Much to my surprise, this week I caught a broadcast by Freeqo that actually mentioned me and actually used some of my stuff. Just for the record, Freeqo, you can use my stuff whenever you want, brother. And now, here’s Freeqo:
The Zombie Generals are very keen on us not paying attention to the real political debate that should be happening in America. According to the Zombie Generals, there are really two political divides, between the left and the right, between the conservative and the progressive, between the capitalists and the socialist, between the GOP and the Democrats. But, in truth, these are all lies. The real political divide is between less coercion in some areas and more coercion in other areas.
Since Paul Gordon Collier is now freely ripping off my stuff and putting it on some website, I decided I’d rip him off and use his stuff from his site, Freedomist.com.
If we look at our current political divisions, conservative versus progressive, what we find is BOTH major political worldviews involve varying levels of coercion within the four authorities. For conservatives, coercive action is more encouraged in the social authority than any other authority, at least within the territory of the sovereign governance. For progressives, coercive action is more directly aimed across the board, with the least amount of coercion being applied within social authority (even then, the degree of coercion applied at the social level is at least as much, if not more, than the degree of coercion applied by the conservative worldview).
As far as the international level of governance, progressives would apply a lot less coercive authority on other territories of sovereign governance than would conservatives, but they are not coercive-free in their approach. And their coercive actions are directed more at social authority than any other authority. Whereas with conservatives, their coercive action is more directly aimed at civic authority. For the progressive worldview, it is important to use your power to reward and punish states that reflect their social moral views regarding ‘social justice’, whereas the conservative is more concerned that the state’s civic authority reflect, first and foremost, pro-American sentiments, and, secondarily, adopt American standards of civic governance.
I should add a caveat here. For both conservative and progressive administrations, it has been shown that states which offer some support for the cause are given passes when they violate the standards that both camps profess to uphold.
For the conservative, a projection of American power and the perpetuation of American dominance in the world is the primary goal and function of the Federal government. For the progressive, the creation of an ecumenical reality of ‘equality’ and ‘social justice’ is the ultimate function of American Federal power.
Both assign a mission for Federal power that goes beyond, from our Christian worldview, the very limited definition of civic governance found in Romans 13, to mete out justice, to right wrongs.
Romans 13:
3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.
It is interesting that this is the extent to which God has given the believer any real instruction on civic governance in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, through the prophets, we find more instructions, but none of those instructions assign a ‘disciple building’ task to civic, lethal-force wielding authority. They have to do with feeding the poor, (but those who work), of not oppressing the weak (but not granting them special benefits) of respecting other nations, of staying within their assigned boundaries and honoring God.
Conservatives, at least as I see them through their actions, see civic authority as having a responsibility to create “Americans”, people who believe in individual liberty, fiscal responsibility, and perpetuating American power and might. They have a model of governance that involves coercive ‘disciple building.’
Progressives also see a significant, even more significant role for coercive disciple building. They have a very real, ecumenical end-goal of creating a paradise of equality and social justice where everyone strictly follows a well-defined code of moral ethics, from championing gay rights to celebrating a woman’s right to choose, to demanding that no one makes too much or gets too little.
What Paul Gordon Collier is saying in his rather high-handed way is that they’re all either Zombie Generals or Zombie Agents, even if he is still in denial of the whole Zombie Apocalypse thing. So, the next time you decide to get all excited about an elephant or a donkey, look carefully into their eyes and see the zombie death inside them both.
Wow, Freeqo really threw me under the bus, but I still agree with his points, and, well, I also agree with mine.
