America is headed for the deep abyss: Charlie Reese

I have come to believe that one can have a successful Christian society, Jewish society, Muslim society, Hindu society or Buddhist society, but not an agnostic or atheistic society that is successful.

George Washington, as he so often did, explained it quite well in his farewell address:

"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and Citizens. ... And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."

Washington was not talking about contentious and doctrinaire people arguing about dogma. He always condemned that. He was referring to the basic underlying morality that all the great religions teach.
The basic thing that protects our persons, our property and our liberty is the morality that individuals possess in their own hearts. The law cannot be a substitute for that. No law can protect you from a dishonest merchant or a thug because the law is always, of necessity, applied after the fact, and then only on a selective basis. Furthermore, as we have seen, the law and the system of justice often degenerate into a tragic farce.


Experience also teaches us that a society without an underlying private morality will degenerate into a corrupt jungle. I surprised some people once by saying that I would rather live in a neighborhood of Islamic fundamentalists than in a neighborhood of atheists and agnostics. That's true.


You can count on the morality that Islam teaches; there is no morality for atheists and agnostics, except what they arbitrarily choose.


Some years ago, I inadvertently put this to the test by becoming lost late at night in the slums of Cairo, Egypt. Despite being dressed in an American business suit and far from any law enforcement, I was never accosted or threatened by anyone. I dare say there are American slums where no sensible person would wish to go late at night.


The bottom line is that if we become an immoral people, we will eventually lose both our prosperity and our liberty. A free society cannot exist without trust, and it is morality that cements that trust. We are drifting toward the abyss, and we had all better think seriously about why this is happening.

June 1, 2004

I really like writer Charley Reese who has been a journalist for 49 years, reporting on everything from sports to politics. From 1969–71, he worked as a campaign staffer for gubernatorial, senatorial and congressional races in several states.


He was an editor, assistant to the publisher, and columnist for the Orlando Sentinel from 1971 to 2001. He now writes a syndicated column which is carried on LewRockwell.com. Reese served two years active duty in the U.S. Army as a tank gunner.

It was by the grace of God that I ventured through the Internet maze and found the musings and deep thoughts of Charlie. With little knowledge as to his background, I was intrigued about his subject choices and insightful thoughts that emanated from within the soul of this seasoned old journalist.

On this particular subject, he hit it right on the head. America is headed for the deep and dark abyss because of its insatiable appetite for power linked to a declining standard of morality, now being applied to others. There is only one problem...America fails to apply the same standard to America.


To give you a clear picture of the problem, read "Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues, by the late Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IV, who has observed:


"A wind of change is blowing across societies of the world, be they Eastern or Western religious or secular. It is an evil wind which is polluting the entire world climate.


The modern world seems to be far more aware and conscious of the rising level of pollution in the material atmosphere than the rapidly rising level of pollution in our social environment.


Exploition, duplicity, hypocrisy, selfishness, oppression, greed the mad pursuit of pleasure, indiscipline, corruption, theft, robbery, violation of human rights, fraud, treachery, lack of responsiblity and want of mutual respect and trust have become the hallmark of the modern societies.


The thin veneer of civlisation can no longer hide the ugliness which is becoming more and more apparent.


Societies are beginning to crumble everywhere alike. As against the countries governed by totalitatian philosophies, the rising consciousness of individual liberty in the so called free world is in itself becoming a lopsided trend which is largely responsible for growing social misbehavior.

America, the beautiful, wake up and clean-up your act, before it's too late.


Thanks, Charlie.


peace. Hasan