The World (America) Is Upside-Down, Part 2

Recently, I wrote a column arguing that the world is upside-down — by which I meant "our" world, America. Today I offer more exhibits in support of my case that our culture is unraveling.

I realize that in today's America, the notion that we should seek to preserve and promote the traditions, values and ideals that this country's founding generation mostly shared is considered not just passé but offensively wrongheaded. Yes, why would we want to perpetuate a once underlying consensus (and the Constitution formulated on it) that gave rise to the greatest nation in world history? Well, many don't, as they level further assaults on our Constitution, our liberty tradition and what used to be our shared values.

We haven't just accepted as normal what was heretofore considered abnormal; we are, increasingly, embracing evil while calling it good and demonizing those who are still "clinging" to traditional values. Unless you buy into the self-destructive course much of our society has decided to pursue, unless you consent to the systematic dismantling of our core foundations, you are the problem.

Let me give you a further sampling of the insanity that passes for normal and the wrong that masquerades as right, plucked right out of the news the past few days.

—Liberal Democrats in Congress are pressuring their colleagues to sign a pledge not to cut entitlement spending, even though it is objectively true that without structural reform in our entitlement programs, we are headed, inexorably, toward national bankruptcy.

—Grosse Pointe South High School officials canceled a Rick Santorum speech at the school and only reversed themselves after fierce criticism, though they will require students to obtain their parents' permission to attend the speech. The original cancellation was allegedly because of Santorum's opposition to same-sex marriage, even though Santorum apparently had no intention of addressing that issue in his speech.

—The liberal media have unconscionably suppressed reporting on the "House of Horrors" murder trial of abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell. A Wikipedia editor supposedly suggested that a Wikipedia article on the case be scrubbed completely.

—It could be that Gosnell's heinous practices were not necessarily unique. Reports of horrendous conditions at other abortion clinics are beginning to emerge.

—Julia Twenge, author of "Generation Me," reported that America's high-school "students are getting better grades for less work." Jack Kosakowski, CEO of Junior Achievement USA, said: "The only things our kids rank the highest in are confidence in their abilities.

Math, science and everything else has gone down."

—A Florida man alleges that the teacher of his fourth-grade son told students to express, in writing (using crayons), their wish to trade constitutional rights for feeling more secure.

—The Common Core State Standards Initiative, a push to create national curriculum standards for K-12, which has been adopted by all but five states, reportedly abandons core academic classics in favor of reading executive orders from President Obama. According to the Legal Defense Association's Will Estrada, Common Core is teaching that "the United Nations is better than our Constitution and our Declaration of Independence."

—A U.S. Army officer dispatched to dozens of his subordinates an email missive labeling Christian groups such as the American Family Association and the Family Research Council as "domestic hate groups" because of their opposition to same-sex marriage.

—Democratic California state Sen. Ricardo Lara introduced a bill that would disqualify the Boy Scouts of America and other youth groups from some state tax exemptions for refusing to accept gay, transgender and atheist members and leaders.

—A Colorado State Patrol training exercise allegedly warned law enforcement officials to be wary of groups whose members believe — horrors — that America was founded on godly principles, Christians who take the Bible literally and Christian "fundamentalists."

—Some of us warned you: A writer for the liberal magazine Slate is outright advocating that we "legalize polygamy," which is, in the writer's words, "the constitutional, feminist, and sex-positive choice. More importantly, it would actually help protect, empower, and strengthen women, children, and families."

—A New Jersey judge has ruled that a Christian facility cannot ban same-sex civil union ceremonies on its own premises, because the Constitution allows — get this — "some intrusion into religious freedom to balance other important societal goals."

—The Washington attorney general has filed suit against a florist for allegedly refusing to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding because of her religious beliefs.

—Self-congratulating MSNBC host Krystal Ball used her own 5-year-old daughter as a prop on her national television show to ask her, "What if you were in love with a girl? Would you marry a girl?"

—Mark Zandi, who could become Obama's director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, reportedly supports the use of principal reduction (a government-ordered partial extinguishment of debt) by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to assist some of America's 6 million to 7 million "underwater" borrowers in refinancing their mortgages.

I'm sorry; I've run out of space.

David Limbaugh is a writer, author and attorney. His latest book, "The Great Destroyer," reached No. 2 on the New York Times best-seller list for nonfiction. Follow him on Twitter @davidlimbaugh and his website at www.davidlimbaugh.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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