Despite the
best efforts of liberty’s enemies both home and
abroad, our great American experiment in freedom is
still alive. In early September around the family
dinner table, I listened to a conversation—more of
an interrogation actually—which made me proud.
America may be 235 years old, but I can say with
certainty the best years lie ahead thanks to
patriots in the younger generation. Here is what
happened.
It had been six weeks since we had seen our five
Kimmel grandchildren, a clear violation of our
one-month rule, so the trophy wife and I raced to
Great Falls for a quick overnight stay. Joining us
for supper was Jess, a former Yellowstone County
girl who babysat my mini-Kimmels when she was in
high school. Jess is an important spoke in the
family wheel, and over Labor Day weekend she motored
814 miles from the University of North Dakota to
introduce the family to her boyfriend, Jake. With
the kitchen table stretched to the max, all eleven
of us sat down and Mae, our six-year-old, said
grace.
We laughed as Jake and Jess described their non-stop
drive across the bigger part of two states. They had
rolled out of Grand Forks around 4:00 Friday
afternoon and staggered into the Kimmel house at
5:30 Saturday morning. They suffered from
Honda-Accord-lag (a travel syndrome less serious
than jet lag), but they were surprisingly bright by
dinnertime, which was good because my son-in-law,
Tim, was planning to interrogate Jake.
Tim grew up a Montana ranch kid so being a hard
nosed federal law enforcement officer comes natural
to him. He and Meagan had recently hired a part time
nanny and Tim asked her some very blunt questions
during the interview. I was joshing Tim and said,
“Why don’t you ask Jake the same questions?”
He chuckled and tried to change the subject, but
finally blurted, “Okay, I will.” “Question one:
Jake, do you smoke pot? Question two: Have you ever
cheated on your girlfriend? Question three:
“Democracy or republic?” The third question was so
powerful and thought provoking, my mouth fell open
and I stared at Jake while waiting for the answer.
Jake stammered a couple answers before Jess jumped
in and shouted, “Democracy!” Since Jess is still
suffering through college indoctrination, plus the
fact most high school civics texts erroneously refer
to America as being a representative democracy, her
answer was reflexively predictable.
“Wrong,” Tim fired back, “but two out of three isn’t
bad.” The hot lights were clicked off and this
brings me to my point.
Our founders purposely crafted an American republic
because they despised tyranny, but feared democracy
as it is a temporary form of government which always
progressively descends back into tyranny. They only
form of government which has any chance to ensure
liberty for perpetuity is a republic where the rule
of law guaranteeing rights of the people reigns
supreme. This is the precise reason American elected
officials pledge an oath to the Constitution rather
than an oath to represent the majority opinion of
their constituents. (Politicians always miss this
point.)
Democracy is just a fancy, yet fatal word for mob
rule, and today it is thrown around universities in
a manner suggesting it is synonymous with republic.
If majority rule is supreme, then a majority vote
could suspend every right our Constitution is
crafted to ensure. It was the fact Tim recognized
the importance of the question which made me proud.
As a ranch kid, Tim was seasoned by long hours on
the back of a horse and the seat of a tractor. He is
the youngest of four and he lost his father to a car
accident when he was nine. Tim, his siblings and
mother worked hard to keep the ranch together so it
is not surprising he worked his way through college.
Recent world and national events have awakened his
generation and given me optimism. Everything they
have earned—note the keyword earned—is at risk, so
they understand the importance of restoring our
American republic. In Tim’s case, the battle for
liberty begins across his kitchen table. Does it
yours?
|