Post-Christian America?

Pat Buchanan's latest takes a look at the California high court's gay marriage ruling, describing it as "just another streetlight on America's darkening path to perdition as a society and republic."

While first making the case for marriage and children as the cinderblocks of society -- crumbling already from decades of fatherless children and rampant divorce -- he then rightly suggests this new development will only hasten the knock-down of our house of cards.

"We are supposed to be a self-governing people. "Here, sir, the people rule." Elected representatives write our laws.

Yet, no Congress or state legislature ever voted to declare homosexual unions a marriage. The idea has everywhere been rejected. Wherever it has been on the ballot, same-sex marriage has been voted down. In the 13 states where it was on the ballot in 2004, it was defeated by 58 percent to 85 percent -- the last figure rolled up in Mississippi, where black Christian pastors told their flocks to go out and vote down the abomination..."

It may be the fault of our leadership for not resisting, but in reality it's our fault for voting pragmatically (or reactively, which we're about to do for McCain on the national level) as opposed to voting on principle to elect rigidly principled leaders. Gray Davis was incompetent, so we elected someone with a strong image, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who -- as predicted by conservatives -- is every bit as morally wimpy as Davis.

"...Not long ago, a governor of California would have laughed at the court and told the justices to go surfing, and ordered state officials not to issue the marriage licenses. The voters would have put the names of the four justices on the ballot in November and thrown them off the court, as they did Chief Justice Rose Bird, a generation ago.

We used to have executives and legislators like that.

Thomas Jefferson came into office and declared the Alien and Sedition Acts null and void, released all editors from jail, and refused to prosecute any more or to enforce the law. Andrew Jackson said of the great chief justice: "John Marshall has made his decision. Now let him enforce it."

McCain refused to support Ellen's wedding announcement, but could barely get it out above a whisper. His even more ashen than usual complexion spoke volumes: just...make it...through November!

Pat Buchanan hopes cities will form the next line of defense. But if this country is to survive it's going to take thousands of small rebellions from the next largest cinderblock of society -- churches. Which in turn can reform and lead their communities through mayors and city councils willing to stand on the constitutionality of self government.

Yet even that will only be window dressing unless accompanied by renewal of individual souls on a mass scale. As a wise man once said, "America is great because she is good. If America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."

There is no "New World" left for any future sailing of the Mayflower II. We've gotta fix this here and now, or the first true Dark Age of Western Civilization will descend upon us.