Do Not Be Discouraged

“You will not have to fight this battle.  Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.  Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.”  2 Chronicles 20:17 (NIV)

It seems only fitting on this Sabbath day during which federal government funded abortion (which may or may not be permanently or temporarily rescinded by Executive Order) essentially became the law of the land, to turn to Scripture, and to remember that we are a nation founded on Judeo-Christian principles, and on faith that God will prevail.  Granted, He is God of all, whether conservative or liberal, Republican, Democrat, or Independent, Christian, Jew, or Muslim, but those of us who might be tempted to feel discouragement in the light of today’s “failure” can find hope and encouragement in these words.  We mustn’t relinquish our positions, and we must not be discouraged, for as has been so eloquently described here and elsewhere, this fight is not only ongoing, but it is just now beginning to get truly interesting.

Sixty percent of Americans do not want what their elected officials have passed into law, and it is inevitable that new, more representative representation will be elected to address that malfeasance.  Possibly more than ever in America’s history, our populace has watched, and learned what a dirty monstrosity our government has become, and what a mockery to our Founding Fathers and the Constitution they wrote and endorsed.  We’ve watched, as a simple ideology, an arguably Godly ideology, to provide healthcare protection to those who otherwise can’t obtain or maintain it, has gotten completely lost in the process of passing it.  We’ve watched and listened in horror as a “transparent” government made secret promises to itself, and bribed itself, in order to obtain the votes needed to pass it.  Deals and counter-deals, bribes, regional “porkulus” spending…  Congresspersons, and even the President, pushing and cajoling and threatening and buying to pass legislation the contents of which they don’t even know.

Why bother?  The contents of the legislation, the original ideology, don’t matter; the only thing that matters is victory, and what an individual can get for him or her self.  And we’ve all watched it occur.

Many “victorious” representatives know they support this legislation at the likely risk of imperiling their political careers, and those who didn’t announce their retirements, and probably some who did, undoubtedly received promises of lucrative government appointments or lobbying positions.

(An old and familiar, but nonetheless analogous, parable comes to mind, in which the pilot of a crashing airplane comes on the intercom and instructs the passengers to “raise your seatbacks and tray tables to their upright and locked positions, place your head between your knees, and kiss your ass goodbye.”  Better to have a parachute, no?)

Congratulations, Democrats.  After tonight, and for at least a while, you own American healthcare and all its elements.  Nancy Pelosi just said that it will unleash a wave of entrepreneurship and will be a boon to the economy.

Let’s see how that works out.

Victory with the healthcare legislation, the accompanying elation and initial sense of invulnerability, followed by the realization that it may well all end in November 2010, will undoubtedly awaken a new boldness in the Democrat left that will be applied to efforts to pass Cap & Trade, Net Neutrality, Card Check, and amnesty for illegal’s.  Conservatives must not lose heart and become discouraged.  We must again “take up” our “positions” and “stand firm.”

The fight to return this nation to its founding principles, and to reinstate accountable efficiency in our federal government, is not over.  Though the battle may be lost, the war is just beginning.