Bow
the Knee or Else …
Published in Marietta Daily Journal (GA), Jan. 28, 2023
Once
upon a time when the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was honored,
citizens understood what their rights were regarding the free exercise of
religion, speech, the press, and peaceful assembly. That’s because all four of
these freedoms are clearly stated in the First Amendment. We should be glad
that Patrick Henry “smelt a rat” and initially refused to vote for the
Constitution. Without Henry’s boldness, the Bill of Rights (the first 10
amendments) might never have been added.
With
apologies to poet William Wordsworth, “Patrick Henry, thou shouldst be living
at this hour. America hath need of thee.”
Patrick Henry was considered a force of nature. He was the most famous
orator of all the Founders. At the Constitutional Convention Henry was unshakeable
in his insistence on limited government. According to historian Joseph J.
Ellis, Henry was such a burr in the saddle of Jefferson and Madison that
Jefferson once said to Madison, “There seems to be no way to deal with Henry
except to ardently pray for his imminent death.”
Present
conditions in America call for boldness not unlike that of Patrick Henry. Henry
was not one of the big guns who established our nation. Washington, Madison,
Hamilton, and Jefferson overshadowed him. As then so now do we need freedom
warriors who will stand against the tide, oppose establishment leaders, and
fight for the people.
There
are two current examples of citizens standing up for what they believe and
being a bit stubborn about it as was Patrick Henry. One example is the 20 U.S.
House members who forced a 15-ballot vote for the new Speaker of the House.
What benefit or of what purpose is power if one does not use it to pursue what
he or she believes is good? The 20 representatives had the power and they used
it. Media talking heads one kept referring to the 15-ballot round as “chaos and
confusion.” It was the exact opposite. It was debate, nose-counting,
deal-making, and use of persuasive skills, all of which are what goes on in a
truly deliberative body. For decades Congress and many state legislatures,
Georgia’s included, have gone from being a deliberative body to a fiefdom
controlled by a few, namely the U.S. House Speaker and his or her allies or the
state Speaker and his or her allies. For the decade I was in the Georgia House
of Representatives, genuine debate was rare. Bipartisanship and argued-out
legislation therefore suffered.
Tony
Perkins, a former member of Congress and currently the President of the Family
Research Council, wrote, “Transferrence of power was never meant to be
determined by the powerful few, but by a dynamic process where everyone has a
voice.” I say hoo-rah for the
Magnificent 20. Like Patrick Henry they stood their ground and argued their
case. How this affects Republican Party unity is not the question. How Congress
and other legislative bodies should function is the question, and for decades
they have functioned as the fiefdom of a few.
Another
example of standing for conviction is that of Ivan Provorov, soccer player for
the Philadelphia Flyers. Provorov was recently sternly criticized for refusing
to wear a “Pride Night” jersey bearing the rainbow flag. A Russian Orthodox
Christian, Provorov stated that he refused in order to “stay true to myself and
my religion.” He further remarked, “I respect everyone and I respect
everybody’s choices,” but these words had no effect on the LGBQT community
except to increase their vile intolerance for Christians like Provorov whose
Bible forbids homosexuality.
So
like the NFL, the corporate world, the Democrat Party, the liberal media, the
universities, Hollywood, Big Tech, the American Federation of Teachers, and
Lord knows how many more entities, the National Hockey League has succumbed to
intolerance. So much for pluralism and independent thought. Just bow the knee
to all the crazy stuff. As the Wall Street Journal put it, “Mr. Provorov knows
a basic truth. He was compelled to support the tenets of a faith other than his
own. And here in America we believe that is wrong.”
If
the nation is ever loosened from the grip of sexual chaos, crime, religious
intolerance, political cowardice and anti-Americanism in general, it will be
because of boldness such as shown by the Magnificent 20 and Mr. Provorov. For
too long normal, hardworking, middle class Americans have been bested by
leftist, liberal philosophy and politics. I for one, though, believe that an
awakening is happening and that help is on the way. Thanks, Mr. Provorov and
you modern age Patrick Henrys.
Roger Hines
January 26, 2023
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