Is America Coming Apart?

by Patrick J. Buchanan - September 11th, 2009 - Human Events

We seem not only to disagree with each other more than ever, but to have come almost to detest one another. Politically, culturally, racially, we seem ever ready to go for each others' throats.

One half of America sees abortion as the annual slaughter of a million unborn. The other half regards the right-to-life movement as tyrannical and sexist.

Proponents of gay marriage see its adversaries as homophobic bigots. Opponents see its champions as seeking to elevate unnatural and immoral relationships to the sacred state of traditional marriage.

The question invites itself. In what sense are we one nation and one people anymore?

This article raises what I see as the most important point in politics today. Can America survive as one nation? Buchanan asks it in a slightly different way in closing "Is America, too, breaking up?

There seem to be fewer and fewer basic truths that unite us and more and more issues that divide us. I cannot believe that any President in history would have appointed Van Jones to a position of power before the Magic Marxist Messiah. Yet my own insulting name for Obama indicates that unity is not in my heart either.

I tell people repeatedly the simple example I use to explain much the same thing that Pat Buchanan said in this article. When I grew up the First Amendment spirit of free speech was enforced in heated conversations with an admonition of "I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

Today no one says this. Ever. Instead the new fuel added to any debate is a vitriolic "I don't agree with what you say and demand that government thugs stop you from saying it in my presence." Our courts are actually accepting the idea that if you say something that makes someone uncomfortable that government representatives can sanction you. Free speech is dying under a wave of tyranny.

At the same time certain elements of society can hurl insults of "racist" and "fascist" with impunity [Truly ironic since the people hurling the term fascist are the philosophical descendents of the original fascists!]. The courts have also accepted this under the premise that the Constitution is a "living document". What that means is that the words of our Constitution have no meaning and that men can govern as they please. We no longer live under the rule of law but instead tolerate the rule of judges.

I fear the answer to Buchanan's closing question is yes.