Lee - The coming revolution: signs from Americas past that signal our nations future

THE
COMING
REVOLUTION

THE
COMING
REVOLUTION

Signs from Americas Past That
Signal Our Nations Future

DR. RICHARD G . LEE

2012 Richard G. Lee

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lee, Richard, 1946
The coming revolution : signs from Americas past that signal our nations future / Richard G. Lee.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references () and index.
ISBN 978-0-8499-4829-9 (hardcover) 1. Christianity and politicsUnited States. I. Title.
BR515.L43 2012
261.70973dc23

2011036213

Printed in the United States of America

12 13 14 15 16 QG 5 4 3 2 1

TO MY FELLOW COUNTRYMEN,
PAST AND PRESENT, WHO HAVE
SACRIFICED SO MUCH FOR LIBERTY,
JUSTICE, AND THE AMERICAN WAY.

CONTENTS

M y deepest gratitude to the following individuals at Thomas Nelson Publishers who, through their time and many talents, helped to bring this book to print: Vice President and Publisher Matt Baugher, along with Paula Major, Emily Sweeney, Stephanie Newton, and Julie Faires; and Jack and Marsha Countryman, dearest friends, who have played such a vital role in all of my recent writings concerning God and country.

And finally to my longtime friend and scholar, Dr. Jim Nelson Black, who helped to bring my many thoughts together into this one volume.

As in most everything that has worth, it takes a great team working together, and this book is no exception. So to each of these team members and many more, I express a special thanks.

xi

W ho could have anticipated, even a year or two ago, that the backlash against increasing government control we are seeing in Washington and in state capitals all around the country would be happening now? The truth is, traditional conservatives and people of faith have been speaking out about the direction of government and the need for accountability for years. There have been books and broadcasts of all kinds warning about the risksI have produced a number of them myselfbut it wasnt until there was a critical mass of concerned men and women willing to stand up and speak out that such a moment could actually happen.

Led by their own deeply held convictions and the promptings of their faith, men and women with highly visible public platforms helped spread the word, and that vital spark has helped to set a whole range of events in motion. The Restoring Honor rally on the Washington Mall on August 28, 2010, was a striking example of that emerging spirit, but it was just one event. There will be many others, so long as the need is there and the will of the people remains as strong as it is today.

Surprisingly similar to those who birthed another Revolution on these shores 236 years ago, ordinary citizens are the real voices of this anti-big-government revolution. All they really want is to get back to the kind of government the Founders gave us in the first place. There are no signs of violence at the moment, and that is because most Americans are still optimistic that their voices are being heard by our newly elected officials. They believe the results of the 2010 midterm elections will help to restore power to the citizenry. The new conservative majority in the U.S. House of Representatives is moving toward less government spending and reduced regulations for the moment, but if something should happen to derail that progress or if enough people feel they are being disenfranchised by our political leaders, then anything could happen.

xii

Many of the identical social and religious provocations that spurred the American colonists to revolt in the eighteenth century are present again today, inspiring a new generation of patriots to seek what the Founders called a new birth of freedom. To appreciate where we are and where all these things can lead, I believe we will need a better understanding of our history and of why the founding documents were written as they were, granting unprecedented freedoms to the people and establishing the rule of law. If we understand the environment of the revolutionary era as well as the political conditions we are facing today, we will have a much better idea of how things will likely play out in the future, and that will be an important part of this book.

A NEW SENSE OF URGENCY

Revolutions dont just happen. They happen because of widespread frustration and a history of disappointments, insults, and provocations of many kinds that eventually compel people to respond. Whether they happen in politics or some other area of society, revolutions are always volatile phenomena. They generally come only after years of agitation, but they are never about just one thing. They result from a long list of offenses, both perceived and real, that set off a natural chain reaction that quickly becomes irreversible. And in the right environment, the situation can be explosive.

xiii

As Malcolm Gladwell pointed out in his 2000 bestseller, TheTipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, revolutionary change often comes suddenly and dramatically. When a large enough group of people reach a high enough level of frustration, they take action first by speaking out more and more forcefully. But if their concerns are ignored or rebuffed, and if there is no sign that things are getting better, there can be a sudden and momentous change of direction. It doesnt take much imagination to see that this is precisely whats going on in America today.

I am convinced we are on the threshold of a revolution of some kind. I dont believe it will be a violent revolutionit doesnt need to be. We have many other alternatives, and no one is suggesting that direct action will be needed. Thanks to the success and endurance of the Tea Party movement, were seeing reasonable and measured resistance to the expansion of big government in this country, and it is peaceful resistance. Thousands of ordinary Americans are joining forces to challenge the direction our leaders have been taking us. For the most part these are all ordinary citizens, men and women from all walks of life, and people who have never been politically engaged in this way before. But through their combined efforts, they are speaking out with a new sense of urgency, determined to bring an end to what millions now perceive as arrogant and predatory behavior by Washington bureaucrats and other elected and unelected officials who wield too much power.

There is no mistaking the emotion or the intensity of those who are speaking out. The conservative news media have been talking about it for years now. But for the hundreds of thousands of men and women who came to Washington at their own expense to participate in Glenn Becks Restoring Honor rally in August 2010, as well as for the millions who watched those events on TV or on the Internet, that was a monumental occasion. As a participant myselfand as a representative of the newest generation of what the Founders called the Black Robe RegimentI can vouch for the powerful emotions we all felt.