Romney, the Anglo-Saxons, and the Misinformed

The recent hullabaloo over a Romney adviser stating that Romney understands better than President Obama the special relationship between Britain and the United States demonstrates a total lack of historical understanding of what the term ‘Anglo-Saxon’ means.

What uninformed people do not realize is that long before the term was usurped by ignorant racists such as the KKK, it was used to describe a political system that is the basis of the English-speaking world.  

 As I explain in my book, Liberty Inherited, Britain, and specifically England as an island nation, developed much differently than mainland Europe. As early as 500 A.D., with the Anglo-Saxon invasion led by the Germanic brothers Hengist and Horsa, we can identify the beginning of a cultural--not racial--character that continues to this day. As Churchill explains in the History of the English-Speaking Peoples, the Saxons created a “strong strain of individualism based upon land-ownership [private property]” that was to “play a persistent part in the politics of England.” In The English Constitution and Legal History Colin Rhys-Lovell explains that as early as 800AD the Anglo-Saxons considered themselves a commonwealth of freemen.  This was reflected in their laws and government, which established that

• All decisions in the selection of leaders had to be with the consent of the people, preferably by full consensus, not just the majority.
• The laws by which they were governed were considered natural laws given by divine dispensation.
• Power was disbursed among the people and never allowed to concentrate in any one person or group. 
• Primary responsibility for resolving problems rested first of all with the individual, then the family, then the tribe or community, then the region, and finally, the nation.
• They were organized into small, manageable groups where every adult had a voice and a vote.
•  They believed the rights of the individual were considered unalienable and could not be violated without risking the wrath of divine justice as well as civil retribution by the people’s judges. (Incredibly, as early as 800AD the Anglo-Saxons had the legal practice of trial by jury)

This highlights what Walter Russell Mead writes in God and Gold: Britain, America and the Making of the Modern World, “The Anglo-Saxons in the seventh and eighth centuries were free people, and that England owed its liberty and its most important institutions to these ancient traditions.” 

Thus, based on its Anglo-Saxon heritage, England became the birthplace of the principles that are (or were) the foundation of liberty—liberty the English-speaking world now takes for granted.  Additionally, it is the foundation of what was to become known as ‘Liberal Democracy.’

In fact, I argue that there would be no such thing as human rights if not for the Anglo-Saxons since their principles of individual rights, rule of law, and the limited power of government were alien to the system of government that developed on the continent or anywhere else in the world. It must be noted that at the time the system of government that was established on continental Europe evolved from the absolute rule that the Roman Emperors enjoyed. Under that system an all-powerful prince owned everything including all the land and the people within his realm.  (Note: this is why England (Britain after the unification of 1707) never has had a Napoleon, a Hitler, a Mussolini, a Franco or a Stalin.  It is contrary to their culture.)

Additionally, which may surprise many of us in the English-speaking world, much of the non-English speaking world sees the glaring similarities rather than subtle differences between our countries.  In the 19^th and 20^th centuries, the United States and the British Empire were often jointly referred to as the “Liberal Democracies” or the “Anglo-Saxon powers.” (Note: Liberal in this case refers to the authentic Classical Liberalism, not the faux-modern liberalism of today)  Even as late the 1960s, French President and World War II hero Charles de Gaulle always referred to the United States and Britain jointly as “les pays Anglo-Saxonnes” (the Anglo-Saxon countries) and the term is still used by such enemies of liberty as Iran’s Ahmadinejad.

So, in it original form, “Anglo-Saxon” is a political—and not racial—term that describes nations that are based on the Anglo-Saxon principles of limited government, individual rights, private property, and free-market economics.  With President Obama’s contempt for most, if not all, of these principles and his scorn for the anything remotely English it is hard to believe that he would have a deep understanding of the special relationship that exist not only between the U.S. and the U.K., but also between all the English-speaking nations that comprise the Anglosphere. 

It is regrettable that the Romney adviser stated that Romney’s understanding of the ‘special relationship’ was due to his “Anglo-Saxon heritage” (as opposed to his worldview) since it denotes the commonly, yet ill-informed, understanding of the term as being racial.  Otherwise, what he said was 100% on target!

Book Review: Attack State Red by Col. Richard Kemp

I usually do not do book reviews—actually this is the first one—but I have recently read a book that I believe needs to be recognized. It is titled Attack State Red and, although it has been out since 2010, most people outside of the UK are probably unaware of this exceptional piece of military literature.

Written by British Army Col. Richard Kemp and journalist Chris Hughes, the book details the Royal Anglian Regiment’s six month deployment to Afghanistan and is a reminder there are more than American servicemen fighting and dying in that worn-torn country. From page one, the book grabs your attention and never lets go. The first chapter starts the book off with a page turning firefight that is reminiscent of We Were Soldiers (another compelling book written by Colonel Hal Moore and journalist Joseph Galloway about the Vietnam War).

Overall, the book is an excellent read for anyone interested in gaining an accurate understanding of what our servicemen go through while in Afghanistan. It takes the reader through the tactics and down to the level of the individual soldier. It shows men in combat as they really are. It does not attempt to be politically correct by glossing over the joking and kidding, at times morbid, that is the norm of all fighting men or the pride a soldier feels after successfully terminating a bad guy with a well placed shot. Nor does it overplay the sadness over the loss of one of their own. What it does do in exemplary style is to give credit to the professionalism of the young soldiers who, while suffering the death of one of their brothers-in-arms, still manage to “crack on” and get the mission done.

This is what makes it a compelling and touching story that leads the reader through the full spectrum of emotions. You will not be able to stop smiling as you read about the young soldiers playing with plastic army men while in the middle of a battle zone or with their play stations while back at their bases. In the end, it is these human touches that takes you beyond the dry tactics and makes you feel part of the story…a member of the team. As a result, you will not be able to resist shedding a tear when you read of one of these brave soldiers losing his life to a mine, sniper, or even friendly fire.

In this regard it reminds me of Cornelius Ryan’s work (The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far) in that it highlights that life goes on even in a warzone. That, as human beings, we have an immense capacity not only to endure, but to make the best of a bad situation, to laugh in the face of adversity and even death.

Additionally, it takes you beyond the headlines and into what is really going on in Afghanistan. Its firsthand account will surprise even those who think they know what is ‘really’ going on in that conflict riddled country. It also details the realities of modern day warfare. It is not clean, perfect, nor precise and, no matter how much we try, innocents will die and soldiers will get hit with friendly fire.

Lastly, as an American, I recognize that we shamefully hear too little of what our allies in Afghanistan are doing. We hear too little of the losses they suffer while fighting alongside our own servicemen. In fact, the book details cooperation between the American and British military, which is quite impressive. For example, the respect that the British ‘Tommies’ have for the ‘Yank’ Apache pilots will make any American proud of the men and women of our armed forces.

Final verdict: I recommend Attack State Red to anyone who is interested in military history, tactics (especially small unit), men in combat, and what the everyday life of our soldiers in Afghanistan is like.

The book is available worldwide from Amazon.  Click on the book's image above to view its Amazon page.

Still an Amazon Bestseller

12 weeks after its debut in the Kindle format, Liberty Inherited still tops Amazon bestseller lists!

When education becomes indoctrination

Once upon a time the prime objective of education was to teach individuals to be self-thinking adults.  This was achieved by focusing on what were commonly referred to as the 3 Rs; reading, writing, and arithmetic.  These three subjects were regarded as crucial to one’s development since the goal of educators of the time was much nobler then preparing the student for a job.  They recognized that democracy could not exist without a solid citizenry made up of independent thinking individuals.  It was their goal to create such a citizenry by teaching:  

• Reading: If a person can read he can independently learn without being told what to learn.  He can develop his own way of thinking without being told what to think.  In other words, it leads to education while avoiding indoctrination.
•  Writing: By developing the ability to communicate in verbal and written language the individual can effectively communicate his ideas, thoughts, and opinions with others.
• Arithmetic: It has long been accepted that math develops analytical skills.  Increasing math ability also increases a person’s ability to think analytically.  

Once mastered and applied, these three skills gave the individual the foundation to learn any subject he wanted, communicate what he has learned, and, most importantly, to think critically for himself.  This resulted in unleashing the creativity, originality, vision, and ingenuity of the individual person, which benefited not only the individual but also the society as a whole.

Unfortunately, over the last several decades the 3 Rs have lost favor with the elites that direct what our schools are teaching our children.  

In his book the Lonely Crowd, David Riesman (considered the father of American sociology) points out that the education system has consistently moved away from developing educated self-thinking individuals to creating citizens who can relate to others.  As a result the 3 Rs have been replaced by 

• Conformity
• Sensitivity
• Thinking “correctly” 

Although his book was written in the 1950s, the process of getting students to think “correctly” started nearly a half a century before.  As the Commissioner of Education under President Taft, William Harris, wrote:

Ninety-nine [students] out of a hundred are automata, careful to walk in prescribed paths, careful to follow the prescribed custom. This is not an accident, but the result of substantial education, which, scientifically defined, is the subsumption of the individual. - The Philosophy of Education (1906)

Four generations later, John Gatto, the recipient of New York City’s 1990 Teacher of the Year award, would remark on how thorough the collectivist transformation of the education system has been.  In a speech, he observed that “schools are intended to produce through the application of formulae, formulaic human beings whose behavior can be predicted and controlled.”

As recently as 2008, a California appellate court re-affirmed this collectivist approach to education when it ruled that the “primary purpose of the educational system is to train schoolchildren in good citizenship, patriotism, and loyalty to the state and nation as a means of protecting the public welfare.”  [If this does not scare you, nothing will!]

Note that in each of these examples, there is no mention of creating self-thinking individuals.  In fact, the quotes seem to imply that the modern method of education sees individualism as something that needs to be discouraged or even eliminated.  Neither is the revered Gifted (or Gate) program a safe haven for the individualistic and self-thinking youngster.  In his biography of Winston Churchill, renowned historian William Manchester notes that the standards teachers use to select bright students “would have excluded Churchill, Edison, Picasso, and Mark Twain.”  

When does education become indoctrination? 

I believe that the line between the two is crossed when we start teaching what to think instead of how to think. The sad truth is that we are no longer teaching our children how to think.  Instead, we are telling them what to think.  Our schools have passed through education and onto indoctrination.  Until that is changed, our education system can never be fixed; regardless of how much money we throw at it.

10 Steps to Preserving American Liberty

In the ten days leading up to Independence Day I wrote a series of posts that listed 10 steps that are needed in order to preserve our liberty.  These 10 steps were taken from my book, Liberty Inherited, and are followed by some additional comments.  Since each post was an individual post the reader had to search each one out.  It was suggested that I create a post linking the series together.  So, by demand, here is the list of the blog posts that made up the series.  

Click on the title to read the entire post. 

1. Do not take the way things are for granted

When we consider that men have been forming civilizations as long ago as 4500 BC it becomes clear that 60 years of liberty and freedom does not guarantee the world will continue to embrace those principles.

2. Always remember that America is based on an idea

To do otherwise would be to just hasten the destruction of the principles that have made America exceptional.

3. English must be the language of the United States

By not learning English individuals are limiting their ability to become Americans in their hearts and minds.

4. Understand what America means to people around the world

There is no other country that can match the United States’ history of liberating oppressed people all over the world.

5. Be proud of being an American

I urge each of you to hold your head up and proudly proclaim that you are an American.

6. Respect individual sovereignty

The first is that an individual receives those rights and the second is that other individuals are obligated not to trample on the rights of others.

7. Continue to educate yourself

It is not enough to rely on the history you were taught in school, even if you were one of the few who paid attention.

 

8. Understand America’s classical liberal philosophy

Classical liberalism was the basic philosophy of this country until the turn of the 20th century.
 

9. Return America’s exceptionalism to the schools

Instead of educating our students on European political philosophies we need to be teaching first and foremost the philosophy that was at the heart of this country’s foundation.

 

10. Vote responsibly

As individuals in a representative democracy the biggest weapon we have is our right to vote.

Countdown to Independence Day: #10 Vote Responsibly

Over the next several days leading up to Independence Day I will be posting the 10 steps that must be taken to preserve our great nation and the principles it was established on.  Each day will cover one of the steps as they appear in my book Liberty Inherited.  It is my hope that, in some small way, I can get Americans to start thinking of what they are on the verge of throwing away.  Today's posting covers the 10th and final step.  I recommend reading the previous posts for step #1 through 9.  Please note that any additional comments that I add to the original text will be in italics.

10.   Vote responsibly

As individuals in a representative democracy the biggest weapon we have is our right to vote. But this right does not guarantee preservation of our freedoms unless it is exercised wisely. Too often it is tempting to take the easy way and allow political parties or special interest groups to decide who we are going to vote for. At this point in time in our country's history we cannot afford to take the lazy approach to voting. It is also not enough to make sure you are voting for the correct political candidate. Nowadays with judges having so much power and ability to shape our country it is essential to understand who is asking for you to confirm or reconfirm him as a judge. 

Unfortunately, most of these people do not even have enough respect for the voter to supply a brief statement of why you should vote for them.  Therefore, it has been nearly impossible to determine whether they deserve your vote or not. Now with the Internet this is no longer the case and in most states you can at least get a bio of the person. This bio will often provide you information about a person’s experience on the bench, his career path to become a judge, and if he was appointed, by whom. You will be amazed how easy it is to discern a person’s political views from this information.

Since 2008 it has become painfully clear that relying on political parties has done nothing but jeopardized our liberties and freedoms.  It is no longer sufficient to vote for the candidate with the right initial (D or R as the case maybe).  It is also no longer sufficient to vote for who is going to be in the White House.  Now more than ever we must give equal consideration to all offices, including those at state and local levels.  As the recent Supreme Court ruling on ObamaCare illustrates, judges need to be properly vetted.  This should be the role of local news media but, like the national media, they are negligent of their responsibilities.  So it falls on the individual voter to discern who deserves his vote.  

The problem is, as I state in the book, many of those seeking judgeship and/or local office have so little respect for the voter that they do not even bother to provide any details for the voter guides.  In my opinion, this contempt for the voter should automatically disqualify anyone asking for your vote.  If, while trying to get your vote, he does not have enough respect for the voter to provide some basic information  how much respect will he have once in office?  

Unfortunately, voters cannot rely on the parties nor the media to assist us.  Therefore, we must do the work ourselves.  We can no longer put into office politicians whose idea of sacrifice is turning their backs on the people and undermining the nation while lining up funding and support for their next campaign.  The nation deserve better and we the people deserve better.  Voting is not only a right but also a weapon to be used by the people against an unresponsive government.  If we want to preserve our liberty and America's exceptionalism,  then being lazy and careless is not an option.  

Countdown to Independence Day; #9 Return America’s exceptionalism to the schools

Over the next several days leading up to Independence Day I will be posting the 10 steps that must be taken to preserve our great nation and the principles it was established on.  Each day will cover one of the steps as they appear in my book Liberty Inherited.  It is my hope that, in some small way, I can get Americans to start thinking of what they are on the verge of throwing away.  Today's posting covers step number #9.  I recommend reading the previous posts for step #1 through 8.  Please note that any additional comments that I add to the original text will be in italics.

9. Return America’s exceptionalism to the schools

As exposed, America’s exceptionalism has been slowly removed from our schools. Although most Americans sense that there is something special about our country, very few know what makes it so. This is because they were never taught it.  It is truly the history lesson that all Americans should have had but never received. Instead of educating our students on European political philosophies we need to be teaching first and foremost the philosophy that was at the heart of this country until the progressive movement began its campaign to erase it. Americans of all ages need to have well-founded pride in their country but instead our children are being educated to loathe it. By focusing on America’s imperfections, rather than comparing it to its contemporaries, American children are receiving a biased and unjustified view of the nation and its history. It is time that our children are given a more realistic and balanced view of America and her role in the world.  This is not indoctrination for it is based on historical fact, which makes it education.

As I have always stated, I will put America (and for that matter the British Empire) up against any of its contemporaries.  What I will not do is put it up against some ideal of perfection.  Yet, by focusing on what America has done wrong, this is exactly what many schools across the country do.  They focus on America's history of slavery or the oppression of the Native-Americans.  It is true that both of these events (as well as others) are black spots on America's legacy.  But it must be remembered that all societies are comprised of people...imperfect people.  Therefore, any society that has any history at all will have black marks on its record.  As I explained in my book, many bad and horrible actions were done by and in the name of the British Empire.  By today's standards it was barbaric, racists, and oppressive.  But compared to its contemporaries it was very enlightened and civilized.  This is the same for the United States.  While not perfect, it has been the best system man has ever devised.  By removing the chains of bondage it has allowed man to use his creativity and intelligence to their full potential.  And, overall, the world has benefited from its example.  

What many fail to recognize is that before the United States there was no such thing as human rights.  In fact, the Human Rights many take for granted originated with the rights of Englishmen that the original patriots fought for.  This is the lesson schools need to be teaching.  Not only is it accurate but it is also more realistic since it does not compare America to some impossible standard of perfection.  

Countdown to Independence Day: #8 Understand America's Classical Liberal philosophy

Over the next several days leading up to Independence Day I will be posting the 10 steps that must be taken to preserve our great nation and the principles it was established on.  Each day will cover one of the steps as they appear in my book Liberty Inherited.  It is my hope that, in some small way, I can get Americans to start thinking of what they are on the verge of throwing away.  Today's posting covers step number #8.  I recommend reading the previous posts for step #1 through 7.  Please note that any additional comments that I add to the original text will be in italics.

8. Understand America’s classical liberal philosophy

As mentioned previously, classical liberalism was the basic philosophy of this country until the turn of the 20th century when progressivism started to pervert the term “liberal” for its own agenda. It is essential that every American understand what true classical liberalism is and why it was so important in the development of the United States of America. The truth is that classical liberalism has been completely removed from modern America’s political discourse. Most people have never heard of it and are unfamiliar with how it led to America’s exceptionalism. As a result of this ignorance and unfamiliarity, most Americans  continue to allow themselves to have to choose between faux liberalism or conservatism, neither one of which truly fits the American character.

This is a topic that I discuss throughout Liberty Inherited and, as I explain in the introduction to these posts, the above is copied directly from the book.  Thus, being taken out of context, I feel it helpful to explain its meaning.   

It is clear from its founding documents that America is based on a philosophy and principles that evolved in England.  That philosophy is called Classical Liberalism and I believe it to be the apex of the enlightenment that started with the Renaissance.  Lacking an aristocracy, the United States was able to take this philosophy and its principles of limited government, individual rights, private property, and free-market economics to a level not possible in 18th century Britain.  

It may come as a surprise to many Americans that Classical Liberalism not only guided the founding of this incredible nation, but was the the nation's basic political philosophy up to the late 1800s/early 1900s.  Since then it has slowly been erased from America's political conscientiousness to the point that most Americans are completely ignorant of it and its significance for the country.  But I believe that, at heart, the majority of Americans are still Classical Liberals.  After all, it is in their political genes and remains part of America's psyche.  This is why so many are not comfortable with what both political parties have been doing over the last 100 years.

This is what the Progressives understood when, after years of failed policies, the Progressive title became unpopular and they rebranded themselves as 'Liberals.'  But, as I explain in the book, their policies had and still have nothing to do with the principles of Classical Liberalism.  In fact, they envision the opposite.  They are, in reality, wolves in sheep's clothing.  That is why I call their version of  Liberalism 'FAUX LIBERALISM.'  It is nothing but a fraud....a very dangerous fraud.

Now, 236 years after the Declaration of Independence, America is on the verge of losing its political identity, its political soul.  I strongly believe that only by reconnecting to our political roots can this country be saved and that is why I wrote "Liberty Inherited: The untold story of America's exceptionalism."  It is my attempt to play my part in saving this great, and ,yes, exceptional country.

Countdown to Independence: #7 Continue to educate yourself

Over the next several days leading up to Independence Day I will be posting the 10 steps that must be taken to preserve our great nation and the principles it was established on.  Each day will cover one of the steps as they appear in my book Liberty Inherited.  It is my hope that, in some small way, I can get Americans to start thinking of what they are on the verge of throwing away.  Today's posting covers step number #7.  I recommend reading the previous posts for step #1 through 6.  Please note that any additional comments that I add to the original text will be in italics.

 

7. Continue to educate yourself

Remember that ignorance and neglect are one of the causes of the rotting that is afflicting the roots of the Liberty Tree. As James Madison wrote in a letter he penned in 1822, “What spectacle can be more edifying or more seasonable, than that of Liberty and Learning, each leaning on the other for their mutual & surest support?” This is what this book attempts to achieve. It was designed to be an introductory course to a part of history that many have been deprived of. Its purpose was to provide an informative and educational book that is easy to read. It is by no means an exhaustive piece of work. Therefore, I urge you not to take everything you read within these pages at face value. Instead I ask you to start your own journey of discovery. In doing so, I believe you will discover that the arguments I put forth within these pages are true and accurate. 

With that said, the biggest fear people have with studying history is trusting the accuracy of the facts they are reviewing. To this I reply, “If you read one book on a topic you get one opinion, the author’s. But if you read four books on the same topic you get five opinions - those of the four authors and then your own. Once your opinion is established, you will be able to discern what rings true and what rings false.”  This is the reason why it is not enough to rely on the history you were taught in school, even if you were one of the few who paid attention.  In many cases it is nothing but the point of view of the teacher and, as Daniel Hannan told me, “When history is taught, it is taught badly.” So go out and educate yourself!