How you can start the campaign to reform America

Summary: Today we finish the series using hit TV show “Castle” as a mirror for America. We gained insights from it about our society: about romance, marriage, justice, our myths, and values. The tentative conclusion drawn in these posts was that we have become alienated: we no longer see America as us, or ours. Today we end the series with a proposed solution, a way to help start the political reform process.

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How can we re-kindle American’s willingness to fight for the Republic? Such a campaign should have several characteristics.

1. A simple message.
2. A message tapping into people’s existing beliefs and values.
3. A message a wide range of groups will adopt and promulgate.
4. A message that encourages people to become more politically involved.
5. A message that overcomes our alienation.

Here’s my guess: we feel alienated not because of what America has become. It’s imperfections provide our excuses for passivity.

We’re alienated because we no longer believe we own or control America. It’s a natural reaction to the rise of the 1%.

We need reawaken a belief that we are strong, that America belongs to us, and that we can retake control of it from the 1%.  We need a call to action.The 1% powerful, but we have greater strength in our numbers — and even (collectively) far greater money.

This asks to to get involved in politics, contributing time and effort. The specific things that each person does depends on his or her individual values and beliefs. We need to have faith in each other, faith that no matter how great our differences together we’ll find a path to rebuild America.

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I suspect that the mainstream Left will not participate, caught up in their campaign to save the world (and gain regulatory power) by limiting CO2. I suspect the mainstream Right will not participate, having become servants of the 1%. But they are both a minority in America, and what remains is more than sufficient.

This is a simple campaign. Any of you can start it, today.

Some words from the past

… They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary as our government. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year?

… Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?

We are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The three hundred millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible.

… The conflict is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.

There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the streets of Washington! The conflict is inevitable — and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come. …

This speech was given by Patrick Henry at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia on 23 March 1775 to the Virginia House of Burgesses. It first appeared in print in 1817 in Sketches of the Life and Character of Patrick Henry by William Wirt. His words have been edited — slightly paraphrased and with the noted ellipses– to better fit our current circumstances.

(6) Other posts in this series about “Castle”

• (1) Spoilers for “Castle”: explaining the finale & season 7. It’s a metaphor for America.
• (2) What we do here. Why it’s unpopular. And our new theme.
• (3) What the TV show “Castle” teaches us about America, and ourselves, — About our myths
• Intermission: Watching the weekly adventures of our fun stylish security police — Looking at NCIS: LA
• (4) The TV show “Castle” challenges us to see our changing values. Most fans decline, horrified.
• (5)  “Castle” shows us marriage in America, a fault line between our past & future
• (6) “Castle” shows us a dark vision of Romance in America
• (7) Richard Castle shows us the dark reality of justice in 21st C America
• (8) “Castle” shows that many of us don’t defend New America because we don’t like it
• (9) The bitter fruits of our alienation from America

(7)  For More Information

(a)  See all posts about reforming America:

1. Art, Myth and Literature
2. Women and gender issues
3. Reforming America: steps to political change
4. Good news about America

(b)  Inspirational posts about our strength:

1. Can Americans pull together? If not, why not?, 29 August 2008
2. An important thing to remember as we start a New Year, 29 December 2008 — A great speech from Morpheus to Zion, from we too can learn
3. Sources of inspiration for America’s renewal, 23 April 2009 – The Law of Equivalent Exchange
4. A famous guest speaker visits the FM site to tell us that we are not weak — we are strong, 8 June 2008 — Patrick Henry
5. A great artist died today. We can gain inspiration from his words., 26 June 2009 — Michael Jackson
6. A wonderful and important speech about liberty, 23 July 2009 — Judge Learned Hand
7. Why the Turkey is not our national bird, and a reminder that America belongs to us, 26 November 2010
8. The missing but essential key to building a better America, 21 November 2013 — Seeing the game

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