared and disinclined to effectively reform our processes.
To get back to your grander approach. Certainly, particularly with potential impacts from November, action is needed. Considerations, approaches, stategies need to get underway! From your keyboard to God's ears and back down to those with influence and wisdom to get action on these issues underway!
Again, thank you for your insights and sharing! May they be a part of our National reflections and actions!
If I understand this correctly, the states should be able to make decisions independent of the federal government. Only problem with that is….those wanting open borders, sanctuary status for illegals, offenders and have Socialist/Communist governors and statesmen, will have no way of containing their dangerous group of people in their own state. Consequently those who harm others, and propose confiscating private property in those states, all will overflow into surrounding states that want NO PART of those decisions but will be exposed to them just the same. (i.e. Commercial truck licenses given out illegally to aliens in CA that do not speak English and end up killing people on highways across this nation.) The only protection for ALL Americans is federal laws that prohibit such things from being permitted nationwide. You cannot contain lawbreakers unless the laws are enforced nationwide. Until they are, the public will continue to be in peril…..which sanctuary states and their governors don’t give a damn about. They just want the illegals’ votes. The only reason the Democrats continue to allow the Democratic Socialist Party to be part of the Democrat Party is because they need votes, even from Socialists! They do not realize including the Socialists will force voters to vote Republican. ;-)
Amen 🙏 🇺🇸🙏