Kevin Downey, Jr., a writer whom I deeply respect, recently penned an article with the title “Where have All the Cowboys Gone?” The article convincingly argues that America is currently in a headlong rush towards Marxism. Downey pointedly asks, “Where are today's Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, George Washington, and Harriet Tubman?” It’s a lament I’ve heard repeatedly from conservatives — that we need a “cowboy” to ride over the horizon and save us from our current mess.
I’m concerned that too many Americans feel that without the next Ronald Reagan or Donald Trump, our situation is hopeless. Unfortunately, such a mindset is a fundamental misunderstanding of “We the people.” It’s our duty to fix our republic — not a mythical hero’s.
Pining for someone to rescue us falls into the leftist trap that we’re all victims — helpless to care for ourselves. The radicals prefer that we believe that we’re in need of protection by a benevolent hero or at least a heroic system of bureaucrats — which they will happily provide. But as conservatives, we believe in self-reliance. We cannot demand freedom, without accepting that no one is responsible for our well-being but ourselves. Acceptance of our obligation to manage our own affairs is central to the notion of self-governance. To entrust our welfare to others is to relinquish self-determination.
Eighty-five years ago, the world faced advancing tyranny — not unlike what we are facing today. The axis of Germany, Italy, and Japan sought to subjugate the globe. Our 20th-century ancestors overcame this dark period of our history and won WWII. We refer to them collectively as the “Greatest Generation.”
When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, drawing the United States into the war, the members of the Greatest Generation didn’t say, “Someone should do something about that.” Rather, they went to the recruiting offices, hospitals, and factories by the hundreds of thousands and said, “I’m here to do something about it.” They didn’t wait for the Lone Ranger, Tony Stark, or Klaus Schwab to save them from becoming part of the Empire of the Rising Sun. As members of a free and self-governed country, they saw what needed to be done and did it.
Now it’s the 21st century, and our freedom is threatened again — this time by the axis of communism, radicalism, and globalism. We got here by electing people to maintain our union and then abdicating our duty as citizens — assuming that our job ends at the voting booth. We left the welfare of our country in the hands of our elected representatives — while we went back to our leisure activities. But maintaining America was always a bigger responsibility than our elected representatives were capable of. Therefore, they failed miserably.
Unfortunately, many still think we can vote our way out of our current dilemma — if only a cowboy like George Washington or Abraham Lincoln would show up on the ballot. But could Washington or Lincoln save us if we give them only sloth, apathy, and failed institutions to work with?
Solutions can’t come from the top down. No savior can save us from our own reluctance to act. Fortunately, our problems are solvable. We know what needs to be done. Like the Greatest Generation, we just need to accept our duty and do it.
Our schools no longer train our children to be good citizens. Therefore, the duty falls on us. We need to personally educate our children about the differences between freedom and tyranny. Make them understand that equity and personal freedom cannot coexist — and that the latter is far superior to the former. Show them that social justice leads to socialism — which has unfailingly been a recipe for subjugation, misery, and destitution.
We need to call out political correctness for what it is: a tactic of the radicals to prevent us from engaging in the debates they would lose. Don’t let name-calling deter us from talking about moral relativism, social justice, abortion, transgenderism, Islamic terrorism, meritocracy, and racial issues.
We need to get involved in government at all levels — from local city councils to our representation in Washington. Communicate with our elected officials. Let them know that we care about what they’re doing, we’re paying attention, and their actions will affect how we vote.
We need to boycott the companies that use their profits to undermine our freedoms and promote socially destructive values. They need to learn that if they wish to dictate how we must live and what we can and cannot say, they must do so without our patronage. That will eventually create a dialogue between leadership and stockholders, which should be quite entertaining.
We need to hold institutions of learning accountable. Take over control of local school boards and deny money (donations and tuition) to colleges that are more intent on grooming leftists than preparing young adults to be productive members of society. We should also refuse to hire the re-educated infiltrators whom the leftist colleges are unleashing to undermine America.
We need to pressure our state governments to act as a bulwark against federal overreach. In our federated republic, they are our last line of defense, and they have the constitutional tools to hold the federal government at bay — if they will only use them.
Lastly, to preserve our rights, we need to promote faith in God. There are no God-given rights without God. Absent a belief in the Almighty, our rights become subject to the whims of men. God’s commandments lead to personal freedom, happiness, and prosperity. Moral relativism leads to decay, chaos, and suffering. The country shouldn’t endorse any particular religion, but a secular America would be a country in terminal decline.
As we go about our duties, we need to recognize that this is a long-term project. Decades of avoiding what needed to be done has landed us in this predicament. Decades of course correction will be required to put America back on the right path.
We don’t need a cowboy to slay our enemies with his six-guns blazing. We just need to do what we have always known needs to be done. Jimmy Carter failed as a president because he didn’t see that. His became the administration of malaise and surrender. Ronald Reagan succeed not because he re-enacted one of his Death Valley Days episodes, riding in on a horse to save us. He succeeded by pointing out the obvious: that we are the solution to our problems. His became the administration of confidence in the American people.
Forty-four years after the Gipper expressed confidence in us, we’re facing a crisis again. But it won’t be solved by any one savior, regardless of how capable he might be. Our problems will be solved by us, when we realize that it is our duty to stop the march of tyranny — peacefully, if possible, but with strength if necessary. As self-governed citizens, we simply need to get on with our chores.
John Green is a political refugee from Minnesota, now residing in Idaho. He is a staff writer for the American Free News Network and can be reached at greenjeg@gmail.com.
Image: JSMed via Pixabay, Pixabay License.
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