Time to get things straight about Matt Shea and Liberty State
By Stravo Lukos
I love Matt Shea as my Christian brother, but he’s not my master. We have our differences of opinions, and that’s OK. He’s a conservative. I’m not. None of us walks on water. I also understand he has to deal with all kinds of people. That’s politics. If I thought he were a dangerous fellow, I’d call him on it; however, I’ve not seen that. I’ve approached him as a brother and used our common ground of Scripture to question him. He’s not vicious. He’s a lawyer, combat veteran, and knowledgeable in the Bible. Until I see him contradict important precepts of God’s Word, I will not judge my brother’s motives.
Liberty State is not Shea State, although he’s a major force in driving this movement. His presentations are chockablock full of valuable facts. A suggested/draft constitution is in the works. Shea speaks for himself, just as I do. In today’s political climate, that’s a minefield; it’s much safer to keep one’s thoughts to oneself. That’s unacceptable.
Let’s lay aside the asinine allegation that I have some clandestine agenda and vocabulary. Instead, take my words at face value. I don’t trust government! I see it as a necessary evil at this stage, but it’s still evil, because mankind’s fallen and prone to evil. No optimist here. I’ve been around the globe, across this nation, and homeless to boot. I’ve seen the disparities and felt the callousness of my fellow man, and it’s daunting. It’s fear: Better the devil we know ….
Liberty’s more to me than less government meddling. It has to be about moving us to become a land of communities that work together, even when we don’t have to do so – even when we don’t really like each other. My hometown was a patchwork of ethnic minorities: Greeks, Italians, Irish, Syrians, Chinese, Blacks, Hispanics, Jews, Armenians, French, Poles, and Russians – you name it, we had it. All had to cooperate to make that city work. Shea and I have spoken about this. He’s all for it. That’s what he wants to see, passionately. So much for the racist charge.
Rather than rehash statistics, I encourage readers to go to Libertystate.org and watch Matt’s presentation video. Hit settings and set the speed at 1.25 to go a bit faster, if you wish. We both share a strong dislike of taxes that we think could be better spent differently. Let the people keep more of their earnings and spend them as they see fit. Liberals don’t see it that way. They know more than hoi polloi about spending our money effectively. I call it condescendence. I lived on the coast. They think of us as a bunch of farmers and hicks. Good. Cut us loose. We don’t need their money or tolerance. We are far different in our lifestyles and beliefs over here. We can handle our own affairs, thank you very much.
Nobody I know wants a theocracy. The Thirty Years War put all such nonsense to rest in the minds of its descendants. Calvin’s Geneva would be intolerable to Americans, although it was a bastion against an overweening Catholic Church. And it failed. Our founders built upon that history and carefully crafted the First Amendment to prevent such misery in our country. They wanted upright, rational men to lead us. They had no qualms about turning to churches to find them. The Articles of Confederation declared us a Christian nation. Washington was sworn into office on a Bible. Matt sees this as an admirable example. More the Anabaptist than the Protestant, I view it as guaranteed failure.
In nearly 70 years, I’ve seen a lot. My Liberty is to allow people to be who they are until they misbehave, then apply the rod of justice. To presume otherwise is to assume pre-eminence that neither God nor man has assigned to our government. It’s time to realize a common, constructive vision and strive toward it, not toward constant bickering. Giving us living laboratories is a first step. Give us Liberty State.