Conservatives, lend me an ear- and an open mind
Pardon me for a moment while I speak privately to "conservatives".
It is just a fact of nature; you reap what you sow (unless you are a hunter/gatherer or a crop thief).
This current administration is exactly what your support of government will always lead to: an imperial presidency, an arrogant run-away Congress, and an activist Supreme Court that will each do whatever they can get away with while they grind individuals and freedom in the gears of "the system". In other words: tyranny. It is time for you to admit your complicity and ditch your support for the half of government that you like so you can help the freedom-lovers get rid of the half of government you don't like. In other words it is time to accept responsibility for your part in what is happening and change your misguided ways.
A great many "conservatives", and some "libertarians", have made the US Constitution their god (or co-god, anyway). Even the ones who will admit that the current situation is an unholy mess seem to think "The Constitution is sacred, but here's how we can make it REALLY work this time".
Of course, the Constitution isn't the only thing people get overly reverent about. When people dwell too much on glorifying "The United States of America" it sets off my alarms, too. Individuals are more important than any collective. I understand why you want to feel special, but I think you are looking in the wrong place. Conservatives (and everyone else) need to look inside themselves, and not to a landmass or a government. I have often tried to get people to realize that "The United States" is merely the government; "America" is the land and the people. No government is worthy of respect, since they are all based upon theft and coercion.
I love America because I love the natural beauty and I love my family and friends who live here. I do not love the government that infests and infects America. If I had been born anywhere else in the Universe I think I would feel exactly the same about my local surroundings. That is just human nature. It is great to feel good about where you live, but it isn't good to then hate others because of where they live. It certainly isn't honest to judge people by the government that pretends to rule over them.
It is time for conservatives to accept that their support of the "conservative" socialist programs- like "national borders", the war on (some) drugs, and being "tough on crime"- only leads to more of the things they don't like, such as "gun control", high taxes, and a government that violates the Constitution. In case you wonder how your support causes unconstitutional government, it is because in order to give the "conservatives" what they want, government HAS to violate the Constitution because most of the things "conservatives" want are illegal (according to the Constitution) as well as being immoral and unethical.
I guess what I am saying is you are obviously free to continue on the path you have chosen, but you should know full-well exactly what it is you are supporting. Don't be shocked when free people, who stand beside you on some very important issues, abandon you to the wolves when you choose the side of tyranny on other, equally important, issues.
Fantastic piece!
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