Winston Churchill

“An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.”

Peaceniks Gone Wild

One of the core ideas behind the United States Constitution is federalism—the division of power between the central government in Washington and the multitude of state and local governments. The Constitution explicitly assigns responsibility for national defense and foreign policy to the U.S. government. This has been the case for over 200 years.

However, the Cambridge City Council seems to be oblivious to this time-tested arrangement. Instead, it routinely attempts to extend its reach into matters of national and foreign policy. Take for example its Policy Order Resolution of July 30, 2007, which called for “withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq,” along with “multi-lateral talks involving Iraqi factions, neighboring nations, and the United Nations.” Other Policy Orders have dealt with Dow Chemical, nuclear weapons and a proposed federal Department of Peace.

My personal favorite is Policy Order O-26 (December, 2004), calling on the U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Cuba to remove an “inflammatory Christmas display in Havana.” The councilors were upset about the U.S. Mission’s choice of decorations: “In addition to the traditional Santa Claus, candy canes, and white lights wrapped around a palm tree, the display features a sign reading ’75,’ a reference to dissidents jailed by Fidel Castro’s government.” Good Heavens! How despicable of those Yankees to spoil Mr. Castro’s holiday season by reminding him of his own political prisoners!

My heart goes out to Margaret Drury, the long-suffering City Clerk who is continually asked to “forward a suitably engrossed copy” of these absurd policy orders to unsuspecting government officials in Washington and elsewhere. So little time, and so much to do. It’s a wonder that we still get our property tax bills on time.

Perhaps the most egregious example of the City Council’s overreach was the creation of the Peace Commission over 25 years ago. This peculiar institution was initially named the Commission on Nuclear Disarmament and Peace Education. At that time, leftists were in high dudgeon over President Reagan’s bid to increase military spending in response to Soviet aggression. Unable to challenge Reagan’s landslide victory in the national election, activists decided to take the battle to a local level by focusing on the dangers of nuclear war. There was giddy talk of suspending the laws of physics by declaring the city to be a “nuclear-free zone.” The City Council caved in to all of this foolishness by creating a brand-new city department with its own budget, which is now on the order of $75,000 per year.

The actual function of the Commission was stated in gory detail in Section 2.90.050 of the city ordinances: “Support the actions taken by the City Council to protect the citizens of Cambridge and lessen the danger of nuclear destruction to the City.” Meanwhile, President Reagan continued his mad pursuit of the Evil Empire, which eventually resulted in fall of the Berlin Wall as well as freedom from Communist tyranny for Poland, Hungary, and other countries formerly trapped behind the Iron Curtain. To spare our city from further embarrassment, the phrase “Nuclear Disarmament” was dropped from the Commission’s name.

Now that we are no longer in imminent danger of nuclear war with the Soviets, what has the Peace Commission been up to? Its exclusive focus is still on the alleged crimes and misdemeanors of the United States along with our closest Middle East ally, the State of Israel. The commission has been silent with regard to the genocide in Darfur, the brutal Chinese colonization of Tibet or Hamas’ rocket attacks on civilian targets in Israel. On the other hand, the commission recently sent an official delegation to Bethlehem to provide aid and comfort to those who seek to destroy Israel.

The City Councilors should stick to what they are elected to do: overseeing the day-to-day business of the city. The Peace Commission’s $75,000 budget would be much better spent on additional staff for the police department—the only agency that really does have the ability to “keep the peace.”

—Michael Selva

This was originally published in the Right View column of theCambridge Chronicle on February 26, 2008

John Stuart Mill

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. 

– John Stuart Mill

Our mission

The Patriots Committee’s mission is to help Cambridge lose its reputation as a town of moonbats, old hippies, and leftist professors. We would like to stop being embarrassed by the actions of our elected and appointed City officials. We would love to see Cambridge evolve into a normal American home town. 

What would normal look like? Close your eyes for a moment. Just imagine a future Cambridge in which the following statements are true:

• The words patriotic and Cambridge can be used in the same sentence without causing an eyebrow to be raised or a giggle to be suppressed.
• The Stars and Stripes are proudly displayed in front of our homes and along our main streets.
• Our local government stays focused on the day to day business of providing essential services, not on foreign policy or left-wing causes.
• The men and women in America’s armed services know that the folks back home in Cambridge stand with them, praying for success in their mission and a safe journey home when the mission is complete.
• Memorial Day and Veterans Day are the most significant dates on the civic calendar, with events attended by thousands of local residents.
• The names of our heros—those who died in the line of duty as soldiers, Marines, sailors, pilots, policemen, and firemen—are known and cherished by all of us, not just their next of kin.
• Our schools teach our youngsters how to read, write, and calculate; how to love our country and its remarkable history; how to take pride in  George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and the other visionary Founders of our republic; and how to be thankful for the many blessings that have been bestowed on our nation over the last 230 years.

Some people may find the above statements to be corny and old-fashioned, like a scene from a 1950s Norman Rockwell painting. They might consider them irrelevant to such a sophisticated and cosmopolitan and diverse city as Cambridge. I feel sorry for such people, for they know not what they are missing.

During my travels across America, I have seen communities that still match the above description. Not so long ago—within the lifetime of Canterbridgians who are now in their 60s and 70s—you could have described Cambridge with those same words. The gap between the Norman Rockwell scene and our current culture is a measure of how much we’ve lost between then and now.

We must not yield to feelings of despair in the face of all we have lost. There is a way back to Normal.

Let’s start with a clear understanding of what is meant by culture. It is the net result of millions of individual decisions, interactions, and habits. It is not a force of nature, something that we just have to learn to live with. It is most certainly not something that we can leave in the hands of those who write newspaper articles and movies and TV shows and rap music. If we unconsciously acquiesce to fundamental changes in our culture, and if we leave its future in the hands of strangers, then it will sink to the lowest common denominator—the culture of the Consumer and of the Masses.

On the other hand, if we make a conscious effort to reshape our culture, guided by our best instincts and our powers of reason, we can succeed.  Small, committed groups of people have done so many times over the course of human history. Our country’s Founders were one such group.  

I believe that a sufficient number of Cambridge residents would support a move back to Normal—back to the original vision of a Shining City on a Hill. We have only to put our minds and hearts and hands to the task.  Let us heed the words of Henry David Thoreau, the young idealist who lived at the far end of Concord Avenue:

“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost. There is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.”

Let’s get to work!