What Might History Say of Us?

The View from the Colonel's Saddle

What might history say of the stewardship we provided America during our watch? It's been said that events require a hundred years before they can accurately be evaluated and conclusions drawn about the ultimate significance they had on history. Although I somewhat understand that view, it doesn't stop me from speculating.

In order to properly evaluate the effects of an event, time must be allowed to do its job and tell us what impact those events actually had on us. In many cases, that takes quite a few years. Additionally, contemporary historians and other "official observers" of the scene are oft times far too close to the trees to objectively and accurately assess the forest. Nothing however prohibits amateur speculation.

Here then are some snippets of what this amateur thinks Americans could be reading in the year 2100 about the Americans of 2000—if recorded by honest historians and not "politically correct" revisionists.

* They lost control of their borders, diluting their culture and resources out of existence. Although the danger signs were clearly present throughout the 20th century and well into the 21st, they couldn't separate themselves from the concept of politically correct multiculturalism and the fear of offending one group or another —even to the point of jeopardizing their own cultural existence. They allowed far too many foreigners unrestricted access to what they thought was unlimited wealth, resources and resiliency of their way of life, never considering the price that must eventually be paid when the bills came due. Their attempts to accommodate all actually evolved into unprecedented levels of political pandering. This ultimately proved disastrous to the long-term health and well being of the country's future and their most precious gift of freedom was ultimately turned against them. They allowed foreigners extreme, almost unlimited freedom of movement and action, turning a blind eye to the actions of those that had no real allegiance to or interest in the country—even to the extent of creating the perfect opportunity for terrorists to use the country's own resources against her, inflicting tremendous death and destruction.

* They were too globally oriented. They spread themselves far too thin around the world in an attempt to have their hands in the business of practically every country on earth—well intentioned or otherwise. This at the same time they were cutting the resources necessary to enforce such a policy of globalism—their military. Many countries around the world resented America's attempts to influence events and cultures even when accompanied by huge sums of foreign aid. The world bit and resented the hand that helped feed them but Americans just didn't learn. They ignored the founder's advice to avoid entangling foreign alliances and in the end, they sadly paid a heavy price for that ignorance.

* Bill Clinton was the most destructive man ever to hold the office of President. He did more in 8 years to undermine the American dream and constitution than any person, group or single event in the country's history up to that point.

* Modern liberal philosophy of the 20th and 21st century irreparably converted the original American dream 1776 to a socialistic nightmare. Liberals were thinly veiled socialists, fascists and communists intent on transforming America at every opportunity through legislative incrementalism and seeding the courts with judges that actively legislated from the bench. As Americans grew richer, lazier and less concerned with individual participation in the political process, these leftists were tacitly and sometimes eagerly given greater influence in determining America's course. They eventually took over as people looked more and more toward government for solutions to everything because the citizens themselves just didn't want to be bothered or involved. Politicians became very adept at creating a crisis, selling the people on the necessity of additional power for government as the only solution to that crisis and then used that new found power to expand their reach into all areas of a citizens life—even when the evidence was clearly counter to the efficacy of a federal solution. Americans were given a wonderful republic but they couldn't keep it.

* There was never a proper accounting by government for the funds collected and expended or how any piece of legislation adhered to the established constitution. The people seemed to be willing to overlook violations of their own constitution if it was accompanied by promises of additional handouts from the public treasury.

* As Jefferson feared, the dream of '76 mutated into the nightmare of the 21st century as they allowed government to grow unchecked in an ill-advised search for a paternalistic government that would provide more and more of what was once considered personal responsibilities. Once people discovered they could successfully vote funds into their own pockets from the public treasury, the dream was doomed.

* Americans ate their own and seemed to relish in self-flagellation—particularly with those in the press. There was a period in American history when it seemed to be in vogue that every problem, conflict or political struggle in the world was reported as America's fault. Even the terrorism of 9-11 was written about in many circles as the fault of America herself—many Americans, unable to see the very real importance of unity in fighting an external threat, sided with the terrorist organization responsible for the attack against their own country! This was truly an unbelievable phenomenon in the societal and political history of mankind.

* Somehow the concept of freedom of religion morphed into freedom from religion and God was run out of town in the twisted name of preserving the right of people to worship Him freely. Prayer was actually prohibited in many public events and places in the name of preserving religious freedom! This phenomenon will require many more years of study to adequately understand this "illogical logic."

* Liberal Americans officially viewed the government-sanctioned abortion of millions of unborn innocents as acceptable while those same Americans opposed the killing of convicted and egregious felons through capital punishment. Truly, this was an impossible-to-understand diametric of America in those days.

* Many duplicitous acts of government back then were sold to the average American using the ruse that it was for the good of the children. In one tragic example, many Americans were duped into surrendering their right to keep and bear arms on the pretext that a gun-free society was indeed safer for the children. Unfortunately, they paid a heavy price for this shortsightedness. Defenseless and unable to resist criminals and unscrupulous government agencies, many perished. A once strong spirited and independent people went down without a struggle—unarmed, intimidated and defenseless. Had it not been for small but staunchly loyal group of Colonial Traditionalists who refused to surrender their arms and who upheld the original values of the constitution, America would have been totally lost.

I know there are other extracts from America's future history books but these few are…

Just a view from my saddle.

The Colonel

DON'T TREAD ON ME