Man has this curious love-hate thing with higher authority. We love to worship, but we also love to resist. That’s not to say we’re worshiping God. As evidenced by where our energy goes, most of us worship food, work, sex, money, personal vanities, or – and this one is really important – people. For many the tendency to seek mascot status with celebrities is a strong passion.  But it’s with our Presidential candidates that we really get crazy.  That’s why we elect personalities instead of leaders. We want elected officials who make us feel good, who promise to give us stuff, who promise to take care of us – you know, the things that God offers to do – except he expects a little responsibility on our end. The traits that make for a pleasing personality have little in common with what makes for a good leader. Recent events make it crystal clear that unless the majority votes as adults, we will not get adult leadership in Washington.  God’s job is already filled – it never was an elected office.

Aircraft carriers reveal much folly

There are few products of man more impressive than the aircraft carrier. These floating cities carry enormous power and do an excellent job of illuminating America’s big stick to a dangerous world. In the 21st century, they’re also expensive targets destined as coffins to our young.  America has more aircraft carriers – eleven – than all the world combined. China recently joined that fraternity and they have more on the way. Though carriers are great islands of power in small or temporary conflicts with weaker adversaries, in a war with a nation of technology, they are today’s version of yesterday’s sitting duck battleships. In a real war, missile technology and numbers will overwhelm carrier defenses with frightening efficiency. Carriers are simply too big, too slow, and too expensive to compete with micro-chips. That most of those chips are now made in China will one day teach us a lesson in the ever changing nature of power.

London calling

For a look into why so many people are arming themselves in the name of self-defense, take a tour of London. Their three nights of terror in 2011 hold many valuable lessons. The riotous behavior of white sixteen year olds and subsequent dysfunction of the police offers a preview of the future for many of the world’s population centers. Look to the benevolence of big government advocates for the causes behind the chaos. Having successfully disarmed their citizenry, politically paralyzed their police, and artificially empowered the off-spring of a permissive society, they will do doubt now call for more government as the recovery medicine. London’s authorities defended their no action actions with the claim that words are Britain’s enforcement tool of choice – not force. In the left’s fantasy world, reality is no match for philosophy. In the real world, fantasy is no match for absurdity. The city that withstood Hitler’s blitz, was not prepared for the blitz by socialism’s off-spring.  London is calling with a message – neither is America.

Enabling in Jesus’ name

It’s funny how many liberals ridicule Christianity except when they can use Jesus as a weapon.  Anytime a politician raises concerns about government living beyond our means, you can almost bet he or she will be hit with guilt and shame in Jesus’ name. While it’s true that Christ modeled love, compassion, and generosity, there is very little evidence of his enabling anyone.  When he called on men to give up wealth, it was to clear an obstacle to spiritual growth, not to fund irresponsibility.  From start to painful finish Jesus was at least as dedicated to personal accountability as he was to love. He knew that one did not work well without the other.  In fact, that’s the best way to tell the difference between real social justice and enabling – does the beneficiary have skin in the game?  Obama’s massive extension of food stamp benefits is enabling of the first order. In truth, Jesus modeled that place between abandoning our fellow man and helping him sit down. He knew that enabling was mostly for the enabler.

Liberalism has been progressively corrupted

 Most true conservatives have a touch of engrained liberalism. For the inspiration behind that bit of confusion, look no further than the Latin word “liberalis” – “of freedom; worthy of a free man, gentlemanlike, courteous, generous”. By that definition, any conservative of conscience might qualify for this fraternity and proudly so. 

 Authentic liberals, like authentic conservatives, are a rare commodity. Worse, the wholesome liberal ideals that have propelled mankind for centuries have been distorted into a twenty-first century paradox of harm. The liberal truth no longer exists except in a progressive fantasy.

 The mutation of reality is almost always predatory. Someone benefits from the swap while someone else pays. The modern make-believe liberal, like the make-believe conservative, is typically a master at deception through words. Today’s more common liberal concoctions are something can be had for nothing, truth is relative, and morality doesn’t matter.

 Liberals love the word “diversity.” But note what happens when they encounter something outside their comfort zone. Uniqueness is embraced only so long as it matches their sense of good and bad. Observe how few conservatives exist in our education system and other liberal environments. Mature people delight in the differences that God built into mankind and yet retain lucid perspective on the importance of values, experience, and reality. 

 Modern-day liberals love to defend the indefensible. Unfortunately resistance as an end unto itself is a primitive approach to identity – think “terrible twos” – and not remotely up to the challenges of a dangerous world. Liberal advocacy for homosexual marriage, abortion, and minority entitlement has less to do with compassion than the need to build the progressive movement’s identity through the process of resistance.

 Even though true liberalism has a systemic tie to liberty, today’s liberals, if measured by actions, hate freedom. If you see a new law, rule, or restriction coming from government, behind it usually stands a liberal feeling progressive. Conservatives are understandably confused by new age liberalism that is so passionately dedicated to control.

 Most true liberals hold kinship with conservatism. For the inspiration behind that bit of confusion, we need look no further than the Latin word “conservare” – “to preserve.” Real liberals, like real conservatives, love liberty and are dedicated to its preservation....

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Carl Mumpower, a former member of Asheville City Council, may be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it