Lies Conservatives Believe

I have several motivations for what follows. I have a sincere desire to see a better world come to pass and to make peace with my conscience. I believe that there are many great people in this nation who will, if given the chance, always do the right thing, and it is my duty to say something when my people have been mislead. Too, I have written the things which follow because I have a sincere love for those soldiers who have given their lives for our country and for those who honor them with local tributes and memorial services which I have witnessed. Jesus said that a man has no greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. I think of Jesus’ words every time I witness a memorial service for a fallen soldier. Along with that, part of what follows may have kind've a religious tone. I usually don't write or speak this way, but because of the religious nature of some of the right wing notions, this time I have written this way purposely.

Well, I’m neither a democrat nor a republican; neither a capitalist nor a socialist; but I do consider myself a realist. When I write about the problems with right wing conservatives I am writing about the problems of moderate democrats and common everyday well intentioned people as well. The problem is two fold as I see it: 1) Some people just do not know the truth about our nation; 2) Others can’t understand the truth because of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy, because of its nature, is a malady of deception. Americans, like any other people, tend to believe that they are more intelligent and righteous than they actually are. Let me discuss briefly six lies which many people believe about our nation but do not really think about.

(The following is a work in progress. I am planning on adding references later. However, any of the statements made concerning U.S. foreign policy or references to Jesus can be looked up very easily by quick web searches.)


The first lie is that our country has done more to promote democracy and freedom than any other nation.

Like all of the lies our nation has come to believe, I wish this statement as well as the rest were true, but an accurate telling of history will deny this. From the very beginning and before The United States Constitution was signed into existence, the hope which America offered to “all” men (all people) has never been realized; neither have the most powerful leaders of this nation tried to realize the hopes of equality the Constitution guarantees.

It is a hard truth to accept, but most of the wealth generated in this nation from the very beginning has been made possible by stealing from vulnerable people. The obvious examples are committing genocide against the Native Americans and the enslavement of Africans. Too, as our nation began to prosper from cheaply gotten land and labor, our nation was able to steal large tracts of land from Mexico and exploit cheap labor and cheaply gotten natural resources from Central and South America. After the Spanish American War, our nation was able to not only exploit the people south of our borders, but we were also able to conquer the Philippine people. Our nation is still oppressing and exploiting other people by cheaply taking natural resources which rightly belong to others. One can easily research the tin mines of Bolivia; the overthrow of elected President Allende, by Pinochet's cruel military forces, in Chile for the copper mines; the oil fields of Peru, Columbia, and Ecuador; the fruit wars of Guatemala instigated by the U.S. United Fruit Company; and the cruel repression of public opinion and labor forces in El Salvador and Nicaragua. It does not take much effort to come to the realization that the wars which we are waging at this modern time in Iraq and Afghanistan are about exploiting the natural resources of those lands which we are occupying by force.

From the very beginning, our nation has been extremely hypocritical when it comes to promoting freedom and democracy. Freedom and democracy has never been promoted by our nation in any other country, and it has not been realized by the Native American or the Black African in our own nation until recently. Freedom and democracy for Central America, South America, The Philippines, Israel, and many African Nations, costs too much for most of the policy makers of The United States.

The truth is that our nation has done more to stop democracy and freedom than any other nation. Anytime the people of other nations wanted to keep the wealth which came from the natural resources of their nation or keep more of the wealth from their labor by electing officials which represented their interests more fairly, those movements and leaders were put down by force and dictators were installed by brute military force empowered by stolen wealth and our taxes. [Check out the list of dictators which are and have been supported by our government: < http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/US_ThirdWorld/dictators.html >]


The second lie is that capitalism is a good thing for all.

Capitalism in the United States is like a single big apple pie made for a holiday picnic. There are a hundred people who want a piece of the pie. One person takes ninety-nine percent of the pie and leaves one slim piece of pie, equaling one hundredth of the pie, for the ninety-nine people left to fight over. It is well known fact that ninety-nine percent of the wealth in the United States is held by one percent of the population. The rest of us feel fortunate and blessed if we get a single crumb of that wealth to live on. However, there are many who not even get a crumb. It is a plain fact that to succeed in small business and practice any kind entrepreneurship is getting to be harder and harder. Big corporations are monopolizing everything—making things cheaper and cheaper but lowering the common man’s working wage more and more. It is almost impossible for most people to start a successful business in this monopolized country.


The third lie is that if a person works hard in this country she or he will be rewarded.

It doesn’t matter how hard some people have worked; many hardworking people still do not live above poverty level. Many migrant workers who migrate to the states to work are denied health care and never make any better than minimum wage, and some never get paid even minimum wage. Too, millions of hardworking citizens are denied health care because the insurance is too expensive. Most small companies struggle to provide health insurance for their employees; when many small companies try to pass the costs of health care to the employees, the insurance is too expensive for the employees to buy. I’ve known loggers, truck drivers, farmers, and teachers who have worked hard their whole life, but at retirement, they live barely above poverty level—many times because some health issue depleted their savings. Where is their reward? The fact is that a person must be smart and lucky enough to get a good job in order to live a wealthy life and few do.


The fourth lie is those who cannot take of care themselves will be taken care of.

There are thousand of people every year who die because they cannot afford the health care: many drugs and operations to keep them alive are too expensive for them.


The fifth lie is that our nation was founded on Christian principles and that it promotes Christian principles.

In order for a nation to call itself Christian it must live according to the teachings of the founder of Christianity—that would be Jesus Christ. Jesus said that you cannot serve both God and mammon—that is, that a person can not serve money and power and, at the same time, think he or she is serving God. Jesus said that the heart is the eye of the body. If the eye is bad the whole body will be full of darkness. Where a man’s treasure is there will be his heart also. Jesus told a parable about a wealthy man who stored his wealth in barns until they were all full, so he built more barns so that he could store more of his wealth. The man thought to himself, “See, I have much wealth. I will relax and enjoy myself for many years.” But before the man could enjoy his wealth, he died and had to give an account of his wealth to God. This is what Jesus said about people who are rich toward themselves and not rich towards God. At another time, a rich and powerful ruler came to Jesus and asked how he could enter the kingdom of God. Jesus told him to give his wealth away to the poor so that he would have treasure in heaven. Jesus exclaimed, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” The Apostle Paul said that the love of money is the root of all evil. Again in another place, Jesus also said, “To them that are given much, much are expected.” The more power and wealth one has, the more God will expect for that one to take his responsibilities seriously in this life—that is to use the wealth and power for the good of all.

Greed has driven the policies of this nation from the beginning, and the concern of most people in this country is continually economic. According to the teachings of Jesus, this nation is far from what He meant by the kingdom of God, and, according to the teachings of Jesus, this nation will be judged most severely. Many actions of our government are opposed to the teaching of Jesus.


The sixth lie is that the United States is special—more special than all other nations—that it has a special calling from God—like a light on a hill which gives light to the world. This is spelled out in books like “The Light and the Glory.”

This doctrine is made most clear politically in the Monroe doctrine called “Manifest Destiny.” The meaning of this term is that the United States has been predestined by God to conquer and progress over other peoples—supposedly influencing the world for democracy and freedom. Such a belief has justified the dehumanization of millions. This justified the genocide of the Native Americans, the enslavement of Africans, the cruel domination of indigenous people and people of Spanish descent south of our borders, and the cruel domination of our country over other peoples of the world by military force and the installment of cruel dictators.

The worship of a nation or any organization above God must be condemned as idolatry. This is what has happened in the United States. Not only has our nation with military force taken natural and cultivated resources which did not belong to us because of blatant greed, but, also, in the name of security and securing power, thousands of innocent people have died in needless wars. Power comes from God—not wealth and military might. What ever special calling this nation has had it has desecrated severely.


One cannot trust in money and power and at the same time think he or she is trusting in God. Jesus instructed his disciples that his followers would be recognize by their love—not wealth and military power. Likewise, a "Chosen Christian" nation will be recognized by its love--not cruelty!