You’ve heard the saying “My party, right or wrong!” Or maybe “My country, right or wrong!” “My (fill in the blank), right or wrong!”
The implication here is complete loyalty and allegiance to the entity spoken of. When is such allegiance justified? It might just depend on how you fill in the blank. Or maybe not.
If I were to become a member of a political party, I would likely feel the need to say, “My party, right or wrong!” Since political parties are comprised of people, it is quite likely that at some time I would have the feeling that my party was wrong. After all, people are not perfect. When that happened, I would have to either abandon my ‘promise’ or abandon my party.
Not everyone would take this view. All political parties tend to drift over a period of time. Sometimes the drifting is in a direction a given member considers wrong. I know a little bit about this regarding two political parties: Republican and Libertarian.
At one time the Republican Party was the party of laissez-faire capitalism. Now it supports corporatism. Corporatism has done nothing good for the United States. It’s done a lot for certain corporations, but nothing good for the citizens in general. It has helped drive manufacturing overseas. It has been a major factor in our getting into wars. It has hurt the average American while lining the pockets of politicians and the top brass of some corporations.
The Libertarian Party has always been one that many people find difficult to accept. Most of us seem to believe that we NEED the government to do certain things for us. Things like take care of our medical expenses, provide for our education, and pay our way when we retire.
Others will say, “No, I can pay my own way.” But they can’t accept the Libertarian stance on some other issue such as: gay marriage, abortion, legalization of drugs, etc. Often a person will feel so strong about one specific issue that they will join a party based solely on that specific issue. Or leave a party based solely on that issue. I must confess to being a one issue person. My issue is the United States Constitution. If a bill does not conform to the constitution I expect my servants to vote NO.
Although I have been a small ‘l’ libertarian for some time now, I have only a rudimentary knowledge of the history of the Libertarian Party. It has been brought to my attention that they ran Bob Barr for the presidency in 2008 because they wanted to get a more significant showing at the polls. As far as I’m concerned, Mr. Barr voted the wrong way too often on some important issues. Too many times his vote was against the constitution.
Although I have never been a member of the Libertarian Party, I did sort of consider it my party. But not “My party, right or wrong!” They were wrong (IMHO) – so I could not vote Libertarian for the presidential office.
Back to the Republican Party. Texas Congressman Ron Paul (R-14th district) had the right idea for the Republicans who are concerned with the way the party has gone. He is not saying, “Right or wrong!” He knows and acknowledges it is wrong. As I have heard him say many times, “It has strayed from its roots.” (Paraphrased.) His approach is to change the party from within. Bring it back to its roots. To this end he instituted the Campaign for Liberty. The Campaign for Liberty is a grass roots organization created for the express purpose of changing the Republican party from the inside. More information is available at www.CampaignForLiberty.com.
It is okay to stay with a party even if it is wrong. But rather than support what it does that is wrong, a person should work to correct the shortcomings. This is true at all levels of life. Be it a political party, a family, or a country – the response should be the same: Don’t give unquestioned allegiance to the entity which you perceive to be in error. Mind you, it is okay to give complete allegiance, just be sure to question the policies when they are off course. Check to be sure you are right in your belief that the entity is wrong. Then work with and within to correct the problem. If that is a task you believe is not doable, it is time to drop your loyalty. Maybe the entity has changed, maybe you have changed. Either way go with what is right.
Many who say “My country, right or wrong!” believe that if YOU think your country is wrong you should just move away. No. That should only be your option of choice if it is your ONLY option. Try to change it from within. This country was founded with the idea that if the state you lived in got out of line you could move to a different state. But that should be only after you tried to correct the problems in your home state.
What really makes it difficult for Americans is the fact that the Federal Government has consistently refused to stay within the boundaries of the Constitution. Congress passes laws on matters that belong to the states. Congress also makes the states pass laws in order to get funds for roads, education, health care, etc. When this happens we are left with no state to move to if we feel the laws are unjust.
An excellent way to correct the problems of the country from within is the system created by Downsize DC. They have several campaigns designed to make this a better country. Their Read The Bills Act (RTBA) a bill which would REQUIRE all bills presented to be read in full before the respective houses before voting can take place. This act would also require the bills to be posted on the internet to allow the public time to find out what is in them. Some say this is impractical as many bills are hundreds of pages long. Well, maybe the RTBA would force the bills to be shorter and some of the pork, earmarks and general garbage would not get passed into law! To learn more about the RTBA and other campaigns go to www.DownsizeDC.org.
Another organization advocating change from within is Freedom Force International, founded by G. Edward Griffin. Griffin is working to change government from within at all levels. Note the name includes the word ‘International’. The principle involved is to get right thinking (freedom loving and freedom supporting) people into office to replace those that control things now. This is much the same as the Campaign for Liberty, except not just for a single political party. To learn more check out the site at www.FreedomForceInternational.com.
Above you have three organizations working to change what they believe is wrong. One for a political party, one for the United States, and one for all governmental levels worldwide. If your party is wrong, you can leave it. If your state is wrong you can leave it. If your country is wrong you can leave it. If your world is wrong – where are you going to go?
So go ahead and give your allegiance to whomever you feel deserves it. But when they go wrong, don’t just go along – get inside and change it back. Then you can truly be proud of your choice.
Tags: Campaign for Liberty, Downsize DC, Freedom Force International, G. Edward Griffin, My Country, My Party, Read The Bills Act, Right, Ron Paul, RTBA, Wrong