As I write these words, I am seated in the ornate cupola of the Library of Congress, surrounded by millions of musty books and intricate Greco-Roman architecture. There are no words to describe the richness and beauty present in this edifice—what a privilege to study the workings of my country in such a place. Situated to my left about 30 feet up resides a 10 foot bronze statue portraying Moses and Law of God. Although this sculpture is now said to merely denote the concept of religion and the freedom inherent therein, it connotes much, much more. It grasps the absolute moral standard present in the Mosaic Law, and attempts to portray the Biblical truth critical to the policies and philosophies our nation promotes. I cannot help but quail at how far our nation has wandered from this ideological mooring. The Supreme Court stands a mere 50 feet from this erection and functions according the notion of sociological law and moral relativism. However, despite this grave truth, there is great hope for the future of the country and that is why I am here.
This week, I have had a lot of time to reflect and consider my aspirations for the present and future. As the budget crisis causes eyes to turn toward Washington, I shudder knowing that Washington will not and cannot produce a solution. Policies are only as strong as principles are accurate, and the majority of our leaders hold on to beliefs that are blatantly false and inherently harmful. Where is the hope in this? The optimism exists in believing that my generation has the ability to return to moral absolutism and abolish arbitrary policies. This is achieved through an undying dedication to preserving our nation’s constitution—a belief held by many of the speakers I had the honor of listening to this past week.
Tuesday night, over 200 interns from Capitol Hill and surrounding conservative organizations ventured to the Jonathan House—a home for Christian young men—to hear from presidential candidate, Michele Bachmann. A crowd of students packed into the tiny front yard of the town house, as Michele Bachmann made her way to the front steps. Bachmann energetically greeted supporters and then began her address. After briefly recounting her childhood and personal conversion to Christianity, she expressed that America is great because America is good. There is not only a crimson thread of redemption traceable throughout the Bible, but throughout the world and life in general. Our nation was founded on Biblical truths, she explained, and only in a return to those truths is the restoration of our nation possible. She briefly proposed plans to resolve the current financial crisis, but concluded by stating that personal relationships with the God of the universe are what truly matter. I was genuinely impressed by her candor and compassion; unwavering principle is foundational to any leader.
Wednesday night, I attended “NRA University”, which was a program designed to enlighten students on the 2nd amendment. The speaker used an Original Intent perspective to explain that the right to bear arms is an individual, not merely collective, right. She also provided evidence to stress the falsity in common anti-gunner arguments. “More gun equals more crime” was refuted by empirical evidence that more guns in the U.S. have significantly meant less crime nationally. Secondly, “encoding and registering ammunition is a reasonable solution to gun violence” was deemed illogical because, by definition, criminals are law breakers. They will get around the system no matter what. This concept only serves to punish the law abiding citizen. Lastly, “registering firearms will help deter crime”. The previous argument was used to dispel this idea. In conclusion, the speaker went on to describe the history of conflicts regarding the second amendment and the Supreme Court cases associated with them.
This week for speaker night, the interns prepared a Greek meal and hosted our very own Morton Blackwell, president and founder of the Leadership Institute. Upon Morton’s arrival, the conversation centered on Republican conventions and lasted well into the night. Morton shared his experiences with corrupted leadership and gave advice on how to combat such abuse—“stand up for what needs to be said and hold leaders accountable to their own rules”. He also answered a variety of questions, generally focused on the legalities of college conventions, as he was the Louisiana delegate to the College Republican Convention during the campaign of Barry Goldwater. It was fascinating to see how Morton applies a vast array of personal experiences to his laws of the public policy process. Additionally, it was refreshing to hear Morton’s optimism for the future. However, his hope was not absent a warning as he quoted Edmond Burke, “all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing”. The responsibility rests on my generation.
To close off a busy week, I attended the Conservative Women’s Network luncheon at the Heritage Foundation. Kellyann Conway, president of the Polling Company, spoke on the role of femininity as it is replaces feminism. Are women discriminated against in political professions? Yes and no. Feminists look to the number of women holding political positions to determine the discrimination still existent; however, as Kellyann pointed out, this is entirely absurd. Inherent in the right to do something is a right not to do it. Women are equal, but different than men. If they prefer to stay at home and raise children—that is their right which should not be criticized. Men and women have different preferences and the fact that not as many women prefer to be involved in politics does not indicate that they are being discriminated against. Conversely, the media often discriminates against female politicians by focusing news time on their appearance rather than their content. This, Kellyann said, is something that should be combated through exposing contradictions and demanding appropriate coverage. She concluded that men and women are created equal, but different and the differences should be respected and not discriminated against.
This past week was truly encouraging, enlightening, and evoking. I was encouraged to hear many principled speakers outline the current moral denigration of our society, yet offer hope for restoration. Learning about the second amendment, the structure of political conventions, and femininity proved to be very enlightening—as many of these concepts are not widely discussed. Additionally, every speaker’s message of need for my generation evoked a desire to be a part of solving the problems facing the current generation as well as mine. It is truly incredible to attend so many wonderful events and have the privilege of meeting so many prominent individuals. I am very grateful for this opportunity and have begun to make more use of the few weeks remaining.
