The Death of the West—or How to End the War, Daddy
by Alan R. Weiss
Senior Observational Editor, NetPlanet News
alan@ebenchmarks.com

Special to TLE

Patrick J. Buchanan is the only modern pundit in the popular (read: controlled) media promulagating the Old Right's view of Empire, foreign entanglements, and the cost of Empire. The only one. One could argue that Lew Rockwell and his band of inciteful writers do a great job, but they're not on the McLaughlin Group, are not quoted in the New York Times, and in general do not exist for, oh, say, 99.9% of Americans.

Buchanan, in The Death of the West, puts forth a number of assertions, many (but not all) are backed up by facts. First, and most disturbing, is sheer birthrate. At the rate things are going, Western Civilization in Europe is going to die within 20 years or so due to declining birth rates of westerners compared to soaring birthrates and immigration my Muslims. France, Germany, Britain, Russia, Italy—all are doomed. His statistics are factual, and his conclusion that "one man, one vote" combined with these statistics and an utter unwillingness by western European governments to deal with the situation will result in a profoundly Muslim Europe—and Asia. I suppose they better learn to program their GPS units in their Bimmers and Volvos to locate Mecca. Parenthetically, he notes that Russia is likely to suffer a pull-back to the Ural Mountains, leaving most of its Asian/Siberian landmass in the hands of a resurgent—and crowded—China. While I recognize that Buchanan is filtering this through a profoundly Catholic pro-family mindset, his statistics are difficult to argue with.

Second, what will either kill, or transform, western civilization is socialism as it relates to declining birth rates. Social programs cannot be funded by fewer and fewer productive individuals. In this, he points out that the American Social Security crisis is mild compared to western Europe. Japan, with an even more aged problem, is in far worse shape.

Third, and perhaps the most important, is the importance of Antonio Gramsci. If you do not know who he was, you have no idea how politics in the 20th Century has been profoundly changed by this man. Buchanan's assertion that all modern so-called "liberalism" is the result of a Gramscian plot is simply incorrect, but his observation that the pattern has resulted in essentially the takeover of western civilization by socialism is dead-on. The implications for Libertarians are clear: culture, the arts, the media, the churches, the schools, the universities—all are more important than who wins the next election. Study Gramsci, or Buchanan's analysis of Gramsci, and you will clearly understand why this is so. Take over the non-governmental organs of power, and the government will naturally fall into your hands. Fail to do so, and Libertarians will never come to power, nor will they influence anyone in power.

Fourth, America was never supposed to be an Empire, but that by being so we have stirred the hornet's nest of the Arab world and we are now facing the consequences. Our simultaneous abandonment of "Americanism" (cultural suicide) combined with overseas Empire that has turned us into the hated enemy of most of the world. Not some—most. His thesis is clear: every empire has fallen. We are no better. We shall fall.

Whatever you may think of the relentlessly acerbic Mr. Buchanan, he makes many valid points: immigration is having an impact on this country not because they are "foreigners", but because they are not assimilating and the Reconquista of the American West by Mexicans is sapping cultural and financial resources. Our American Empire is bankrupting us, destroying the Constitution, destroying Federalism, and has brought the attacks to our footsteps. Our declining birth rate of assimilated Americans (not just whites) is imperiling the peaceful promulgation of our western values and culture, most of which has been highjacked by the Gramscian-like takeover of non-governmental organs of power.

I fault Buchanan for his insistance upon Catholic morality as superior to all others (and his apologia for all past sins of his church, i.e. Pope Pius). I fault him for his relentless debasement of the right of free contract (i.e. homosexuals innate right to marry whomever they wish). I fault him for not speaking up more fervently about the death of the Constitution, and how the patRIOT Act has debased and destroyed that which we seek to preserve. I fault him for many things—but his analysis of the situation with respect to American Empire, the Old Right viewpoint of Albert J. Nock, Frank Chodorov, Rose Wilder Lane, and until very recently the Libertarian Party, is dead-on correct.

"Libertarians" such as Eric Raymond note that "we are at war", that 9/11 was a clarion call to arms, and that having been attacked we have every right to fight the war and win. What Raymond ignores is that, by having American armed forces in well over 100 countries, (including ass-deep into Saudi Arabia and the middle eastern tribal politics), "we" have largely brought this upon ourselves. No, not the bombing of the World Trade Center—that was an act of cowardice, of terror. But we have embroiled ourselves in the 13th Century because of oil. Who would give a damn about Saudi Arabia otherwise? I don't see us fighting to secure access to Persian rugs. Now, I use the word "we" and "us" loosely here. If Eric Raymond, Mike Lorrey, and other so-called "libertarians" believe we are at war, then I issue the challenge: shoulder an M16 and stand your post. Don't be a coward—go for it. Volunteer, enlist, and fight the war you so desperately believe we must win by only force of arms.

Curiously for an atheist, I take a Catholic tone as I end with this: America, we must repent for our sins of Empire. We must remember the words of Madison, Washington, Jefferson: free trade with all, foreign entangling alliances with none. Sure, we must defend ourselves. Terror is the province of the weak, the cowardly, the anti-libertarian.

But there are many ways to do this, including this one: leave. Pull out of the Middle East immediately. Now. Defend our *homeland*, allow the citizenry to be armed, cocked, and locked. Renounce Empire, and eliminate the corporate fascism in the energy business so that free market alternatives can flourish. The sooner we get off of the oil-drug, the sooner we can tell those sheiks and mullahs to go drink hydrocarbons. Or, perhaps, to become our friends, instead of our puppetmasters. As for foreign aid, our bribes aren't sticking. Eliminate all foreign aid—immediately—and stop meddling in other people's business.

Alan R. Weiss just returned from the 2nd Annual Free State Project Porcupine Festival in Northern New Hampshire, where he noted he openly carried his sidearm all week long, drank indifferent rum, and partied like it was 1776. He is CEO of two companies, meets the payroll on time, is married with three nearly-adult teenage kids, and treats his labrador retrievers kindly.