Opus 2012-290, Plow and Crown: The Land of the EBT and the Home of the Secure

I enjoy singing the Star Spangled Banner.  I enjoy the historical picture of Fort McHenry standing up to the British onslaught in the War of 1812.  I have visited the site and watched my kids participate in folding the flag at sunset.  The song has been known to bring tears to my eyes.  I am not sure that I can sing it anymore with sincerity.  That last line about the “land of the free and the home of the brave” sticks in my throat after the last election.

People have talked about adopting a new national anthem.  One of the suggested titles is America, the Beautiful.  I like that one too, but it will never become our national anthem.  It has too much traditional American value in it.  Sunday was Veterans Day and the prelude at church included a number of patriotic songs including America, the Beautiful.  As the pianist plays I like to look up the songs and follow the words. 

An example of the reason I know this song will never be adopted was found in the last line of the second verse.

Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

These are values that have been abandoned by the voting masses.  Self-control is a dirty word.  It is a concept that had been abandoned for the pleasures of the moment.  Why practice self control when you can get the government to take someone else’s wealth and redistribute it to you?  And now you don’t have the embarrassment of stamps and stickers, you get an EBT debit card and look just like the working people who can’t afford the steak you are buying. 

Liberty may still be on our coins but liberty based on law has been rejected in favor of a judicial reinterpretation flavor of the month.  Our president and our courts don’t want to be encumbered by balance of power, due process and legislation.  They want to rule by fiat.  

The only solution to the abuses is impeachment but it will never happen.  The people who need to put the process in motion are not willing to make the move.  Maybe we need a new political party called the Impeachment Party.  It would get my vote.

Our ancestors struggled for centuries wresting power away from the elites.  Recently we seem to be stumbling over each other in the rush to give it all back. 

The pendulum swings.

homo unius libri