Solving the crisis is within us
In the first week of July 2016 two black men were killed by white policemen in Louisiana and Minnesota, five white policemen were killed by a black man in Dallas, and protests under the banner of "Black Lives Matter" were held in cities across the USA. Many politicians, pundits, and celebrities commented on these tragic events, but few solutions have been offered. It is time to find a solution.
Local Security and Local Authority
Local security is achieved only when all of the people have protection 24-7 and no one can use violence for political ends. This requires effective and respected police, an effective intelligence system, rapid response to any attempt at intimidation, and the neutralization of any insurgent group before they can act. It means local authority that is:
- alert for signs of problems, inequalities, injustices, and chaos;
- able to use initiative and flexibility to win loyalty and produce results;
- capable of countering violence;
- able to see that everyone can earn a decent living;
- capable of educating each individual with values and attitudes which blend ambition, pride, self-reliance, and a sense of duty and responsibility.
Organize, Motivate, and Satisfy the People
State and federal governments support local authority, insures overall security and stability, and strengthen unity. Their function is not to control the people through rules, regulations and laws. A nation is no more than people welded together by a common destiny that binds together tomorrow, today and yesterday in an active whole. It maintains the institutions through which the nation lives and grows: patterns of cooperation and conflict; the fabric of sanctioned relationships; the unseen lines of magnetic strength which link, join, and confine; the elusive cultural environment; and an economic system that works. In short, it is the task of state and federal governments to create kinship--not to rule subjects.
Centralization of power through rules, regulations and laws constrains freedom. Decentralization of power allows greater freedom of thought, association, and action. It is possible for an authoritarian regime to have centralized power, yet the hallmark of democratic governance are decisions being made at a level where what is right and what is legal agree. The courts must always limit their rulings to the case before them and not attempt to determine "the law of the land" by making constitutional rulings that apply to the whole country. That is the function of the people's representatives--legislative branches--or the people themselves, as the sovereign.
The Solution
The solution can be found in a rebirth of the vision of America's Founders: mutual dependency, decentralization, neutralization of factions, checks, and balances, plus an end of postmodern thought, political correctness, and multiculturalism. This means unity, cooperation, love, camaraderie, mutual dependence, and togetherness (i.e Eros) strong enough to counter Chaos (conflict, disaster, tragedy, hate, division, mistrust, anarchy, and arrogant self righteousness).
Sam C. Holliday, Armiger Cromwell Center, LLC, Atlanta, GA