Neil Rosekrans
Staff Writer
Americans should look to Natural Law when considering their responsibility during this crucial period when war-time actions will shape this country’s future. The premise supposes that there is an underlying law that applies to all mankind. Transcending race, culture, borders, religion and time, it emphasizes that there are objective truths in this world and that morality and truth are not just in the eye of the beholder.
Many Americans are too quick to take refuge under the tent of political correctness. Most will not risk being ostracized in our multicultural society by professing one tradition or value to be objectively superior to another. Instead, truth is subjective and no one idea is better than the next. To relativists, the only wrong opinion is the one that is not accepting of all ideas.
The moral equivalency of ideas is a rejection of objective truths and an acceptance of cultural relativism. If we do not stand behind any universal notion of truth then, by default, we must admit that no action or belief is universally wrong. In this case, morality is merely determined by each individual culture. This logic says slavery is only wrong in those countries that have laws outlawing the ownership or human trafficking of others. Without rooting it in natural law, our decision to abolish slavery is simply a moral equivalent to another culture’s decision to sanction it.
I reject the nihilistic logic that relativism produces and believe that equality and freedom are natural to mankind. These principles are not suited for some people and ill-suited for others. Rather, they are universal to all.
The American experiment, although far from perfect, has worked. Ironically, it has worked so well that we have become ashamed of its relative success in the world and we search for blemishes and stains on our past that extinguish our own candles as a means to make others’ appear brighter. Our slide toward moral nihilism and cultural relativism disregards history and hinders our ability to effectively act as a world leader.
This trend was briefly interrupted for the week that followed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Radio stations frequently played Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A. (I’m Proud to Be an American)” and retail stores couldn’t stock enough American flags to satiate the public’s demand. For a few patriotic days we knew that we were unjustly attacked and that our enemies’ actions were objectively wrong.
We were attacked by a dangerous ideology that despises the United States and the freedom it entails. Capturing Osama bin Laden will not defeat this ideology but will only serve justice to the planner of the attacks that were delivered five years ago. After all, Al-Zarqawi’s death in Iraq did not stem the tide of violence and insurgency.
Dictators and tyrants are able to retain their power by depriving their people of freedom and basic resources. To further insulate their stranglehold on power, they use anti-Western propaganda to ensure that any resentment for their misery is directed toward America and often Israel.
The spread of freedom is the only true way to combat the ideology that wishes to kill us. However, the Bush administration’s strategy, rooted in natural law, of promoting freedom sounds like a noble fairy-tale that is too idealistic for the cynics to accept.
Critics who cannot buy into the strategy have searched for and concocted alternative motives for going into Iraq. There are all sorts of shallow conspiracy theories out there but the bottom line is that the prompt success in Afghanistan provided enough political capital and momentum to further promote freedom and neutralize a malignant ideology. The conspiracy theories that exist are nothing more than an attempt to craft a moral equivalency by lowering the virtue of America’s foreign ambitions to that of our enemies.
Natural law is the Holy Grail to understanding the United States’ role and responsibility in this chaotic world. Some of our closest allies might share our moral clarity but we are the sole country with the actual power to do anything. The world is full of corruption and pain and we have the ability to target the root cause of some of its problems.
Our leadership and determination should not be curtailed by France or the United Nations. France’s concept of world leadership is amusing. During the 34-day Israel-Hezbollah war, France promised to lead the UNIFIL effort in Lebanon if Israel would cease its offensive. After Israel reluctantly agreed, France sheepishly offered only 400 troops, half of which are available for actual combat. To further botch the debacle, Kofi Annan announced that Syria will be in charge of disarming Hezbollah. At least Syria knows where all the weapons are located.
Sadly, America wants acceptance in a world that does not accept it. Countries like France and organizations like the United Nations consistently make it clear that they do not share the same view of objective truth and morality. We have not acted like a do-it-alone cowboy during the past five years. Rather, we have just realized how few true friends and allies we have that share the same values.
I hope that we use the time surrounding the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11 to regain our patriotism and remember why we fight for our belief in America.
09-14-2006