T.D. writes:

It pains me to say it, but I read the recent thread on the radical military as an evil institution with nodding approval. I was pained because I spent 12 years in the U.S. military.  I enlisted shortly before 9/11 and I was commissioned a few years later.  I left for several reasons, one of them being that I no longer believed we were the “good guys.” I came to understand that we were the servants of a corrupt, ruthless ruling class that was completely beholden to the false religion of radical egalitarianism, and committed to the creation of a global overclass to force this ideology on every corner of the world. As Alex points out, the policies borne of this philosophy, executed by our military, have been a disaster for our nation as well as the peoples we supposedly have freed.  From Iraq to Libya to Egypt and Syria, we have been bled dry while sowing chaos, bloodshed and disorder. Iraq, the pinnacle of American hubris and stupidity, has seen its Christian population exterminated and has experienced a decade of civil war following its “liberation.”

Does such a regime even deserve our loyalty and support?  This is an uncomfortable question I wrestle with daily.  I am not sure it is possible for a traditionalist to, in good conscious,  serve or support our government at this point.  I no longer fly the flag, nor do I participate in public acts of patriotism.  I don’t advertise I am a veteran, and when people find out and thank me for my service, I feel embarrassment. I think back to my enlistment and commissioning, two of the proudest moments of my life, with great sadness and a growing sense of rage.  What are we to do?  The cultural rot has spread so deep that I no longer believe serious reform is possible.  If our way of life is to be preserved, it requires the demise of the current regime and ruling class.  Should we actively undermine our own government to this end?  Should we seek to discredit many of our prominent institutions, now that they have been co-opted by the left?  If so, how and to what end?  There seems to be a growing realization throughout our society that America is fiscally, morally and culturally unsustainable.  What comes next, and how to get there, should be a focus of traditionalist discourse.

— Comments —

Steve writes:

First, let me just say that I don’t think the title here is fair to T.D.  One can argue (pretty persuasively I think) that T.D. is more patriotic than right wingers who stand by the flag and the U.S. government, even as it becomes clear that the current democratic process will lead us into national calamity and work to destroy the values we and the founders of this country held dear.

[Laura writes: Yes, that is true. T.D. is disillusioned precisely because he loves his country.]

T.D. writes:  “What are we to do?”

Yes.  Complaining is fine.  It is identifying problems, but ultimately solutions need to be thought about and implemented.  If a renaissance were possible what would it look like?  Be aware that if you perceive the State to be an enemy you have already become an enemy of the State.  If you advocate overthrow of the government (by anything other than the standard democratic process) you have become a terrorist.  There are NSA spies watching and drones ready to strike you (if you can’t be rounded up through the usual means).  So, we have to be careful how we speak about the future.  However, we should speak about it rather than be cowed into silence and submission.

As the situation the U.S. faces becomes clearer is there a chance the democratic process could work, despite the demographic headwinds?  I tend to think not.  Then, even if immigration were completely halted how would the demographic trends be reversed?  Catholics like Laura are morally opposed to any kind of “eugenics,” even voluntary (encouraged through monetary incentives for instance) sterilization.  I can understand that, but it seems like the only alternative is forced relocation and or segregation/separation (perhaps through a civil war)… None of these sound particularly appealing of course.   Happy to hear any other practical ideas readers may have.

Laura writes:

We are facing an immense spiritual and moral crisis. The Enlightenment Nation, based on atheistic democracy, is bankrupt. The answers lie in restoring authority, hierarchy, love of God and spiritual unity. Eugenics, which are repugnant and deeply immoral, do not offer any kind of solution to the underlying problems of egalitarianism and nihilism, which are based on a hatred of life itself.

Diana writes:

This is addressed to T.D.:

Please read all of Lawrence Auster’s posts about nihilism. Nihilism appears to be an especial temptation to sensitive persons of a conservative/traditionalist bent. When one gives up on reforming America, one is tempted to give up, period. I encountered this so often on the so-called alternative right sites I stopped reading them. Lawrence Auster’s posts about nihilism helped me to avoid this trap, in addition to my own stubbornly optimistic, activist nature. (Which I sense in you.)

Second, with respect to your political despair, may I recommend this book?

This book may cure you of the desire to “want to take our country back,” in that it makes a very good case that there is no country to take back. The author makes a great case that the current utopian lunacy is nothing new, but originates in radical Puritan utopianism (so different from the caricatured “conservative” Puritanism of mainstream media misrepresentation), and its propensity towards meddling in others’ affairs. Partly as a result of reading this book, as well as a result of personal evolution, I believe that the US is approaching the end of its natural life.

I feel quite serene about this but that said — I pay my taxes. I suggest you pay yours. It ain’t over till it’s over. Meanwhile, be practical.

Most important, know that you are not alone. This website and its correspondents are proof of that.  Of course, making connections on the internet is not ideal: we need real friends and loved ones. That’s a tough nut, as liberalism is everywhere, and it’s difficult to make friends (as the conversation about the wine club that Thinking Housewife hosted a while back shows.

I don’t know if you are single or married. In the event you are unmarried, all I can say is: there is nothing more charismatic than a man who knows his own mind. Go out into the world knowing that your head is screwed on securely while others are losing theirs. Women want – no they NEED — to be led, by a strong and charismatic man who knows his own mind.

Finally, I understand your despair. You feel as if you were used. Even so, be the kind of person on whom nothing is lost. We are where we are for a reason. I don’t know what that is. Maybe you can figure it out. “We are facing an immense spiritual and moral crisis.” So true. And in crisis there is redemption.

 Laura writes:

Thank you for your comments. I agree that “we are where we are for a reason.” That is so true. I never for a moment think that the dissolution we are witnessing is for nothing. It is the necessary stage toward a new order.

Laura adds:

When I say it is the necessary stage toward a new order, I mean that it is necessary given the weaknesses of America’s political foundations. And when I speak of a “new order,” I do not mean in the utopian sense of the expression. Politics are never salvific.

Please follow and like us: