Hapless Sheeple

On April 27, 2009, Russia’s state newspaper Pravda’s online site ran a column by Stanislav Mishin in which he described Americans as passive, hapless sheeple as America decends into Marxism.  The full article  can be accessed here.  Mishin stated that “The proud American will go down into his slavery without a fight, beating his chest and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is. The world will only snicker..”

When I first read this, I was offended.  My reaction was that it is not true.  Freedom is bred into the American spirit, and the American people will rally around the flag whenever the freedom of our people is threatened.  Surely red-blooded rugged-individualist Americans are not “hapless sheeple!”

Let me make the point – it has been said, and I agree that freedom is bred in the American people.  It is in our blood.  It is in our DNA.   My own ancestors were here when the nation was formed, having left England because of religious, economic and political oppression.   Americans will not set idly by and let their freedom slip away.

But, times have changed.  The passions have been diluted in the great melting pot.  Admittedly, not everyone in America feels the same.  Many people have come to the conclusion that we do need to give up some of our freedom for security.  Security in knowing that we are all safe, we are all taken care of.   Security in knowing we all have food, a roof over our head and access to medical care.   Security in knowing that we have a source of cash every month whether or not we are employed or productive.  The growing consensus in the country is that we need a strong political leader that can take care of us.  The people voted.  The people got their wish, a strong “Community Organizer” for president that promised that things would change – the tables would turn on the powerful and the rich.

Here is an example of the reaction to the election of this great agent of change:

Benjamin Franklin stated : “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. “

Back to the concept of hapless sheeple.  I have found that a majority of the people that I talk with in person or on the internet fall into Mr. Mishin’s description of ‘hapless sheeple.’  I have heard people say, “I don’t watch the news.”  “I don’t care about politics.”  “I have no problem with raising taxes on them,” “I don’t vote, my vote doesn’t count anyway.”  “I have never written my representative.”  “Somebody should fix the problem, let the government solve it.”  It is a form of ” … ask not what you can do for your country, ask what your country can do for you.”

American Hapless Sheeple really don’t understand the concepts upon which our nation was founded.  Our founding fathers formed a nation in reaction to tyranny by their own king.  It was not hapless sheeple who formed state militias and a Continental Army to fight one of the greatest powers on the face of the earth.  These were ordinary people who wanted to be left alone.  They were tired of being taxed and not being represented.  They stood up and fought for something they believed in.  And, with the power of Almighty God, they won their independence, and swore they would never forget it.

Well, they began to forget it.  Many have forgotten how special it is to be free.  To lead a life free to speak.  Free to worship as one pleases.  Free to bear arms to protect one’s family.  Now, many are willing to compromise on some of these freedoms for the good of the community.  Many are willing to pay more taxes, or allow others around them to be taxed so that government can solve more problems.  Government problem-solver is an oxymoron.  As Ronald Reagan stated, “government is the problem.”

Who am I?
I do not consider myself tied to any political party.  I am a “Christian conservative.”  Note, I did not say “conservative Christian.”  Christian comes first.  That tag does not simply mean that I agree with concepts of Christian morality.  This is what it means:  I am a follower of Jesus Christ.  More on what that means in future posts.  I am a conservative.   Conservatism is an idealogy that supports traditional values.  I believe in traditional values.  I believe in the institution of marriage, the family, personal responsibility, and the value of work and being productive.  Our responsibiilty to the “collective” is to have integrity and to be productive to provide and support our family and serve God.  I believe that it is better to give than to receive, and that the story of the Good Samaritan should be practiced.

I think there are many purposes for starting this weblog.  First and foremost would be to shine the light on attitudes of the Hapless Sheeple.  We will do our best to search for examples of the “political passives” and share them.  Also, we will share significant news stories and clips that highlight the move away from freedom.  Join and and put in your two cents.  I plan to screen comments (primarily to fend off offensive language), so allow time for your posts.  And thanks for visiting!