We’re in the midst of a war. No, it is not about COVID-19 per se, although that’s extremely serious. It is not about the harm to our economy or the riots—both catastrophes, in and of themselves. Rather, it is the ongoing war by communism against America’s soul.
Pete Hegseth’s new book, “American Crusade: Our Fight to Stay Free,” is the right book at just the right time. Hegseth, the co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend” and a Fox News senior political analyst, reminds us that great republics such as America die when they forget who they are, become lazy and arrogant, or betray their founding ideals.
In dealing with these ideas, Hegseth redefines common terms that should allow all Americans to pause and then bypass preconceived notions. He defines the Declaration of Independence as America’s soul, distinguished from the Constitution, which is America’s body.
Hegseth calls the Constitution brilliant—the second most important political document ever written by man. It has checks and balances, coequal branches of government, and federalism. However, he makes the outstanding point that if the Constitution is not grounded in the principles of the Declaration of Independence, then the Constitution means nothing.
It is the Declaration of Independence that is the source of American beliefs. Without this valuable document, America is simply not America, even with a Constitution.
Progressives Are Not Liberals
Progressives, Hegseth believes, think the Constitution can “evolve” to fit their view of the world. But they know that the Declaration cannot, and does not, evolve. Understanding this point is vital to understanding America’s politics.Hegseth says that progressives are global citizens, not American patriots. The left has appropriated the word “liberal,” and while some old-school liberals still exist, “they are a dying breed—literally and figuratively.”
He believes that progressives don’t care about fair elections; they want power any way they can get it. When progressives have power, Hegseth says, taxes must always be higher to support an ever-increasing number of governmental programs. In addition, he sees government as the god of progressives, with abortion representing the ultimate replacement of God’s will by the government.
The Distinction Between Globalization and Globalism
For Hegseth, globalization is a technological reality. We make a reservation to fly to Israel with the click of an iPhone app. Globalism, on the other hand, is a scheme to eliminate national sovereignty in order to centralize control over the means of production. Hegseth goes on to say that simply put: Globalism is worldwide socialism.The Distinction Between a Democracy and a Republic
Our founders rejected the idea of a pure democracy because democracies are governed by a simple majority rule. Whoever gets the most votes makes the rules—including abolishing the very rights we assume are immutable. Our republic inherently guarantees an individual’s rights, no matter the view of the majority, and no matter the impulses of those with government power.Progressive Views
Other parts of the book cover topics that show progressive ideas as compared to traditional ways of looking at them. Here are just a few examples that seem timely:The Second Amendment grants Americans the privilege of owning and possessing firearms because an armed populace cannot be subjugated. Hegseth says that progressives want to take away gun rights, not for the sake of citizen safety but in order to control citizens. He says to look at Venezuela for confirmation that unarmed citizens are at the mercy of their government.
Traditionally, one’s genitals or chromosomes determine one’s gender. The progressive view, according to Hegseth, claims that gender is a choice; it’s what he or she decides gender to be. Progressives think that laws and social norms therefore should conform to these decisions and that a person’s biological sex is irrelevant. Hegseth calls out the progressives as a ridiculous “multiple-choice gender.”
Hegseth says the progressives favor socialism, which is exactly the opposite of traditional thought. With socialism, the rights of the individual are made secondary to the desires of the collective. Moreover, he says that socialism runs counter to human nature: the drive to create value, build, take risks, and choose how to make a living.
