Strike Three!

The opprobrious travesty, the howling illogic, and the tragic injustice of Roe v. Wade was perpetrated 34 years ago, arguably the greatest crime ever committed by a supposed tribunal of law. Unless they repent, there surely is an especially deep pit in Hell awaiting the black-robed thugs who, in doing this, bear the blood of the innocent on their foolish and darkened souls.

Along with many others, my initial and sincere belief was that this abortion of justice could be corrected through reasoned and democratic means, which is what we sought. Year after year we followed the usual within-the-system approach of writing letters, urging legislative action, public protests, etc. Meanwhile, the legalization of abortion was becoming ever more entrenched and accepted as the norm, leading both to greater complacency and to the expansion of the culture of death to include euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, trafficking in embryonic body parts, and the sanctioning and propagating of it all in conventional medicine, UN programs, and policies of foreign aid and government entitlements. These last elements were especially galling because they meant i was being forced to subsidize the holocaust with my tax dollars.

Eventually, in the early 1990's, i started to admit that the mild approach was simply not working, and never would. I began to share this conviction with fellow pro-lifers, and soon wrote to Judie Brown of the American Life League, urging her to join with other pro-life leaders in calling for and organizing something more radical, like an all-out strike. My idea was soundly rebuffed. Some years later, i tried again, this time writing to Dr. James Dobson, who wrote back and, in a kind manner, also demurred. So i began to seek ways to keep my own counsel, which is basically why for the past 8 years i have been living in the north woods, paying only local taxes, and more or less trying not to partake of the orgy of economic and political activity that comes with such a bloody price tag. I am, in effect, on strike. I know, i know - conventional wisdom dictates that we not seek 'an idyllic retreat' but bravely stay in the fray and resist the evil while still maintaining our lives in the world. Sounds fine. Is that approach effective? Honestly now, is it??

Through the teaching of John-Paul II, i also came to realize that consumerism, along with materialism and hedonism, has been fueling the culture of death and its growth all along. So a secondary motivation for me has been to reject the dogma of consumerism, and to try to live in a way that is as sustainable and non-consumeristic as possible. It really isn't all that difficult, once you start ignoring the cultural expectations that militate against such non-conformity. I may expand upon this theme in a later post some time. Meanwhile, alas, time passes, Jerry DePyper ages, and i grow weary of the various vexations of living this way alone. So, Lord willing, i am slowly preparing to enter a new chapter of life soon, as described also in an earlier post. But i digress. I said all the above so i could say this:

Recently, in the July-August newsletter of Life Decisions International, (search: 'Jerry DePyper'), i have made a third public appeal for an all-out pro-life strike. I suppose you could consider this little blog post an extension of that appeal. Here is the full appeal:

Even more effective than boycotts, strikes have historically been well employed to achieve political, social, and economic ends when less extreme measures have failed. Well, i say that the pro-life movement's tactics have to date been altogether too mild and timid, and it's high time for something much more serious (and, i admit, risky).

In fact, i have called for this very thing since the early 1990's, pleading for it from such pro-life leaders as Judie Brown and James Dobson, but have had no takers. I have since followed my own counsel, and have been 'on strike' since the late 1990's, living a virtually tax-free and income-free life of subsistence on a 10-acre homestead.

The existence of such enterprises as mine would be a critical part of any strike. Indeed, i could see pro-life Christians developing an entirely independent economy of our own, doing business with each other, while refusing to pay any taxes or to take part in the economy of the mainstream culture until very specific demands are met:

1. Legal protection restored to all human beings, from the moment of conception until natural death. This need not be a Constitutional amendment, but might be a simple federal law or Supreme Court decision recognizing all humans as 'persons', thus effectively reversing Roe v. Wade.,

2. Repeal all entitlement and funding programs using tax dollars for abortion, fetal tissue research, etc.

3. Stop public funding of Planned Parenthood, and other 'non-profits' advocating or performing abortion, euthanasia, etc.

I could also add

4. A non-revocable nation-wide declaration recognizing that marriage is by its nature monogamous and heterosexual, and only such can ever be accorded the rights and duties proper to marriage.

even though this is not a strictly pro-life issue.

I could also tolerate a scaled-back version of the above, consisting not of a full-blown general strike, but a mere taxpayer revolt whereby pro-lifers would continue to work and conduct business, but all taxes would be withheld until the above demands are met. In my opinion, though, we've already been pulling our punches way too much. An all-out strike, and leave the results to God!

Any takers?

I applaud and admire the diligent efforts of Judie Brown, Dr. Dobson, and others, but i truly can't see how anything will improve unless we are willing to accompany these efforts with a more radical action that will demand much of us, and will thereby break through the cultural and political stupor and force the issues to be definitively addressed.

I suppose the desired solution could come about despite the inadequacy of our actions, namely, through direct divine intervention. Indeed, our faith assures us that someday all wrongs will be made right by the One Righteous Judge, before whom those others will shrivel in shame. But that hope does not excuse complacency, does it? Nor does it undo the spiritual and physical carnage being wrought while we morally slumber. Moreover, God's solutions often turn out to be quite painful in their purgative effects. Is it prudent to passively await God's righteous anger, which could well mean a calamitous implosion of our culture? I still believe it would be better to gird our collective loins and take the bull by the horns and perhaps deflect the greater part of God's judgment. Anybody?

What makes Jerry run?

Seems as if my desire to relocate to another part of the world has left some of you with an inaccurate picture. I am sorry if i gave the impression that my motive for going elsewhere was to preserve some personal purity (what personal purity?) from the corruption of our culture. I try to make a fine distinction between distancing myself from the culture (the prevailing or ascendant assumptions and expectations about behavior, etc.) and rejecting society itself. I am, after all, a social animal; i need other people, and maybe some of them need me. Hermits in the desert have this sense of connectedness, perhaps more than most others.

To be sure, the moral decay of Western culture is inarguable; in fact, that culture is now wrong about almost everything. Beginning with the holocaust of abortion on demand, and willingness of decent folks to accept it or at least ignore its magnitude, and, from there to other issues, our modern society is clearly going in the wrong direction.

Please know that this was a very traumatic realization for me. I grew up loving America, and being proud of my national heritage; to acknowledge that she was morally rotten was a difficult admission, but one that i had to make. I identified as well with the Democrat party and with its liberal ideology, and so it was hard to admit here, too, that those ideologies had become morally bankrupt and the party platform a murderous one. I was proud to be a member of the generation of hippies, flower children, and peaceniks, and it was gut-wrenching to have to admit that that generation was now responsible for some of the greatest evil in history.

But none of that would suffice for making me want to leave my native homeland. I would still be willing to continue living here, but for a couple of things:

First, the fact that our government is not content with simply abandoning legal protection for the pre-born, but requires all taxpayers to underwrite the holocaust. I do not pretend to be morally pure by any means, but i still have a conscience, and i still cannot willingly be an accomplice to the murder of innocents. As Thomas Jefferson opined, "To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." Jefferson was just referring to ideas; what i'm being forced to do is cooperate with government mandated murder!

This is no longer confined to Title X abortion funding. With the re-election of Governor Doyle, Wisconsin taxes will likely soon be used to perform human embryonic stem cell research. Similar conditions exist in most of the states. American tax dollars are used for anti-life measures internationally as well, including forced or coerced sterilization, aggressive population control measures, etc. I may not be able to escape the evil in our world, but i think i might still find a place to live without having to fund murder and genocide with my taxes.

Secondly, i might be inclined to stay and resist, but the acceptance of this holocaust by otherwise decent people leads me to sadly acknowledge no remedy within reasonable sight; it has seemingly become an established part of the culture. True voter sentiment must be reflected in the aforementioned government policies, else, how do these politicians keep getting elected? And how is it that even so-called pro-life government leaders continue to support the funding of these things? And that church-going Christians increasingly accept and sometimes even approve of what they formerly would have called serious sin? No, this travesty is evidently embedded within our very collective consciousness. I no longer puzzle over how the good people of Germany allowed that holocaust to happen; with too few exceptions, the same phenomenon is happening right before my eyes.

The growing acceptance of same-sex unions, and homosexual 'rights' would not, in itself, be a motive for leaving, since that ideology does not (so far) require my material cooperation. But this phenomenon does underscore the concern just mentioned. Namely, that it indicates the gradual abandonment of moral standards by otherwise decent people, and thus indicates a systemic malady, very difficult to remedy. (Indeed, no remedy is possible where there is no recognition that a problem exists.)

Please understand that i do not hate or fear sinners. Indeed, i am one. Returning to the original theme, it is not due to some personal purity that i feel compelled to start afresh soon. I am a sinful man, and i freely acknowledge that. In fact, one of the signs of a healthy culture would be that my sins also would be recognized as evil, and not readily excused. For my own salvation, i need to live where some standards are upheld.

Some say it is better to stay and resist the evil. (Many of those saying this are not resisting the evil themselves, and many are major contributors to it!) Be that as it may, my current strategy within this country of passive tax resistance seems to be the best i can manage, but is becoming more and more futile.

I suppose i could stay and become a civil disobedience outlaw, perhaps engaging in an Operation Rescue or some such active resistance. But i couldn't do this solo, and i honestly don't see any such opportunities in sight. (Maybe somebody reading this will tell me of some!)

Perhaps this 'Slouching Towards Gomorrah' is, ironically, its own remedy. The more hopelessly depraved our culture becomes, the more quickly it is likely to implode completely, which may be the only ultimate remedy.

The coward in me says i might just as well go someplace where i can live a somewhat normal and quiet life for the final third of my lifespan. Somewhere where i could make a living without materially supporting murder via my taxes. Somewhere where standards of decency and morality are still recognized, even if not always followed.

So, the sense of entering into a new chapter of my life soon has almost nothing to do with a personal need to escape (or personal 'need' of any kind). It has a great deal to do with the increasing futility of my current strategy of passive tax resistance. I apologize for my apparent incoherence, and hope this clarifies any misunderstanding. I welcome any comments, and may expand upon these and other thoughts in future posts.

As to where and when i may go, i cannot tell the specifics, because i don't know them yet myself. I sense the transition may be near, but will have to see how things unfold, in God's sovereign way.

pax et bonum
Jerry