California Conservative

Actor and Democratic activist/contributor Richard Dreyfuss, who after 9-11 claimed a “lack of clarity” as to America’s reasons for war against terror, yesterday promoted an America of intellectually sophisticated children, unhampered by allegiance to any particular viewpoint.

Speaking before the National Press Club, Dreyfuss lamented that adults are often “victims of political hypnosis,” and decried parental tendencies to pass on their political views to their children. Instead, America’s children need only be handed the tools of “reason” and “logic” to be “ sovereign.” He sniffed, “How do we not guarantee our gods will be our children’s gods?”

My question: Why would a parent ever want to leave their child without benefit of their perspective? Obviously, by holding to certain ideals, we have concluded they are right; Isn’t teaching right from wrong parents’ most important job? Abandoning children with only man-centered reason and intellect by which to make decisions, political or otherwise, is to have failed them completely. It is, in particular, the Christian parents’ duty to pass on their moral values to the next generation, after all the Bible instructs parents to train a child in the way they should go. And, politically speaking, imparting traditional values and morals are also how American culture is preserved.

In his Farewell Address, George Washington said religion and morality are “indispensable supports” in upholding constitutional principles that made America a free nation. He further wrote that mere intellectual enlightenment cannot uphold American freedom, which was built upon moral principles found in the Bible. Washington stated, “And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”

But Dreyfuss and liberals like him aren’t too concerned about preserving America’s moral foundation built upon the law of the Bible. Instead, Dreyfuss said the constitution is a “living” document, which changes with the wind. That view tends toward establishment of the leftists’ dream of a relativistic utopia, where there are no moral absolutes. With only reason and logic upon which to base decisions, man is left to determine for himself what course to take. It’s not a new concept. Under the “enlightenment” principles like Dreyfuss promoted, nations crumble and millions die from what inevitably emerges: dangerous man-centered philosophies of Nazism, fascism, socialism, Marxism.

Dreyfuss also wants a controlled discourse in his ideal America. The first intellectual topic he suggested the media raise is to instigate debate for impeaching President George W. Bush. “It’s not your job to impeach [the president], he told the press members, “But to maintain the integrity of that debate.” Although he’s all for opening up the impeachment debate, Dreyfuss opposes those who would openly question the patriotism of any liberal who spews venom against the war or this country, no matter if it’s a Dixie Chick or Michael Moore. “Democracy,” he said. “relies on people’s thoughtfulness.”

Actually, America is not a democracy, which our Founders considered mob-rule. This country is a representative republic, as stated in the Pledge of Allegiance, and established on the rule of law, which came from the Christian Bible. According to the U.S. War Department 1928 training manual, “Our constitutional fathers, familiar with the strength and weakness of both autocracy and democracy, with fixed principles definitely in mind, defined a representative republican form of government. They ‘made a very marked distinction between a republic and a democracy and said repeatedly and emphatically that they had founded a republic.’”

Perhaps Dreyfuss’ confusion regarding political issues is that he lacks understanding of a greater law than that of man’s own wisdom. In July of 1992, not even one year after terrorists’ unprovoked attack on America, Dreyfuss declared an enormous “lack of clarity in this country about why we’re going to send young men to die and kill people” in Iraq.

I don’t think those 2,967 innocent Americans who died in the noxious fumes of the blazing Twin Towers have a big problem understanding why President Bush has taken the war to the enemy. But maybe Dreyfuss would prefer the terrorists come here so he can become “enlightened” by “Islamo-fascists” regarding their activities of frequent beheadings, gang-rapes and raising babies to be bombs. I’ll bet there would even be live demonstrations.

Laura Adelmann is a Staff Writer for the New Media Alliance. Her work, which includes news articles, investigative stories and opinion pieces, has appeared in Minnesota Christian Chronicle, Pro-Family News and numerous local newspapers in Dakota County, Minnesota. Laura has also written copy for conservative candidates running for state and national offices. You can reach her at ladelmann@thenma.org

RELATED:
Newsbusters.org: Richard Dreyfuss Calls For
Impeachment of President Bush

On the matter of education, Don Surber notes:

The tools of debate and dissent are part of public school instruction through 12th grade. Only at the collegiate level are students discouraged from openly disagreeing with professors, most of whom are Stalinists.

Mark en Mexico: “Dreyfuss and other loveable losers”

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 18th, 2006 at 7:59 am and is filed under Articles, Culture, Hollywood, Liberals, Op-Ed, Youth. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.