The Alert Citizenry

1 Mark Levin, in Plunder and Deceit, pages 160 and 161, includes a long quote from brilliant 19th century legal thinker, Joseph Story. Let me paraphrase the quote: Story suggests that good government is best achieved and kept within the framework of a constitutional republic. He wants protected and preserved personal rights, private property and the liberties of the whole people. To protect the life, liberty and property of each sovereign individual, each citizen, is the paramount objective of said government. He wants wise laws and well-administered execution of them in line with said constitutional system. 2 3 The establishment of that constitution and able, honest legislators, judges, bureaucrats and the President are not enough to make the constitutional survive and persevere. I would argue as an individuator/anarchist supercitizen is that an educated, principled, active, organized, vocal, engaged, principled citizenry are the only way for such a constitutional system to thrive and flourish. When they do their job, the politicians will do their job right and well, for the most part. 4 5 Let me quote Levin quoting Story (Page 160): "It is equally indispensable for every American citizen, to enable him to exercise his own rights, to protect his own interests, and to secure public liberties and just operations of the public authority. A republic, by the very constitution of its government, requires, on the part of the people, more vigilance and constant exertion than all others. The American republic, above all others, demands from every citizen unceasing vigilance and exertion; since we have deliberately dispensed with every guard against danger or ruin, except the intelligence and virtue of the people themselves. It is founded on the basis, that the people have wisdom enough to frame their own system of government public spirit enough to preserve it; that they cannot be cheated out of their liberties; and that they will not submit to have them taken from them by force." 6 7 My response: Jordan Peterson wants the adult to act like the sovereign individual that God made him or her to be, and to take up responsibility to lessen suffering in the world. Fair enough. Let us couple that sense of the responsible sovereign individual asserting his rights with Story's exhortation for each citizen exert himself to serve as an engaged, public-spirited citizen, running the country, guiding the politicians, judges and bureaucrats in all that they decide, legislate and administer. 8 9 Now, if that middle-class citizen is an individuating, anarchist supercitizen, try and conceive of the enmasse result of such a citizenry running things. Wow! 10 11 Let me quote Levin quoting Story further on pages 161 & 162: "We have silently assumed the fundamental truth, that, it can never be in the interest of the majority of the people to prostrate their own political equality and happiness, so they can never be seduced by flattery or corruption, by the intrigues of faction, or the arts of ambition, to adopt any measures, which shall subvert them. If this confidence in ourselves is justified . . . let us never forget, that it can be justified only by a watchfulness and zeal proportionate to our confidence. Let us never forget, that we must prove ourselves, wiser, and better, and purer, that any other nation ever yet has been, if we are to count upon success. Every other republic has fallen by the discords and treachery of its own citizens." 12 13 My response: Levin and Story presuppose that there is a universal human nature, and we today are quite likely to repeat the mistakes of citizens of ancient republics, now fallen by the wayside, due to citizenry corruption, error and negligence. This constitutional republic can fail and decline first into a majority ruling mob, and then into strong man Communism.