“He created them male and female, blessed them, and named them “Human Beings.” – Genesis 5:2

From an early age, we learn that there is a distinct difference between girls and boys.  We are not interchangeable pieces, but rather unique and complimentary beings of the same species.  We are blessed in the sense that together, we may create new life and perpetuate our human existence on this planet.

As a man, becoming a dad is the greatest gift I could ever receive.  No bauble, electronic, piece of clothing, automobile, nor other earthly possession can ever match the treasure of a child.  Fatherhood is the destination of manhood; the final piece of the proverbial “male” puzzle.

The responsibility inherent in fatherhood is immense, but a welcome burden to men who recognize our role to be companion leaders of our homes.  Our duality is not an accident; fathers provide a complimentary and necessary “yang” to a mother’s “yin.”  It is thus not a surprise that research studies show serious economic and social harm to families where fathers are absent.[1]

Sadly, our society is increasingly at war with this duality.  We see it now with the omnipresent attack on womanhood and femininity, but this is just the latest battle in a conflict that has unfortunately gutted the traditional role of men in the nuclear family.  If our society is to survive, it is incumbent upon men and women to reassert the importance of both sexes—complimentary pieces of one whole—in creating and maintaining the familial foundation of our social order.

On this Father’s Day 2022, let us not just celebrate the role of men in our families today, but commit to restoring the biblical and natural balance that is a self evident reality of a healthy society.

Steve Canyon is a retired military officer.

The Language of Liberty series is an outreach project of the Center for Self Governance, a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization, dedicated to training citizens in principles of liberty. The views expressed by the authors are their own and may not reflect the views of CSG. CenterForSelfGovernance.com

[1] The Father Absence Crisis [Infographic] (fatherhood.org)

The post Father’s Day 2022 appeared first on Center For Self Governance.

Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Remember their sacrifice, but also remember the reason they sacrificed.

The beginning of summer is marked by the Memorial Day holiday weekend.  Summer vacation begins for most children, pools open for the season, and families enjoy a 3-day opportunity to barbecue, picnic, or otherwise soak up some sunshine and fun.

Memorial Day began with a collection of mid-19^th century independent local remembrances of war dead.  This gradually coalesced into a “Decoration Day” that had gained wide national acceptance by the 1890s.  The name “Memorial Day” became more prevalent after World War II, but it wouldn’t be until 1967 when it became a federally named holiday.

Memorial Day is often mistakenly used to celebrate all current and former service members.  Coupled with the beginning of summer revelry, it is easy to forget the intent and meaning of the day and the sacrifice of those for which it is named.

Allegiance to an idea

Throughout our nation’s history, various motivations have driven Americans into our nation’s service.  These factors range from economic incentives to skills development to love of the nation.  However, each American service member swears an oath of service that binds them to a collective duty to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.  Regardless of religious, political, or other dividing issue, each service member is united around the idea that the ideals and prescriptions enshrined in our founding document are worth protecting, even at the loss of their life.

This concept is revolutionary.  Traditionally, soliders swore fealty to a king or a ruling class.  Sometimes soldiers fought for a religious cause.  Many times, soldiers were motivated by their own desires and struck blows to further their personal interests.  However, the idea of swearing an oath to the concept of self rule under the aegis of codified laws was a heretofore unknown concept when Congress approved the first oath of service in 1789.

Remembering the reason

The past few years have seen the hyper politicization of everything in our nation and beyond.  One of the few remaining institutions in which a majority of Americans still have trust is the military.  That is perhaps because the military, with its transcendant oath of service, rises above the squables of daily political life.

As we embark on yet another Memorial Day weekend, perhaps we Americans could best honor the memory of our fallen warriors by rediscovering that to which they swore this unique oath.  Reacquaint ourselves with the Bill of Rights and its guarantee that such concepts as freedom of speech, association, religion, self protection, and many others are not granted by man, but rather divinely bestowed and therefore inviolable.  Reawaken our desire to be active participants in our governing system—a system that the Founders purposefully designed to prevent the accretion of power and therefore a necessarily messy, laborious process.  Most of all, understand that we have been bequeathed a tremendous gift that may only be perpetuated if we put in the effort to create that more perfect union of which the Founders spoke.

Memorial Day is a time for reflection.  Let us spend a moment to not just reflect on the sacrifice made by our deceased servicemembers, but also the ideal for which they sacrificed.

Steve Canyon is a retired military officer.

The Language of Liberty series is an outreach project of the Center for Self Governance, a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization, dedicated to training citizens in principles of liberty. The views expressed by the authors are their own and may not reflect the views of CSG. CenterForSelfGovernance.com

Word Count: 547

The post Remember appeared first on Center For Self Governance.

As a mother, I have a unique duty to preserve our republic through the upbringing of my children.  This is not a new concept.  In fact, republican motherhood was a real thing during the formation of our country.  Revolutionary women discussed motherhood as if it were a fourth branch of government.[i]  The education of children was for the good of the nation, to preserve the civic virtue of future republican citizens.

Let me be clear that when I use the word republican, I am not speaking of the current partisan party.  Republican means the system of government that the Architects built – all seven boundaries of it.

If we want to influence the wider political sphere, mothers can begin right in our own homes.  In the era of shutdowns, lockdowns, and homeschooling, we have an opportunity to blend civic duties into our domestic ones.  As Founder Benjamin Rush stated, women play an important role in “molding the minds, morals and manners of the nation.”[ii]  In order to do this, we need the proper tools and training.

First, we must correct our own lack of civic education.  What system of government do we have?  How many boundaries does it have?  Why are boundaries important?  For that matter, what exactly is a boundary?  Fortunately, there are many educational resources out there a concerned mother can tap into.  Hillsdale College’s free online courses are a great place to start.[iii]

Second, we can no longer be passive in our civic involvement.  We have allowed public education to become a free babysitting service that undermines the very republic we wish to preserve.  Parents, not government, are the primary stakeholder in a child’s future and we must take back the responsibility and control we have wittingly or unwittingly relinquished.  Even if one doesn’t have children in the public school system, all concerned Americans must all work to mold public education into something that will strengthen the republic – not work to its detriment.

Next, and perhaps most controversial, how about we idealize motherhood?  Women should be able to stay home as full-time mothers without guilt or shame, and with the full support of their spouses – even if it means living with less.  If motherhood is important, let’s treat it as such. In the days of Mrs. Eliza Powel—confidante to George Washington and an influential, albeit quiet titan of early American politics[iv]—political and domestic feminism was wrapped up into one package.  It can be that again.

Finally, make your children a part of the team.  Bring them to civic engagements and meetings.  Speak to them as adults. Train them in logic and reason. Let them take part in the adult sphere. Discuss systematic politics within the home.  Read books.  Be a role model by practicing what you preach.

During these stressful times it’s easy to feel hopeless, but it is far from reality.  Mothers have the power to change the destiny of the nation. Instead of adding one more task to our laundry list of responsibilities, let’s integrate our domestic and civic duties. Together, we can restore our system of government and revitalize the Spartan model of republican motherhood once again…from within the comfort of our own homes.

Caty Greene is a mother and strongly engaged in preserving our republic.

The Language of Liberty series is an outreach project of the Center for Self Governance, a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization, dedicated to training citizens in principles of liberty. The views expressed by the authors are their own and may not reflect the views of CSG. CenterForSelfGovernance.com

Word Count: 574

[i] https://dkuluris.weebly.com/uploads/3/7/7/3/37733977/rethinking_republican_motherhood.pdf

[ii] Jacqueline S. Reinier, “Rearing the Republican Child: Attitudes and Practices in Post-Revolutionary Philadelphia.” (The William and Mary Quarterly, Third Series, 39, no. 1, The Family in Early American History and Culture [Jan. 1982]), 158.

[iii] https://online.hillsdale.edu/#home

[iv] https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/elizabeth-willing-powel/

The post Restoring Republican Motherhood appeared first on Center For Self Governance.

Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): It is easy to win an argument…when you put a ball gag on your opponent

“I know that I know nothing” is a phrase commonly associated with the Greek philosopher Socrates.  The clear inference from this paradoxical assertion is that knowledge comes from inquisition, research, and dialogue with others.

The eponymous Socratic Method was developed to facilitate critical thinking through development of theses, followed by challenges that would then be defended by the originator. Again, the ancient Greek philosopher recognized the need for robust dialogue between humans to push back the boundaries of ignorance.

The founding fathers engaged in vigorous, sometimes heated debate during the 1787 Constitutional Convention to replace the failing Articles of Confederation.ⁱ The Federalists & Anti-Federalists each developed arguments based on logic and facts in an attempt to persuade state delegates on the veracity of their competing proposals. Ultimately, this yielded a result that has stood the test of nearly 250 years.

In much the same way that competing athletes push each other to greater achievement, society benefits when ideas are free to compete in the arena of public discourse.

Echoes of Silence

While this timeless concept would seem an obvious pillar of a functioning social order, history is replete with examples of individuals or societies that muzzled speech, squashed dissent, or banished heretics.

Galileo Galilei advocated the Copernican concept of heliocentrism—the fact that the sun is the center of the universe. Galileo’s teachings challenged official church dogma and led to his official inquisition, forced recantation, and lifelong house arrest.

The 20th century was filled with “leaders” who silenced their populace and opposition. Perhaps the most grievous example occurred in the immediate aftermath of the February 1933 Reichstag Fire.  Seizing the initiative, Hitler rapidly consolidated power and had his slim Nazi majority in government pass the Malicious Practices Act—an official decree outlawing any speech or act critical of the government.ⁱⁱ  This act quickly chilled political opposition to the Nazis and cowed the German peopleinto submission, paving the way for countless horrors to come.

The Chinese Communist government recognized the extant problem they had with burgeoning unrest following the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests. Since then, the government has embarked on a relentless campaign of censorship, arrests, surveillance, and Orwellian memory-holing of all
historical records of the event.ⁱⁱⁱ  Following their 2020 assimilation of Hong Kong, the government has similarly embarked on a purge of Tiananmen Square memories in the formerly free special administrative region.^iv

In our own nation, civil rights activists endured harassment, beatings, and even death as they sought to provide black voters with a voice in the political process in the Jim Crow Deep South.^v

The common theme is an entity, operating from a position of power to quell open discourse, thus destroying their opposition by silencing their voices.

The Woke muzzling

Over the past two decades, the landscape of American comity has deteriorated. Whereas competing ideas used to be freely shared with respectful tolerance of one another’s point of view, increasingly some Americans have sought to assert their ideological will over a silenced opponent.

The debate over climate change (formerly known as global warming) is a prime example of this muzzling. While the scientific community claims broad consensus on the topic,^vi dissenters face condemnation,^vii loss of employment,^viii and even threat of prosecution.^{ix x}  Sadly, this isn’t the only push for enforced ideological conformity.

The advent of social media as a virtual public square has revolutionized the way the world interacts with one another. However, the dawn of the 2020s saw an alarming rise in the use of so-called fact checkers to mark, and oftentimes delete, individual speech that strayed outside thought boundaries. Whether the topic was COVID origins, COVID treatments, the 2020 election, or a litany of other topics, Americans discovered an electronic hand would be placed over their mouth if they displeased the
unseen enforcers of societal dogmas.

“Cancel Culture” is perhaps one of the cruelest iterations of this phenomenon. This form of organized bullying^xi utilizes the power of the mob and social ostracism to strong-arm a target into submission.  The “cancelled” individual is effectively destroyed—often losing their employment and previous standing in society^xii —but the intent is also to serve as a warning to others that they too will be eviscerated if they step out of line.^xiii

Cancel Vultures circling Franklin TN…

This past weekend, Franklin TN served as the host city to the American Dream Conference featuring several prominent political leaders, academics, and pundits.^xiv It was a thoughtful, respectful reflection on our society’s progress towards Dr. Martin Luther King’s ideal of a nation of equal citizens living in harmony.

Nevertheless, a local group rolled out a predictable arsenal of baseless slander^{xv xvi} in an attempt to disrupt this event in the days preceding. They also made a feeble, cowardly effort at cancel culture in the heart of Tennessee. Their thinly veiled threats at local government^{xvii xviii} and businesses^{xix xx} were a sad display of their utter intellectual and moral bankruptcy.

Their behavior follows a bitter trend among the political left in this country of marginalizing any voices of dissent emanating from minority communities.^{xxi xxii}  Whether it’s branding someone like Dr. Thomas Sowell, Justice Clarence Thomas, or Secretary (Dr.) Ben Carson as “Uncle Tom” or a white woman in a gorilla mask throwing an egg at gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder, the message is clear: “you don’t conform to our racial dogma, therefore we will shut you down and destroy you.” Hardly where Dr. King likely envisioned our country 54 years hence…

Celebrating true diversity

So much has been said about the need for diversity in our nation. Americans of every walk of life would likely agree, but not necessarily the diversity championed by woke totalitarians of the 21st century. As Socrates opined, diversity of thought is good as it leads to discovery and learning.

Rather than attempting to muzzle the American Dream Conference speakers, or any voice challenging the now monolithic narrative of woke, wouldn’t it be more credible to challenge the ideas instead of the right of the presenters to speak? Only by stepping into the arena of ideas and competing on equal footing will the opposition’s position have any true merit among thoughtful Americans.

The question is, do they have the courage to pursue a Socratic approach to advance their cause, or will they choose the path of lesser, reviled historical figures?

Steve Canyon is a retired military officer.

The Language of Liberty series is an outreach project of the Center for Self Governance, a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization, dedicated to training citizens in principles of liberty. The views expressed by the authors are their own and may not reflect the views of CSG. CenterForSelfGovernance.com

Word Count: 1092

The post Cancel Vultures appeared first on Center For Self Governance.

Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF):  It is always darkest just before dawn…

The past two years have been one of the strangest and very arguably difficult periods in American history.

A global pandemic of questionable origins.  Political upheaval that has transcended traditional squabbles regarding taxation levels and discretionary spending.  Social mayhem fomented, distilled, and amplified seemingly without concern for the long term effect on the ties that bind us together as a nation.  A decidedly dark turn by government away from enforcement of duly passed laws in favor of edicts, promulgations, and fiats.  All under the backdrop of metastasizing foreign threats most Americans cannot begin to fathom for all the turmoil within our own unenforced borders.

It is enough to make one despair, to lose hope, to believe the night will never end.  It is also easy to forget that we Americans have been in darker places than this before, and through determination, grit, our common bonds and most of all, Divine Providence, we have emerged from that dark tunnel and found new strength to carry on.

Let us recall a couple of these morose echoes from America’s past.

A Revolution on the brink

Americans celebrate the bravado of the July 4^th 1776 Declaration of Independence from the British global superpower.  What many fail to consider is that it took another seven years of grueling struggle and sacrifice to realize the promise of that mid-summer act of defiance.

Perhaps the nadir of the Revolutionary War occurred during the long winter of 1777-78.  The Continental Army, having fought to a stalemate in the Battle of White Marsh, set up their winter encampment at Valley Forge just before Christmas 1777.

This 12,000 person cantonment was spartan, very poorly provisioned, and suffered from atrociously substandard sanitation.  Bedraggled soldiers residing in ramshackle quarters endured amputating frostbite and outbreaks of typhus, dysentery, and influenza.  In total, nearly 2,000 soldiers perished during the six month encampment.

To make matters worse, the Continental Army had little standardization across its units, hampering its effectiveness as a fighting force.  This combined maelstrom of misery drove morale to such dangerous levels that General Washington warned Congress that the army would either “starve, dissolve, or disperse.”[i]

Nevertheless, the Continentals persisted.  Washington successfully lobbied Congress for better provisioning and installed a highly regarded combat general as the Quartermaster General to ensure improved logistics.  The introduction of Prussian drill master Friedrich von Steuben improved standardization, efficiency, and effectiveness among all units.  Finally, a late winter alliance with France gave the Continentals both additional manpower and supplies in their fight against the British.  This combined to lift morale, leading to an effective campaign in which the Continentals acquitted themselves well at the Battle of Monmouth six months after making camp outside Philadelphia.

The dark winter at Valley Forge was over.

A bold stab at the heart of the foe

The U.S. was reeling in early 1942.  Pearl Harbor, occurring three weeks before Christmas, was rapidly followed hours later by invasion of the Philippines.  This American controlled archipelago fell to the Japanese in early April 1942 after most of the Asiatic Fleet was destroyed.  There were very real concerns the Japanese would show up in San Francisco.[ii]

We were being rolled up.

A plan was hatched in the week following Pearl Harbor to strike back in some way, just to swing the emotional pendulum the other direction.  National command leadership turned to an Air Corps Lieutenant Colonel by the name of Jimmy Doolittle to offer a glimmer of hope filled light to a reeling nation.

Army Air Corps B-25 bombers would be transported via aircraft carrier to within striking distance of the Japanese homeland.  They would hit targets around Tokyo, then go on to land in (then) friendly Chinese territory.

It was highly risky for several reasons.  First, B-25s were not carrier aircraft and the U.S. only had two operational carriers at the time.  They could neither risk a mishap on one of these capital ships, nor discovery and engagement by the Japanese.  Nonetheless, Doolittle’s Raiders conducted the mission–a tactically insignificant mission as the light bombers carried very little ordnance and caused negligible damage to the Japanese war effort.  A metaphorical mosquito biting your neck.

However, the mosquito raid had a broader strategic effect.  The attack caused tremendous concern and anger in the Japanese high command that they had been attacked on their homeland.  The Japanese thus committed to eliminate the U.S. carrier force in the Pacific.

This set the stage for the pivotal and tide-turning Battle of Midway in mid-1942.  The Japanese never recovered from this defeat.

Counting the minutes to daybreak

Americans are an impatient lot.  We have grown impetuous as the blessings of liberty have begat unimagined luxuries with incredible speed.  We want it all, and we want it now.

The acceleration of the aforementioned current challenges is disconcerting.  That alarm will grow exponentially as the pace and tenor of these challenges continues to grow.  Americans no doubt want a return to “normalcy,” but they want it on their timeline and may miss both the subtle changes for the better and their ability to effect that change.

In the two historical examples, the situation did not change overnight.  It was a hard, arduous process that eventually got the Continental Army “over the hump” and a risky, perilous gamble that set in motion an over response by an American foe in World War II.  In the background, average Americans played a role.  Whether it was surreptitiously fashioning 2,000 shirts under the nose of British occupiers for the freezing men at Valley Forge, or collecting scrap, buying war bonds, and planting a Victory Garden during World War II, Americans showed their grit, tenacity, and willingness to put their collective shoulders to the effort.

In both cases, the light of dawn eventually came, but not before the nation traversed a very dark period.

We are less than a week from Christmas—a time of hope and rebirth in the Christian Church as the promise of a Redeemer is realized.  It is perhaps not coincidental that Christmas occurs in concert with the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere—a time of maximum night before the sun begins to reclaim more of each day.

In this season of darkness, let us not despair in the news of the day.  Rather, let us together work to change our future, to push back and reassert our birthright as free Americans, but most of all, believe that the dawn will come.

Merry Christmas

Steve Canyon is a retired military officer.

The Language of Liberty series is an outreach project of the Center for Self Governance, a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization, dedicated to training citizens in principles of liberty. The views expressed by the authors are their own and may not reflect the views of CSG. CenterForSelfGovernance.com

Word Count: 1092

[i] https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-12-02-0628

[ii] https://www.historynet.com/fear-itself-the-general-panicked-west-coast.htm

The post Awaiting the Dawn appeared first on Center For Self Governance.

Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF):  A youthfully powerful nation stands at a crossroads.  Will it turn its back on family values?

There is a parallel between our current state of affairs and that of an adolescent dealing with the confusing temptations of near adulthood.  As a nation, we were instilled with “family values” in the form of our Constitutional system of governance and a recognition of the importance of preserving the rights of the individual.  As discussed in Part 1, there are serious violations of these family norms that threaten our youthful republic.  Where do we go from here?

Finding confidence

Fortunately, nearly all teenagers find a way to grow out of these rebellious years safely and reinforce their moral foundation.  Developing that adult sense of self is borne out of those formative years and the nurturing of their parents, but also from the self confidence that inevitably comes from accepting oneself as they are.

Too often, we hear some whine that the United States should be more like Europe[i] [ii] or otherwise embrace a more global citizen view.[iii] [iv]  Again, this displays an adolescent penchant for self-doubt and wanting to conform to others’ vision of what you should be.

Perhaps there is an undercurrent of inferiority that our nation, our culture comprises a metaphorical blink of an eye in human history compared to many countries in Europe who trace lineages back 1,000 years or more, or China whose history stretches over 4,000 years.  Perhaps these cultures, indignant that the new kid on the block has suddenly and visibly supplanted their primacy, have used their established status to instill apprehension in their new rival.

Like a teenager fraught with self-doubt, the way out of this tunnel rests on the strength of character instilled in our formative years, and a realization that the trials and tribulations we’ve experienced have made us stronger as a result.

Contrary to the messaging from Leftists and their media allies, America has much of which to be proud, and the world is indeed a better place for its ascendance.  We are not perfect, the Founders acknowledged that, but because we are unique, because we have experienced internal strife, because we value the individual, and because we have a Constitutional order rooted in truth, we are exceptional.

Moving forward

Hopefully, America will grow out of this turbulent pubescent phase.  However, as previously mentioned, we do presently stand at the edge of a very dark chasm.  What can we do here and now to prevent a fall?

First, a return to those family values is in order.  Collectively, we Americans must rediscover our Constitution and the brilliance of the Framers’ masterpiece of self-governance.  We must acknowledge our forefathers and all humans are fallible beings, prone to self-interest and desires.

As a result, we commit to living knowing that no one person or group can possibly have the answer to every issue, but together, as a nation of equals under the aegis of Constitutional governance, we will address those issues honestly and forthrightly.

Second, we must recognize this is not an issue of who occupies what elected office for the next couple of years.  This is an issue that transcends partisan politics; it’s about maintaining the apparatus, the framework of our system.

Question any measure that contradicts our Constitutional order.  Think of the second and third order effects of what politicians are proposing.  Demand politicians (regardless of the letter, or no letter after their name) follow Constitutional norms.  Support politicians who demonstrate an understanding of their role in our system.  They derive their power from us, not the other way around.

Third, we have to reinvigorate our educational efforts to build citizens versed in what it means to be an American in a constitutional republic.  This is a long game and a polity that does not understand from where it came and for what it stands is doomed to oblivion.  The Left knows this, that’s why they’ve hollowed out the system like termites for decades.

Finally, we must stand up to the illiberal mob.  Push back on the panoply of ridiculous ideas, proposals, legislation, and orders with reasoned facts and Constitutional alternatives.  For lack of a better analogy, we must conduct an intervention with our adolescent republic.

I can only imagine our Founders looking at the current state of affairs like parents watching their teenager flirt with disaster.  The question is whether we have absorbed enough of our family values, internalized enough of our founding “parents’” warnings, and have developed enough of a cultural self-identity to mature out of this tempestuous phase.

Steve Canyon is a retired military officer.

The Language of Liberty series is an outreach project of the Center for Self Governance, a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization, dedicated to training citizens in principles of liberty. The views expressed by the authors are their own and may not reflect the views of CSG. CenterForSelfGovernance.com

Word Count: 773

[i] https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamthierer/2012/02/23/the-problem-with-obamas-lets-be-more-like-europe-privacy-plan/?sh=58647aa17679

[ii] https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/06/becoming-europe/485048/

[iii] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSCA2UJPmDg

[iv] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/beyond-borders-what-it-me_b_4473695

The post The Adolescent Republic, Part 2 appeared first on Center For Self Governance.

Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Persuasion is an art, but not all art is beautiful.

When considering the Language of Liberty in our constitutional republic, one needs to consider how language is employed to convince citizens of that which they should care.

The Greek philosopher Aristotle identified three methods utilized in persuading others; he called these logos, ethos, and pathos.  Each has its place in thoughtful discourse; each has benefits and pitfalls.

Logos seeks to convince the audience based on facts, statistics, historical examples, and appeal to authority.  Logical appeal is powerful in that it provides tangible, verifiable proof that something is true; effectively creating a disturbing dissonance in the receiver if a poorly crafted counter argument is presented.  Logos’ weakness is it is hard—it requires an engaged, interested, and knowledgable receiver to be effective, and it requires work on the part of the transmitter to uncover and present the truth.  Additionally, faux authority or ersatz research—a seemingly knowledgable source or purportedly valid information that is corrupted—can turn a logical argument to propaganda.

Ethos seeks to convince the receiver based on the credibility of the source.  The ethical value of the transmitter is key, but so too is the language used and the unbiased delivery of the message.  Ethical appeal, therefore, may be viewed as dependent upon the character of the source.  It’s power and weakness is the transmitter.  A strong delivery can have incredible influence over people, while a weak delivery might barely move the needle.  Similarly, an ethically compromised source will destroy the audience’s trust in the message.

Pathos attempts to evoke either positive or negative feelings to convince the audience of the message being delivered.  Emotional appeal is incredibly powerful as it activates the limbic system within the brain, creating a physiological response from neurochemical release.[i]  Pathos is therefore visceral and immediate.  Research has shown emotional appeal is more powerful than objective logical appeal,[ii] and can actually override logical thinking.[iii]  While important to help a transmitter connect with their audience, history is replete with examples of monstrous leaders using pathos to lead humanity to very dark corners.

Lessons from the Past

In 1787, our fledgling nation was at a perilous crossroads.  The Articles of Confederation, written in the aftermath of the victorious Revolutionary War, had proven problematic and unsuitable for the long term survival of the nation.  As the Constitutional Convention began in Philadelphia, various participants began to express concerns of the unrestrained use of pathos by some future leader to usurp control for their own interests.[iv]  These Constitutional framers thus installed checks and balances to intentionally slow the decision making process, creating an environment less conducive to unrestrained pathos.

In the same vein, James Madison viewed a Senate of more seasoned lawmakers as “a necessary fence” from the transitory passions generated in the lower chamber of Congress.[v]  At the time, the Senate was further insulated from the passions of the citizenry through their direct appointment by state legislatures.  Passage of the 17^th Amendment changed that, perhaps leading to a less deliberative present day condition.

American Persuasion, 21^st Century Style

Few would argue our politics have become more heated and our politicians less believable.  Current Congressional job approval sits at -32.5%.[vi] Similarly, 30% more Americans believe the nation is on the wrong track than their more optimistic countrymen.[vii]  This strongly suggests an environment, perhaps purposefully cultivated, that is more amenable to emotional appeal than the other two persuasion styles.

Compounding this development are the twin issues of mortgaged ethical credibility and promotion of ersatz research as truth.

One need look no further than Anthony Fauci for an example of the former.  Fauci, initially hailed as the expert who would lead us through the COVID pandemic, has been exposed as knowledgable of, and possibly complicit in, Chinese gain of function research that led to development of the novel coronavirus.[viii]  While in the early days of the pandemic Fauci was vacillating on the value of masking (an issue itself that exposed Fauci as lying[ix]), he was feverishly trying to bury his own role in creating this disaster.

Colin Powell’s 2003 presentation to the United Nations regarding purported Iraqi weapons of mass destruction programs is perhaps history’s most egregious example of ersatz research posing as objective fact.  Powell, highly respected throughout the world community, unknowingly presented a case built upon specious research and outright fabrication.[x]  The result was public acceptance and a rush towards an epoch shaking foreign policy blunder.

It is important to note how pathos plays a significant role in suppressing dissent and furthering chosen narratives.  Any question of COVID’s origins was met with emotional cries of “racism” or “science denial,” obviating the need to validate the postulation.  Similarly, a still-reeling United States, angry about 9-11 and fearful of another attack, was easily convinced to rush to war on shaky evidence.

Restoring Balance

Simply put, Americans must reject unrestrained use of emotion in our political discourse and demand transparent, fact based arguments from our officials in positions of trust.  This is not a partisan issue; both sides employ emotion, shade the truth, and present as authority those who are anything but authoritative.  The accelerating diminution of the American education system hampers any long term effort to reverse this trend and reinstate the public’s critical review of decision making.[xi] [xii]  Nonetheless, if we are ever to return balance to the arena of political discourse, it must start with recognition of the over emphasis on pathos and the attendant weakening of the other two methods of persuasion.

Steve Canyon is a retired military officer.

The Language of Liberty series is an outreach project of the Center for Self Governance, a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization, dedicated to training citizens in principles of liberty. The views expressed by the authors are their own and may not reflect the views of CSG. CenterForSelfGovernance.com

Word Count: 940

[i] https://www.healthline.com/health/what-part-of-the-brain-controls-emotions#fear

[ii] https://www.mycustomer.com/marketing/strategy/how-research-proves-emotion-is-more-powerful-than-logic-in-marketing

[iii] https://www.humintell.com/2009/08/do-emotions-affect-critical-thinking/

[iv] https://www.beaconjournal.com/opinion/20191231/why-demagogues-were-founding-fathers-greatest-fear

[v] https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/g_three_sections_with_teasers/origins.htm

[vi] https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/congressional_job_approval-903.html

[vii] https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/direction_of_country-902.html

[viii] https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/08/americans-deserve-the-truth-about-gain-of-function-research-and-the-wuhan-lab/

[ix] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fauci-said-masks-not-really-effective-in-keeping-out-virus-email-reveals/ar-AAKCZ0c

[x] https://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/08/19/powell.un/

[xi] https://www.humintell.com/2009/08/do-emotions-affect-critical-thinking/

[xii] https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/article/are-american-schools-creating-stupefied-generation/

The post Of Logos, Ethos, and Pathos appeared first on Center For Self Governance.

“The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century” is a crystal ball look at the rest of this century based on extrapolated trends through the first decade.

What makes George Friedman’s book incredibly relevant is his analysis of history, geography, and trends created by these inherent realities to build a vision of the 21^st century.  One of Friedman’s views is that America is in an adolescent phase in its history.

A nation blessed with favorable geography was destined to eventually become powerful.  Like a teenager who experiences a sudden growth spurt and needs time to grow into their ungainly body, Friedman believes the US is just growing into its preeminent position in the world order.

Perhaps there is more to Friedman’s hypothesis than just a nation learning to use its newfound international muscle responsibly.  Are there other parallels to teenagers and how these might help explain the situation in which the nation now finds itself?

Turning away and experimentation

Parents spend 15 years nurturing, instilling values, and giving their child a sense of identity within a family.  As a child approaches adulthood, they begin to rebel, to challenge what they’ve been taught, and sometimes experiment with behaviors parents wish they wouldn’t.  While these are natural phenomena, there isn’t a parent who doesn’t shake their head at these inexorable growing pains.

Fortunately, children grow out of this rebellious stage.  They recognize the worth of both the values instilled and the family identity that they will carry forth as they begin a life outside the home.

In much the same way, America may be experiencing similar growing pains.

At its founding, America was unique in a world dominated by absolutism[i] where (usually) a single entity ruled with total control and no accountability to their subjects.

Our Founders established a revolutionary system whereby power would be diffused not just between three co-equal branches of the federal government, but shared equally with similarly trifurcated state governments.

Intentional brakes installed throughout this system prevent consolidation and abuse of power by any one entity.  The ultimate brake our Founders installed was a polity owing allegiance to no one individual or group, but instead to the whole nation, and enjoying the fruits of liberty derived from natural law rather than those deigned by man.  These consenting citizens were the final arbiters of this government and the ultimate source of its legitimacy.  Revolutionary indeed.

Our founders recognized the failings of man, and warned us appropriately.

Answering a query by politically savvy Elizabeth Powel about what kind of government the Constitution’s framers had decided, Benjamin Franklin famously responded:

“A republic, madam, if you can keep it.”[ii]

The Framers had rightful reservations regarding the unrestrained chaos and potential for mob rule in a pure democracy.  Similarly, though they had renounced the shackles of monarchical tyranny in favor of a nation of equal states, the failed confederation experiment showed the need for a stronger central government.[iii]  Their attempt to strike a balance between chaos and tyranny is the knife’s edge on which our nation continues to dance.

In writing to the Massachusetts militia, John Adams cautioned:

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other”

Adams no doubt recognized the self-evident truths of which the Framers spoke would be easily discarded by those who recognized nothing superior to human intellect.  This is not to say religion necessarily equates to correct, but rather that a moral being, rooted in the acceptance of their own fallibility, is a prerequisite for the system of governance the founders envisioned.

The obvious counterargument to this is the question of slavery at the time of ratification.  Indeed, our Founders admonished us appropriately.

The Preamble says thusly:

“We the People, in order to form a more perfect union”

The Founders acknowledged the imperfection of our fledgling nation and charged us to make it better, providing tools through the amendment process of Article V.  The indirect mention of slavery in Articles I and IV belie deep divisions among imperfect humans attempting to launch a nation into the world.[iv]  Nonetheless, we see a nascent movement at our founding to create that more perfect union, a movement that continues to this day.

These are just some of the “family values” that our Founders bequeathed us.  Though they’ve been inculcated in generations of Americans, they are increasingly under attack in this adolescent republic.

Congress’ accelerating cession of Article I responsibilities ranging from making war[v] [vi] [vii] to executive fiat in lieu of legislation[viii] is a distressing signal of rebellion against family rules.  So too is judicial activism as a substitute for legislation.[ix]  In both cases, the perceived ends justify the means; in both instances this results in the tacit muzzling of the branch of government closest to the people who grant government its legitimacy.

While these structural transgressions are alarming, perhaps more disconcerting is the infatuation some Americans (particularly younger Americans) have with failed ideologies rooted in the antithetical ideology of absolutism.

Embarrassingly ignorant given the frightening wake of death and destruction trailing its century long practical application around the globe,[x] [xi] some Americans nonetheless believe socialism and its power hungry sister-isms are preferable political-economic systems to our current mostly free market economy.

Some advocate Nordic socialism.  This too is laughably sophomoric.

Scandinavia is far from socialist, but it is a bit different from the United States.  There are generous social programs, but this requires very high taxes (that are flat, not progressive like they are in the US).  Interestingly, there is no minimum wage set by the government, property rights are strongly enforced by the state, and regulation of industry is low.[xii]  Hardly a Marxist paradise.

The growing illiberal militancy by Leftists is perhaps the most distressing abrogation of “family rules.”

Whereby freedom of speech, press, and assembly are inviolable rights that cannot be abridged by the government, the recent past suggests a willingness by individuals or groups to enforce their will on fellow Americans through economic, social, and increasingly kinetic means.[xiii] [xiv] [xv] [xvi]

Some will claim with haughty indignation that the Constitution does not apply to interactions between private entities and they would be somewhat correct.  However, this ignores the fact that Congress has in fact utilized the Commerce Clause of Article I to eliminate private party discrimination that affected commercial activity.[xvii]

Furthermore, the Supreme Court has invoked the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to authorize Congress to pass laws affecting private discrimination.[xviii]  At the very least, this all sets up inevitable court fights between aggrieved cancellees and their cancellers with the potential for expansion of civil rights to include political ideologies as a result.

This of course is ludicrous.  A free and liberal society envisioned by the Founders shouldn’t find itself in a situation where citizens and private entities attempt to destroy one another based on differences of opinion.  I cannot help but feel the Founders would scream at our collective society “GROW UP!”

Nonetheless, we find ourselves at a perilous period in our history.  Like a teenager whose parents’ words of love and lessons of morality are ringing dull as they contemplate whether to smoke meth for the first time, we stand at a precipice from which we might not return.

Next Week, Part II:  Finding Confidence & Moving Forward

Steve Canyon is a retired military officer.

The Language of Liberty series is an outreach project of the Center for Self Governance, a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization, dedicated to training citizens in principles of liberty. The views expressed by the authors are their own and may not reflect the views of CSG. CenterForSelfGovernance.com

Word Count: 1257

[i] https://www.studymode.com/essays/Absolutism-And-Democracy-The-Two-Types-1455990.html

[ii] https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/10/29/what-we-get-wrong-about-ben-franklins-republic-if-you-can-keep-it/

[iii] https://www.thoughtco.com/why-articles-of-confederation-failed-104674

[iv] https://www.thoughtco.com/what-does-constitution-say-about-slavery-105417

[v] https://www.archives.gov/legislative/resources/education/war-powers

[vi] https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/balance-us-war-powers

[vii] https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-03-25/congress-should-repeal-use-of-force-resolutions-and-take-back-war-powers

[viii] https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/data/executive-orders

[ix] https://www.thoughtco.com/judicial-activism-definition-examples-4172436

[x] https://www.wsj.com/articles/100-years-of-communismand-100-million-dead-1510011810

[xi] https://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/COM.ART.HTM

[xii] https://www.lifeinnorway.net/scandinavian-socialism/

[xiii] https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/feb/16/top-10-recent-examples-cancel-culture/

[xiv] https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2020/07/cancel-culture-and-problem-woke-capitalism/614086/

[xv] https://www.forbes.com/sites/evangerstmann/2020/09/13/cancel-culture-is-only-getting-worse/?sh=29633a3063f4

[xvi] https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-leftist-mob-attacked-me-in-portland-11562109768

[xvii] https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/article-1/section-8/clause-3/civil-rights

[xviii] https://www.encyclopedia.com/politics/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/private-discrimination

The post The Adolescent Republic, Part 1 appeared first on Center For Self Governance.

Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF):  When two of the greatest generals in American history talk, you should listen.

The breathtaking devolution of our Afghanistan exit plan stunned the world.  In the blood soaked aftermath, 13 American servicemen and women perished, thousands of American citizens remain stranded, and countless Afghans allies face almost certain extermination.

Calls for Executive branch resignations have rained down.[i] [ii] [iii] [iv]  As of yet, no one has “fallen on their sword” for this incomprehenisble disaster.  Without fail, the Executive branch leadership team excused the catastrophe as unforeseeable or predestined.[v] [vi] [vii]  Interestingly, a flood of journalists, professionals, and experts have rushed to defend this assertion of blamelessness, or disperse the blame so widely to make it impossible to hold anyone accountable.[viii] [ix] [x] [xi]

One such professional is Elizabeth Shackelford, an author, former foreign service officer, and fellow at foreign policy think tanks.[xii]  Ms. Shackelford recently penned an op-ed, leveraging her experience to diffuse criticism for this disaster away from the Executive branch.[xiii]   Shackelford certainly has an impressive resume and is a compelling appeal to expert authority.  However, peeling back the onion reveals more to the story.

A Creature from a Dank Lagoon…

Shackelford is a career denizen of the State Department, resigning in protest in 2017 following President Trump’s election.[xiv]  This raises the very real question of whether she’s mortgaging her credentials to paper over a titanic blunder by her political fellow travelers. Whatever the case, it is clear she is aligned with the same cabal at State & DoD who both hamstrung Trump’s efforts at Afghan withdrawal last year[xv] and were responsible for either errors of omission or commission in this current fiasco.

Shackelford also worked for Booz, Allen, Hamilton, a DC area consulting firm who shifted their business focus to government & military contracts following World War II.[xvi]  Bloomberg has called BAH “the world’s most profitable spy organization” because of the huge number of former intelligence officers on its payroll[xvii] and over 10,000 employees with TS/SCI security clearances.[xviii] Whistleblower Edward Snowden was a former employee who exposed the existence of a mass NSA surveillance program.[xix]  BAH has funded both political parties & politicians such as Barack Obama and John McCain who are supportive of the surveillance state, resulting in a steady stream of business.[xx]  BAH aggressively expanded its footprint in the Middle East and North Africa in 2012.[xxi]  Notably, this was immediately after the clandestinely U.S.-supported Arab Spring[xxii] & attendant refugee crises in Libya & Syria. Whether or not there’s a connection is debatable, but the timing and location of this business expansion was clearly fortuitous for BAH.  Shackelford’s association with BAH indicates she has extensive experience with the people in and out of government commonly referred to as the “Deep State.”

Ms. Shackelford is a senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. This think tank formed in response to isolationist attitudes in the U.S. after World War I.[xxiii]  It appears to view the U.S. through a globalist lens and not as a unique, exceptional, distinct nation state in its own right. In 2017, the Council released a report supportive of immigration due to population decline.[xxiv] While likely factually correct, it could be viewed as an attempt to oppose Trump Administration policies to control illegal immigration. The Council’s president, Ivo Daalder, led efforts to involve NATO and the U.S. militarily in the Libyan Civil War,[xxv] ultimately ousting Qaddafi (who posed no threat to the U.S.)[xxvi] and kicking off the aforementioned refugee crisis.  Far from the non-partisan organization they claim to be, Shackelford’s current employer has an agenda appearing counter to the primary responsibility of a nation state to protect its own interests.

In her piece, Shackelford blames the Afghan disaster on the U.S. not controling Kabul, thus making the evacuation a chaotic nightmare. This is true, but ignores a triumvirate of facts:  1) the U.S. gave up the much more secure and remote Bagram AB; 2) the U.S. did not take up the Taliban’s offer to stay out of Kabul while the evacuation proceeded; and 3) the U.S. then ceded airport access control to the Taliban, resulting in navigating a terrifying gauntlet of Taliban thugs to escape the country. Shackelford blame shifts, saying all Americans were warned for years to avoid Afghanistan. This destroys her credibility because, as a former State Department employee, she likely advocated for greater non-governmental organization involvement in war zones such as Afghanistan.[xxvii]  Her railing against the SIV program is similarly odious.  She wants to diminish U.S. citizenship to the point where everyone who applies will be quickly admitted as a future citizen.  Furthermore, she ignores the fact that nearly all Afghans who rode C-17s out were NOT SIV applicants, but economic migrants looking for opportunity.[xxviii]  The only thing she gets right is the troops and civilians on the ground in Kabul last month deserve our unending gratitude.

Whispers from History

In his farewell address, George Washington cautioned against “overgrown military establishments” as an extant threat to liberty.[xxix] Over 160 years later, President Dwight Eisenhower similarly admonished the nation to be wary of “unwarranted influence” of the military-industrial-congressional complex in creating a “disastrous rise in misplaced power.”[xxx]

Americans rightly deserve a sober, detailed, and thorough accounting of what led not just to the events of the past month, but of the previous 20 years before it as well.  Determining the root cause of this failure, and, more importantly, how to not repeat it in the future, should be every American’s objective.

Experts, such as Shackelford, both in and out of government, appear to want to move past this sad epoch and continue with business as usual.  Given the public’s penchant to focus on domestic issues, they may succeed.  Nonetheless, Shackelford’s piece, and the event it absolves, indicates Washington and Eisenhower were correct in their assessment.  It is thus incumbent upon us, the true power within our nation, to demand a reckoning.

Steve Canyon is a retired military officer.

The Language of Liberty series is an outreach project of the Center for Self Governance, a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization, dedicated to training citizens in principles of liberty. The views expressed by the authors are their own and may not reflect the views of CSG. CenterForSelfGovernance.com

[i] https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-resignation-impeachment-calls

[ii] https://flagofficers4america.com/read-and-sign-our-letters#f516786b-416b-49c5-b908-08c3472a1d8a

[iii] https://nypost.com/2021/08/20/secretary-of-state-antony-blinken-needs-to-resign/

[iv] https://nypost.com/2021/08/18/fire-military-and-intelligence-bigs-who-bungled-afghanistan-now/

[v] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9906029/Milley-insists-never-saw-indicating-Kabul-fall-Taliban-11-days.html

[vi] https://news.yahoo.com/blinken-explains-why-thinks-biden-155058944.html

[vii] https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/aug/18/afghanistan-live-news-updates-taliban-kabul-airport-deaths-afghan-crisis

[viii] https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/08/us-withdrawal-from-afghanistan-was-destined-for-disaster.html

[ix] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/08/biden-deserves-credit-not-blame-for-afghanistan/619925/

[x] https://www.politico.com/newsletters/national-security-daily/2021/08/16/whos-to-blame-for-afghanistan-493993

[xi] https://hickoryrecord.com/opinion/columnists/column-many-share-blame-for-failures-in-afghanistan/article_6c4db8d4-0b29-11ec-bc52-6bcd9148403b.html

[xii] https://www.thechicagocouncil.org/about/staff/elizabeth-shackelford

[xiii] https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/09/04/running-a-wartime-evacuation-is-always-ugly-i-know-from-experience-509496

[xiv] https://quincyinst.org/author/eshackelford/

[xv] https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-deep-state-thwarted-trumps-afghanistan-withdrawal/

[xvi] http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/booz-allen-hamilton-inc-history/

[xvii] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-06-20/booz-allen-the-worlds-most-profitable-spy-organization

[xviii] https://www.salon.com/2007/01/08/mcconnell_5/

[xix] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/09/edward-snowden-nsa-whistleblower-surveillance#start-of-comments

[xx] https://www.salon.com/2013/06/18/how_cash_secretly_rules_surveillance_policy/

[xxi] https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/print-edition/2012/06/08/booz-allen-hamilton-expands-overseas.html?page=all

[xxii] https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/world/15aid.html

[xxiii] https://web.archive.org/web/20161021141804/http://findingaids.library.uic.edu/ead/rjd1/CCFRf.html

[xxiv] https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-the-midwest-immigrants-are-stemming-population-decline-1490299078

[xxv] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivo_Daalder

[xxvi] https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/LibyaChronology

[xxvii] https://www.stabilityjournal.org/articles/10.5334/sta.497/

[xxviii] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/majority-of-afghan-visa-applicants-left-behind-in-u-s-withdrawal/ar-AANZp0A

[xxix] https://www.varsitytutors.com/earlyamerica/milestone-events/george-washingtons-farewell-address-full-text

[xxx] https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/dwightdeisenhowerfarewell.html

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