Sunday, July 15, 2012

Book Reflections: Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America

Ameritopia

Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America

"We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator (God) with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." - (United States of America Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776)

The purpose of this book is to educate the American public on threats to our liberty.  Mark Levin is a powerful voice for conservatives in America.  This historical and well researched book I believe accurately reflects the principles on which America was founded, and how we as a country are straying from those principles spelled out in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, by allowing more and more federal government intervention in our lives.  We are falling into a Utopian totalitarianism.  If we don't recognize this reality and start to shift back to the ideals and principles upon which made this country so great, our country will forever change and not for the better.  Do you want to live in America or Ameritopia?  As for myself, I choose America! I highly recommend this book if you love the United States of America and want to see it continue to be the leader around the world for freedom, human rights, and hope.

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Notes:

Political Utopianism = Totalitarianism

Utopian ideas first and most powerfully expressed by Plato, St. Thomas More, Hobbs, and Marx.

I have great admiration and respect for St. Thomas More, so I was very interested in the chapter regarding his book; Utopia.  It is a fictional writing, and it is unknown if he was a proponent of all the political aspects he wrote in the book, but the society in which he wrote about denied individuals some basic and essential freedoms.  I do not believe that St. Thomas More had bad intentions, and he saw a lot of political corruption in his time which likely led to some of his biases, he became a marauder for standing up for his Catholic faith, so I take that into consideration.  I believe that he brought up some valid concerns about the current society, and he aptly identified pride as one of our greatest sins and obstacles to a faithful and moral life.  Regardless of his good intentions, the society described by St. Thomas More is not at all desirable because of it's denial of individual freedom in several instances.

John Locke and Charles Montesquieu had a great influence on the founders on how American would be governed.  Most notably, America was to be a land with limited government and free people with inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.


There will be no perfect society here on earth because we are a fallen people, but a society that respects individuals freedom gives us the best chance at a good and moral society.


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God bless,

Mike

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