I have been advised by others that one should never write angry, but I find myself doing so now because I have just heard about the most outlandish, ignorant, stupid, dumbest, and frankly most anti-American meeting I have heard of in a very long time.

A group of individuals in a certain locality have met to determine whether or not Muslims could in fact join the local Virginia GOP unit committee.

This meeting was a serious one. At least to them. While the rottenness of the fruit has yet to be determined, allow me to repudiate it and them in the strongest possible terms.

In America, we have no religious test for participating in civic life — period.

Freedom First

Once upon a time, there was a great debate in the pages of National Review over whether or not the conservative movement should make alliances with either the more liberty-leaning libertarian set or the tradition-minded traditionalist sect (pardon the repetition). In short, freedom vs. order.

Frank Meyer won the argument against the traditionalists, and the fusionism of conservative ends and libertarian means gave us Goldwater, Buckley, and Reagan. The renowned economist F.A. Hayek put the marker down that freedom and tradition — seemingly opposite things — were in fact fused, because the customs and mores of society were necessary for a free people. In short, what makes conservatism work is not the forcing of everyone into virtue, nor is it freedom for its own sake, but rather the freedom to choose the good, beautiful, and true for its own sake.

Politics is downstream of culture; freedom is the necessary condition for any virtue. Some people are awfully fond of quoting John Adams when he says that the Constitution is formed for a moral and religious people and none other. We tend to forget that Adams meant these in a classical sense of both morality and religion and not an evangelical one.

Freedom is the prerequisite for America. For a religious test to be the delimiter for participation in public life is odious in the extreme.

Objections will state that Muslims — like fascists or socialists — are incompatible to American liberties and openly committed to the destruction of American liberties and will point to terrorist groups across the world.

Yet one should remember that the first victims of Islamist terrorism are Muslims themselves. The vast majority of people fleeing those parts of the world are fleeing from violent terrorism themselves and hardly attempting to export it here.

Others will argue that America is a Christian nation. While American ideas of liberty are indeed indebted to the Christian West, the genius of America is that it explicitly does not require a religious test to participate in public life. Baptist and Methodist ministers specifically fought against established religion in America during a time where both mainline traditions were far more confident in Christ than we seem to be today.

A few will argue that Islam is incompatible with America in much the same way Communism is incompatible with America. Liberia has the same written constitution as America and is by no means a libertopia. Fair enough — yet I would challenge anyone who feels this way to take a snap U.S. Citizenship Test and see whether they could pass it themselves, then attend any U.S. Naturalization Ceremony and tell me that those present aren’t American.

Of course, my parish requires a religious test before receiving Communion. Good thing that there is a separation between church and state. God has little need for government. Once again, Mr. Jefferson is clear on this point:

“We Believe…” An Easy Creed

What does it take to be a Virginia Republican? Not much:

• That the free enterprise system is the most productive supplier of human needs and economic justice,
• That all individuals are entitled to equal rights, justice, and opportunities and should assume their responsibilities as citizens in a free society,
• That fiscal responsibility and budgetary restraints must be exercised at all levels of government,
• That the Federal Government must preserve individual liberty by observing Constitutional limitations,
• That peace is best preserved through a strong national defense,
• That faith in God, as recognized by our Founding Fathers is essential to the moral fiber of the Nation.

Free enterprise? Check.
Equal rights and responsibilities? Check.
Fiscal responsibility and budgetary restraint? Check.
Individual liberty and constitutional limitations? Check.
Peace through strength? Check.
Faith in God as recognized by the Founders?

…if you’re doing better than deism? CHECK.

This is a dumb argument to be having at any level or at any time. Of course, Muslims can join the Republican Party of Virginia. Of course, they are welcome within the conservative movement. Of course, we should be welcoming everyone who understands and celebrates the role of free minds, free markets, and a free society. Of course, we should be welcoming everyone who loves America into our ranks. Of course, we should be running Muslims for public office if they are so inclined to do so — it’s a thankless task, but we could sure use the leadership.

Of course, they should bring falafel to the next unit committee meeting.

This invitation is by no means limited to Muslims. Hindus, Catholics, Baptists, Jews, blacks, Hispanics, Irish, Italians, Serbs, Russians, Koreans, Australians, Zimbabweans, gays, lesbians, the Bs and the Qs. I’ll even take refugees from New Jersey. I don’t care if you are wishy washy on one or two issues either. Agree with us on 80% of what we believe? That makes you a Republican.

Even Dallas Cowboys fans can join.

Ma-a-ay-be.

We should bear in mind that free enterprise is first and for a reason. Our freedom to forge our own future is first and foremost in the mind of the American. There is no substitute for human freedom. Freedom is the predication of all the other rights we claim to have — whether natural or civil. This freedom is a gift from God to choose not just the good, beautiful, and true in this world, but to freely choose Him as a free gift freely given (but not without cost) by God Himself.

…and finally, that truth is great and will prevail if left to herself; that she is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error, and has nothing to fear from the conflict unless by human interposition disarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate; errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them.

Quit Entertaining Idiots

Truth having nothing to fear so long as reason is left free to combat it. That is the Jeffersonian impulse and the genius of Virginia if not America herself.

Too many people have too little faith in what they believe, so it is no small wonder why they are afraid of others who believe more strongly, more fanatically, more convincingly than they do.

Jefferson warned against this sentiment.

For local Republicans to adopt the very opposite of what Virginians fought and died to protect just 250 years after our War for Independence would be mind-numbing if it weren’t so cowardly, stupid, and cruel. It is against the very principles of freedom the Republican Party stands for and has stood for since our inception.

In fact — how dare these idiots bring their narrow mentalities into our movement and declare them to be facts, drive out fellow Republicans, burn the place down, look at the ashes and declare some sort of victory?

Would you invite these clowns into your living room? Then why on God’s green earth would we invite them into a political party? Right of free association, you say? Heck yeah — let’s do that. Every clown who believes things like “no enemies to the right” is a calling card for intolerance. No addition by subtraction, you say? Let’s find out — want to know why good people stay away from our unit committees? It’s not because these clowns infect our movement, it’s because we tolerate them in our movement and it tells good people not to associate with clowns and those who tolerate them.

There — I said it.

We all were thinking it, but it needed to be said.

Human freedom, ladies and gentlemen. We are either on the side of the angels, or one fire fights one fire and we all get burnt.

Choose — and if you find folks like this, politely convince them otherwise, bring a friend, and then challenge them in front of the entire assembly. We may not be able to use religious tests, but there are some good lessons in that book about how to deal with willfully ignorant and obstinate human beings.

SHAUN KENNEY is senior editor of The Republican Standard.