The Experiment of our Founding Fathers

I've noticed a revisionist attempt to desparage the "radical" ideals of the founding fathers, ideals which are now recognized as the basis of modern conservatism in the United States. No one called them conservatives back then and they probably couldn't imagine what Mormonism would become either. Looking back, with one eye or two, we would certainly call them "conservatives" by our modern day definition. Even as certain individual founders might have preferred a "king", the experiment in democracy was only that, an experiment. What it became as it was tested in actual practice, is what it really was and still is today, conservatism. To single out one moment in time to label our founders and their evolving principles in any other way, is simply not valid. And that is Universally accepted, but probably not University accepted.

THE AGE OF "SOYLENT GREEN"

If you live long enough, a lot of science fiction, begins to resemble reality. David Brooks' Bastille Day NYT's essay this past July entitled "Death and Budgets" is the kind of sophisticated sophistry that the "chattering classes" of the right and left love to embrace over cocktails to prove that there really is common ground on issues of importance. In this instance however it is the effort to find moral consensus for what constitutes a life of quality and then shoehorn it into politics,policy, legislation and regulation.The insertions of bookkeepers with lampshades between Doctors and patients and their families is really a predictable result of living beyond our means and looking for the lowest of low hanging fruit to balance our national ledger.

CONFESSIONS OF A CONSERVATIVE… CIVIL LIBERTIES AND HUMAN RIGHTS

The persistent accusation that conservatives are not sympathetic to and are even hateful towards individual civil and human rights for all individuals who live within broadly acceptable norms of lawful behavior  is  I believe, either not true or overstated for emotional or political reasons.
Some in the LGBT community for example, are currently making that charge due to certain campaign ads by Gov. Rick Perry in Iowa.  Others cite the reactions to  the efforts of Secy. of State Clinton to protect the civil and human rights of  such persons via  economic, political  and diplomatic sanctions by the US, within the over 70 nations that now criminalize gay and lesbian people.

While it is ironic that Secy. Clinton makes this effort while addressing the inappropriately named UN Human Rights Council in Geneva,  her efforts are important nonetheless, and should be supported by all people who believe in the basic natural  rights of  all individuals.  Many if not most conservatives, don’t like addressing rights on a group basis.  Yet history has an unpleasant way of reminding us that the most prevalent way of demonizing individuals is by demonizing the “group” they either identify with or are associated with by others.  Hence the struggle for equality and at times survival often must begin with group identity but should always end with individual liberty.