Zealotry is cherished by the patriot and abhorred by the politician. A patriot will defend every principle of our country regardless of expedience while a politician will tear down every principle of our country in the name of expedience. The patriot and the politician are mutually exclusive approaches to the nation.
The patriot works for the preservation of the country as it was when started while the politician works to solve immediate problems. Where the patriot will defend every jot and tittle of the Constitution, the politician will compromise it as seems most needful to solve the moment's ills.
Today's problems do have to be solved and expediency is a tempting solution. But in politics when a change is made revisiting it is rare. Rather the political solution to a failed change is more of the same kind of change. If the laws against drugs do not stop drugs, pass more laws.
But when avoiding, reinterpreting, or flat out violating the Constitution is what is expedient that is when the patriot objects. And it is a knee jerk reaction. No matter what the good the Constitution shall not be touched.
The reason is as with any other law, if the first bruising of the Constitution does not work then it is certain the fix for the failure will be a major contusion to the Constitution. That is the reason for the knee jerk, zealous reponse.
For example, no knock search warrants were permitted in the mid-1960s because marijuana could be flushed. Searching bags in plain sight for a traffic stop, air port searches, breath tests all lead to such an erosion to the 4th amendment that it is now official government policy to conduct searches of homes in violation of the 4th amendment.
Knowing government for what it is and what it will do does not require pausing to spell out exactly what the objection is to any particular government action that appears in violation of the Constitution. It makes it incumbent upon the government to prove to the contrary that its actions are not a violation. Expediency is not an acceptable justification.
And when the government continues to work to violate the constitution, in fact making it government policy redoubling one's efforts at verbal and written objection is justified even though it fails as violent revolution is the alternative.
That such zealotry will lead to violent revolution is a personal decision for everyone. Continued violations of the rights of the people will continue to create incidents worthy of revolution. It is not the patriots who will start it.
Objections will continue to come from the politicians and those who see expediency as wrothy, those who can not remember running for a plane without a metal detector to slow them down. They have forgotten the days when there was no reason to expect their front door to be smashed down by the police because of a wrong address. They have forgotten the days when they would walk into any store and leave with a gun.
Times have changed but certainly not for the better but that is also forgotten. Every restriction has been followed by an increase in the reason for the restriction. Thus we have two forms of zealotry in competition. The zealotry of government never giving up on a failed approach and the zealotry of the patriot continuing to object to a failed approach in the same manner.
In this regard I consider myself a zealot against the continued erosion of the Constitution. I care not the Supreme Court disagrees with me. I care not that the politicians disagree with me. I care not there are complex legal issues which make everything I object to all OK with the Constitution.
I do not live with complex legal issues and justifications. I live with what it means to me and mine. What I see happening to others I expect to happen to me eventually as there is no control upon the government once, like the camel, its nose is in the tent.
And no, I do not like the word patriot. It has been overused by those who have objected to the government because of the most paranoid creations of the human mind, from international banking to the UN being given control of the country.
Patriot is a word that needs be reserved for those who actually fight when the government provokes the revolution. It is not a self proclaimed title, it is an earned title given by the grateful for the risk and hopefully for the success. Until that happens we are all no more than zealots.
Wowever as zealots as we use our verbal and written methods of objecting we must always convey to our audience that we expect the government to provoke a revolution if it continues. They have to realize that some day us zealots will become secondary and patriots will arise to start the revolution.
People are going to laugh at this I know. Humor is inappropriate as there are thousands training for the inevitable provocation by the government. And by the well known way the government works, in the face of rebellion the provocations will be increased.
I am not even remotely exaggerating. The first time the warrantless search of a home results a few deaths of the searchers caused by the searchees the government will decide searches need be increased not decreased. That is the way of government.
There is no way short of a major turn around in the trend of government that is unprecedented that can avoid the government's form of zealotry that can stop the coming disastrous revolution.
Now you have the opportunity to either choose a side or choose to remain neutral and be distrusted by both sides. Most will choose neutrality; that is a given. The neutrals will be those who justify the actions of the government including all provocations. The patriots attract no supporters save among themselves.
Live with it. This is the world we have already entered. The only way to turn it back is for the government to turn back and that is a most impossible dream.
Welcome to the real new world order.