The Texas prayer rally

Here are three questions that you need to answer for yourself:

1) Are there things in this world that are morally wrong and other that are morally right?

2) Can morals change every few years or are there things that are and will remain evil and other things that are and will remain good?

3) Do you want a political leader who believes and understands that certain things are truly evil and other things are truly good?

If you agree with me that there are morals in the world which make certain things inherently wrong and others inherently proper, then you should also want a leader who recognizes this. Without that, there is disaster. When I lived in New York in the 1980's, there were plenty of people who chose to ignore folks who broke the law in all sorts of ways. "So what", they said; it is too hard to enforce rules anyway. As the little wrongdoings gave way to bigger and bigger evils, New York became more and more dangerous, but the "So what" chorus continued to sing. Nothing was right and nothing was wrong; it was all just a cost analysis to see what could be economically policed. When Rudy Giuliani became Mayor he changed that; suddenly, all of the laws specifying right and wrong were enforced. It was his no tolerance plan. Folks jumping turnstiles on the subway were arrested. Guys with extra loud boom boxes were stopped. Vagrants intimidating drivers by "washing" their windshields for payment (whether wanted or not) were stopped. And what happened next was almost magical. The return of right and wrong to the streets meant that many criminals were caught and taken off the streets. Crime plummeted. New York went from one of the most dangerous cities to perhaps the safest big city in the USA.

Being a Mayor is obviously different from being a President or even a Governor, but the issue is the same. Let me put it this way: the president of the United States had better know right from wrong. He had better know that things are right or wrong even without his involvement. He had better understand that there is a moral code to the universe that needs to be followed even if it is not convenient or easy. That moral code cannot be waived for political gain; it has to be pre-eminent.

For the last few years we have had a president whose greatest belief is, sadly, in himself. Our president believes that what is good for Obama is good for the USA. Think of this example: Obama has prevented enforcement of various immigration laws even though they are the law of the land. After all, why should Obama enforce the laws that he swore to carry out if it would be inconvenient or possibly cost the votes of Hispanics. Or how about this example: Obama has repeatedly lied to the American people on issue after issue. I know that all politicians shade the truth to their own advantage; it is one of the reasons that people hold politicians in such low esteem. Nevertheless, there is a difference between shading the truth and just blatant lying. Obama sees nothing wrong with lying in order to help his political fortunes. Remember this one: If you like your health plan and your doctor you can keep them after Obamacare. Now we have learned that about 60 million people, one fifth of all Americans, will lose their current health plans and doctors once Obamacare kicks in.

It is in this context that I look at the prayer rally led by Texas governor Rick Perry this weekend. There are articles and more articles about how religious the rally was. It was a strong Christian evangelical rally. The progressives are going crazy clucking over how strident and narrow minded it was. It was just for Christians! It was fanatical! It had no balance! Those are just some of the comments.

My view is that the Texas rally tells us something important about Rick Perry. He is a man who believes in God and who understands that there truly is a difference between right and wrong, between good and evil. He understands that the president is not the most important thing in the universe; there is a higher power. Governor Perry deserves congratulations for going ahead with this rally even after the liberal media blitzkreig against it began. He is displaying his true colors.

I do not know if Perry will run for President. Right now, it looks like he will, but one never knows for sure. I do know, however, that Perry's attendance at this rally tells me that he deserves a close look if he does get into the race. We have had three years of moral relativism. A good dose of actual principles would be good for America.